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DET (formerly DTCM) permit: eligibility, documents and cancellation

What qualifies for a Dubai holiday home permit, the documents DET (formerly DTCM) requires, alternatives when you have no Title Deed, sub-letting rules for tenants, and how a permit is cancelled.

LandlordsUpdated 25 October 20265 min read

Do

  • Hold written approval from your landlord expressly authorising you to sub-let the unit as a holiday home.
  • Hold a valid tenancy contract and a registered Ejari.

Don’t

  • Do not sub-let more than one property as a holiday home. A tenant is permitted one unit only.
  • Do not rely on a verbal or informal understanding with your landlord — the approval must be in writing.

Every holiday home in Dubai operates under a permit issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism, DET (formerly DTCM). We register the permit for your unit under our operator licence and hold it for the duration of our Vacation Rentals Management Agreement. Nothing can be listed, marketed or occupied by a guest until that permit is live, so the paperwork below is the first thing that determines when your unit starts earning.

Which properties qualify

The unit must carry a RESIDENTIAL classification. This is the single most common reason an application fails at the first stage.

  • Apartments with residential classification — eligible.
  • Hotels and hotel apartment units — not eligible. They sit under a different classification and cannot be licensed as a holiday home.
  • Residential villas — eligible only when located within a gated compound of at least four villas. DET (formerly DTCM) applies this to ensure guests are accommodated in a secure, controlled environment.
  • Commercial villas on main roads — may be considered, but are assessed individually.
Exception. A commercial villa on a main road is not automatically approved. DET (formerly DTCM) reviews each application on its own merits — location, amenities and general suitability — and must be satisfied that all other licensing and safety requirements are met.
If your villa is a standalone property outside a gated compound of four or more villas, do not assume a permit will be granted. Speak to us before you commit to furnishing or a management agreement, so you are not carrying holding costs on a unit that cannot be licensed.

Documents required

Three things must be established: who you are, that you are entitled to use the unit, and that the unit exists and is connected to utilities in your name.

What it provesWhat you provide
Identity of the ownerCopy of the individual owner's passport or UAE ID. If the property is owned by a tenant applying as licensee, their passport or UAE ID.
Identity of a corporate ownerPassport or UAE ID copy of the owner or one of the company's partners, plus the trade licence documents or the company's articles of association.
Authority to use the unitCopy of the property Title Deed, and an authorisation from the owner on the approved DET (formerly DTCM) form.
Utilities and occupancyA DEWA bill issued for the unit, no less than three months old as at the date of application, in the name of the owner or the licensee (or tenant) of the unit.
Exception. Where the property is owned by a company, an authorised signatory may sign the owner's authorisation form — provided proof of that person's authority is submitted alongside it.

If you do not have a Title Deed

Off-plan and recently handed-over units frequently have no Title Deed yet. That does not block the permit. Provide the Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA), plus either a payment completion certificate or a letter from the developer or building owner addressed "To Whom It May Concern" confirming the following points.

  • That there is no title deed issued for this unit.
  • If the unit is still on a payment plan: that it is on a payment plan and there are no outstanding dues.
  • That the unit is residential.
A developer letter that omits any one of those three points will be rejected and the application restarted. Check the wording before you accept the letter from your developer — chasing a corrected letter typically costs you more time than the permit itself.

If you are a tenant, not the owner

A tenant may place a property into holiday home operation, but the conditions are narrow.

How the permit is obtained — step by step

  1. Confirm the unit's classification is residential, and for a villa, that it sits in a gated compound of at least four villas (or discuss the commercial-villa exception with us).
  2. Sign the Vacation Rentals Management Agreement with us so we can apply under our operator licence.
  3. Send us your identity documents: passport or UAE ID for individual owners; partner ID plus trade licence or articles of association for company-owned units.
  4. Send us proof of your right to use the unit: Title Deed, or the SPA plus the payment completion certificate or developer letter covering the three required points.
  5. Sign the owner's authorisation on the approved DET (formerly DTCM) form. If a company owns the unit, have the authorised signatory sign it and attach proof of their authority.
  6. Send us a DEWA bill for the unit that is at least three months old as at the application date, in the name of the owner or licensee.
  7. Tenants only: add the landlord's written sub-letting approval, the tenancy contract and the Ejari.
  8. We submit the application to DET (formerly DTCM) and manage any queries raised during review.
  9. Once the permit is issued, we activate the listings and begin taking bookings.

Send documents to info@deluxehomes.com, or call and WhatsApp us on +971 (4) 392-0202 if you want to check whether a particular document will be accepted before you obtain it.

How a permit is cancelled

Because the permit is registered by us as the operator, only we can cancel it. Cancellation follows termination of the Vacation Rentals Management Agreement and the completion of both parties' responsibilities under it — settlement of amounts due, handover of keys and access, and closure of live bookings.

A permit cannot be cancelled for a unit while a guest is staying in it. If you intend to take the property back, give us notice in line with your agreement so the calendar can be closed off and existing reservations run down or relocated. Cancelling mid-stay is not an option that exists.

Owners give the termination notice in their signed agreement — usually three months, in some agreements two months or less. There is no separate notice for the permit: we start the DET permit cancellation within 48 hours of completing the handover formalities.

Contact

  • Phone and WhatsApp: +971 (4) 392-0202
  • Email: info@deluxehomes.com
  • In an emergency, contact local emergency services first.
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