Do
- Read the inspection report when it arrives, not only when something breaks — the recommended actions are what prevent the emergency callout.
- Act on 'recommended' items before they become 'urgent'; deferred items rarely get cheaper.
- Keep your contact details and preferred approval channel current with us so quotes do not sit unanswered.
- Check your monthly statement against the expense lines and raise any query by the last day of the month in which the statement is issued (statements are out on or before the 10th).
Don’t
- Don't instruct your own contractor to attend the unit without telling us — an unannounced visit during a stay is a guest privacy breach and can trigger a refund claim.
- Don't defer A/C servicing to save cost before summer; a failure in July costs the service price many times over in compensation and lost nights.
- Don't assume the building service charge covers in-unit maintenance. It generally covers common areas, chiller infrastructure and the building's own pest and tank regime, not your appliances or your sanitaryware.
- Don't store personal belongings in the unit outside a designated locked owner's cupboard where one exists — guest damage or loss of owner property is not covered.
A holiday home is a hotel product operating inside a residential building. It turns over far more often than a long-let apartment, and it is judged publicly after every stay. Preventive maintenance is therefore not housekeeping overhead — it is what keeps your review score, your nightly rate and your asset value where they should be. This article sets out the routine regime we run on your unit, what is included, what is billed, and where your approval is required.
Why we run a scheduled regime instead of reacting to faults
- A fault discovered by a guest becomes a complaint, a partial refund or a one-star review. The same fault found at turnover costs a callout.
- DET (formerly DTCM) holiday home standards require the unit to be presented clean, safe and fully functional at every check-in. Inspection records are our evidence of compliance.
- Air conditioning, plumbing and appliances in Dubai fail seasonally and predictably. Servicing them on a calendar is cheaper than replacing them on an emergency callout.
- Consistent condition allows us to price the unit at the top of its band rather than discounting to compensate for wear.
What happens between every guest
Every departure triggers the same sequence, regardless of length of stay or rate paid.
- Departure inspection — our team attends after check-out to record condition, check for damage, and confirm inventory against the unit list.
- Standard turnover clean — full clean of all rooms, bathrooms and kitchen, linen and towel change, waste removal, restock of guest consumables.
- Functional check — A/C operation and temperature, hot water, all lighting, WC and drainage, appliances, door locks, safe, TV and Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Damage and loss report — anything beyond fair wear is photographed, logged and assessed against the departing guest's security deposit where one was held.
- Ready-for-arrival sign-off — the unit is only released back into the calendar once it has passed the check.
The routine schedule
On top of turnover work, the following runs on a calendar independent of the booking pattern.
| Task | Frequency | Purpose |
| Full property inspection (structured report with photos) | Every three months, on top of the inspection after every stay | Detects slow-developing issues: leaks, sealant failure, fabric wear, appliance decline |
| A/C service — filter clean, coil check, drain line clear, gas pressure check | Every three months | Prevents mid-summer failure, the single most common cause of guest compensation claims |
| Pest control treatment | Every three months, by our in-house pest control team, independent of the building's schedule | Required for compliance and rating; a single cockroach sighting can end a stay |
| Deep clean (beyond turnover standard) | Every 3 months or every 10 stays, whichever comes first | Resets grout, limescale, upholstery, appliance interiors, behind and under furniture |
| Mattress protector, pillow and linen rotation / replacement | Your cost — replaced at least once a year, earlier for high-turnover units | Linen condition is the most frequently commented-on item in reviews |
| Water tank / plumbing checks | Handled by the building management where the building provides it | Avoids duplicate charges for work the service fee already covers |
What a deep clean covers that a turnover clean does not
- Steam or wet extraction of sofas, mattresses, rugs and fabric headboards
- Descaling of shower screens, taps, kettles and dishwashers
- Oven, hob, extractor filter and fridge interior degreasing
- Grout, silicone and sanitaryware treatment; re-sealing where needed
- Cleaning behind and beneath fixed furniture, wardrobes and appliances
- Balcony floor, railings and glass, including sand and dust build-up
- Curtain, blind and A/C vent cleaning
- Full inventory reconciliation and replacement of worn small items
Who pays for what
The split between operating cost and owner cost is set out in your management agreement. In broad terms:
| Item | Typically borne by |
| Turnover cleaning and linen laundering between guests | Operator — part of our standard services |
| Scheduled deep cleans | Owner — property upkeep |
| Pest control | Owner — our in-house team, every three months |
| A/C servicing and consumables (filters, gas) | Owner — asset maintenance |
| Repairs, spare parts and replacement appliances | Owner |
| Damage caused by an identified guest | Recovered from the guest's security deposit where held; shortfall to owner |
| Building-level works, chiller and common areas | Owner, via service charges |
| Consumables provided to guests (toiletries, coffee, water) | Operator — part of our standard guest services |
Anything we spend on your behalf appears as an itemised expense line in your monthly statement and is netted against your payout, which is issued on the 15th of each month — or the next working day where the 15th is a non-working day — covering the previous month.
