Do
- Keep the property inventory and condition record current with us, including any item you add, remove or replace yourself, so that a missing or damaged item can be evidenced and valued.
- Tell us the purchase value and, where available, the invoice for high-value items you place in the unit — art, electronics, designer furniture — because a claim is settled on evidenced value, not on estimate.
- Respond promptly when we ask you to approve a repair or replacement above the standing spend limit for your property, as an unapproved delay can push the claim past the channel's filing deadline. The limit is set in your signed management agreement.
- Accept that genuine fair wear and tear, and periodic refresh of linen, soft furnishings and consumables, are property costs and are charged to your account through the normal maintenance process.
Don’t
- Do not contact the guest directly about damage. Direct contact outside the booking channel voids most OTA damage claims and undermines a deposit deduction if it is later disputed.
- Do not instruct your own contractor to repair the item before the evidence pack is complete; once the item is repaired or discarded the claim cannot be substantiated.
- Do not leave irreplaceable, sentimental or uninsured high-value items in a short-let unit. A claim can only ever recover an evidenced monetary value.
- Do not assume a deposit exists on every booking. Airbnb and Homes & Villas by Marriott International stays carry no deposit, and recovery on those channels is capped by the channel's own terms.
Every departure from your property is followed by a check-out inspection. This article explains what happens when that inspection finds damage: how it is documented, which guests carry a security deposit, how a claim is raised on channels that do not hold one, and where the line sits between recoverable guest damage and fair wear and tear that the property absorbs as an operating cost.
How damage is documented
Recovery depends entirely on evidence produced in the right window. A claim without dated, comparable evidence will be rejected by the guest, by the payment provider or by the booking channel, so the inspection process is fixed and is not varied per property.
- The unit is inspected at check-out against the standing condition record and the inventory list for that property.
- Any deviation is photographed in place before anything is moved, cleaned or repaired, with the capture date retained.
- The finding is logged against the specific booking, not against the property in general, so it is tied to an identifiable guest.
- We obtain a repair, replacement or specialist cleaning quotation for the affected item.
- The guest is notified of the finding and the amount, and is given the opportunity to respond.
- The claim is settled from the security deposit, or filed with the booking channel where no deposit is held.
- The outcome, the evidence pack and any recovered amount appear in your monthly statement.
Fair wear and tear versus recoverable damage
A short-let property is used intensively and some deterioration is a normal consequence of occupancy rather than guest fault. We do not pursue guests for wear and tear, and we do not charge you for genuine guest damage that is successfully recovered. The test we apply is whether the condition results from ordinary, careful use over time, or from an act, omission or negligence by the guest.
| Treated as fair wear and tear (property cost) | Treated as recoverable guest damage |
| Fading, softening or thinning of upholstery and linen through normal use | Burns, ink, dye transfer, cosmetics or unexplained staining on soft furnishings |
| Minor scuffing on skirting, door edges and high-traffic flooring | Gouges, chips, cracked tiles, water damage to flooring or joinery |
| Limescale, grouting discolouration, bulbs and batteries reaching end of life | Broken sanitaryware, blocked drainage caused by foreign objects |
| Appliances failing through age or normal cycle count | Appliances failing through misuse, overloading or liquid ingress |
| Paint dulling and small marks consistent with routine occupancy | Nail holes, adhesive damage, unauthorised fixings or repainting |
| Keys and access cards wearing out | Lost keys, access cards, remotes, or a lock change made necessary by loss |
| Normal odours cleared by standard cleaning | Smoking odour remediation, pet odour, or deep cleaning beyond the standard turnover |
| Items reaching the end of their service life | Missing inventory items, including linen, crockery, decor and electronics |
Which guests carry a security deposit
A refundable security deposit is taken from guests as the first line of recovery. It is held, not spent, and is released after the check-out inspection clears. Two booking channels operate on their own damage-protection model and prohibit or displace a standard deposit hold, so bookings from those channels arrive without one.
| Channel | Security deposit |
| Direct bookings | Charged |
| Booking.com | Charged |
| Other OTAs and partner channels | Charged |
| Airbnb | Not charged — recovery via the channel's own damage process |
| Homes & Villas by Marriott International | Not charged — recovery via the channel's own damage process |
The deposit amount and hold method are set at portfolio level so that pricing and guest experience stay consistent across the properties we manage. The deposit is set per booking from the property type and length of stay, held on the guest's card rather than charged, and released 7 to 14 banking days after the check-out inspection. A deposit is not taken on every booking: some platforms, Airbnb among them, do not allow hosts to take one, so a deposit is never guaranteed.
How a claim is recovered
The route depends on the booking channel, not on the size of the damage.
- Where a deposit is held: the documented amount is deducted from the deposit and the balance released to the guest. If the damage exceeds the deposit, we pursue the shortfall directly with the guest.
- Where no deposit is held (Airbnb, Homes & Villas by Marriott International): we file a damage claim with the channel within its own filing window, using the same evidence pack. The channel adjudicates and pays out under its terms, which we do not control.
- Where the guest disputes: the channel or the payment provider decides. Our role is to present complete evidence; we cannot guarantee an outcome we do not adjudicate.
What we need from you
How recovered money reaches you
Recovered amounts, whether deducted from a deposit or paid out by a channel, are credited to your account and shown as a separate line in your monthly statement, matched to the booking they relate to. Statements and the resulting payout follow the standard cycle: on the 15th of each month, or the next working day if the 15th is a non-working day, covering the previous month.
Where a repair was carried out before the claim was settled, the cost appears first as an expense and the recovery appears later as a credit; the two may therefore fall in different statement months.
Serious incidents, insurance and authorities
Where an incident goes beyond ordinary damage — fire, flood, theft, or an event requiring police attendance — we secure the property, preserve the scene for evidence and notify you. Where the matter touches the holiday home permit or requires reporting, we handle notification to DET (formerly DTCM) and the relevant authorities on the property's behalf. In an emergency, contact local emergency services first.
Losses above what a deposit or channel programme can cover fall to insurance. Deluxe Holiday Homes holds third-party liability insurance in its own name, with the properties we manage included as insured locations. Building insurance usually sits with the building or community management; insuring your contents and the unit itself is yours to arrange, depending on your property and your agreement. The policy schedule is available from Owner Support on request.
Summary rule
- Damage is only recoverable if it is documented at check-out, before turnover.
- All guests carry a security deposit except Airbnb and Homes & Villas by Marriott International, where recovery runs through the channel's own damage process.
- Fair wear and tear is a property cost and is never charged to a guest.
- Recovered amounts are credited to your monthly statement and paid on the 15th, or the next working day.
Contact
For any question about a specific damage finding, a deposit deduction or an open claim on your property, contact us by phone or WhatsApp on +971 (4) 392-0202 or by email at info@deluxehomes.com, quoting the property and the booking dates. In an emergency, contact local emergency services first.