Your approval and the spend limit
We do not need to ask you before every filter or lightbulb — waiting for approval on small items would leave the unit off-market. Above a set value, we come to you with a quote before proceeding.
- Below the limit: we instruct the work, complete it and report it on your statement.
- Above the limit: we send you the fault description, photographs and a quote, and wait for your written approval.
- Emergency works affecting safety, habitability or other units in the building: we act first to contain the damage, then inform you immediately. Withholding action on a live leak or an electrical fault is not an option available to us.
Above the spend limit in your signed management agreement we ask for your written approval through the owner portal and let you know by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
Inspection reports and how to see them
Every scheduled inspection produces a dated report with photographs, a condition rating per room, and a list of recommended actions ranked by urgency. These reports are your record of how your asset is being kept, and they are what we rely on if a claim or a dispute arises later.
Renovation, upgrades and refurbishment
Preventive maintenance keeps the unit at its current standard. It does not lift it. Where the inspection reports show a unit falling behind its comparable set — dated furniture, tired soft furnishings, worn flooring — we will raise a refurbishment recommendation with an expected effect on achievable rate.
- We send you the recommendation, scope and indicative cost.
- You approve the scope, or a reduced version of it, in writing.
- We block the calendar for the works period and coordinate access, building permissions and any DET (formerly DTCM) requirements affecting the permit.
- The unit is re-photographed and re-listed on completion.
During refurbishment the unit is closed to bookings for the blocking period the works team asks for and you approve; any commercial adjustment is agreed case by case.
If you are staying in your own property
Owner stays are treated as a booking: the unit is blocked, cleaned before your arrival and deep-checked after you leave, exactly as with a guest. A cleaning fee applies to owner stays. The current amount is shown in the owner portal and is kept up to date there.
- Give us notice of the dates so we can block the calendar before the nights sell — at least 48 hours; on public holidays, in peak season or at shorter notice we accommodate the stay when the unit is free and ready.
- Report anything that broke or ran out during your stay, the same as we would ask a guest to.
- Leave the unit accessible for the post-stay turnover on the departure date.
Access, keys and contractors
- All access to the unit — cleaners, technicians, inspectors, valuers — is coordinated by us and logged. This protects you against unexplained entry and protects guests' privacy during a stay.
- We hold the working key set and access cards, with one spare set kept by our operations team. Guests receive at least 2 sets, plus 1 more for each additional bedroom.
- Where the building requires a works permit, NOC or contractor registration, we obtain it before the technician attends.
- No maintenance visit is scheduled during a guest stay unless the fault is urgent and the guest has agreed to the entry.
Escalation and contact
| Situation | What to do |
| Fire, flood, gas smell, medical emergency | Contact local emergency services first, then call us |
| Urgent fault reported to you directly by a neighbour or building management | Call +971 (4) 392-0202 — do not instruct a contractor yourself |
| Quote awaiting your approval | Reply in writing to the message you received, or email info@deluxehomes.com |
| Question on an expense line in your statement | Email info@deluxehomes.com quoting the statement month and unit |
| Request for an ad-hoc inspection or condition report | Email or WhatsApp +971 (4) 392-0202 |
- I know the inspection, A/C, pest control and deep clean frequency applying to my unit
- I know which costs sit with me and which sit with the operator
- I have confirmed the spend limit above which my approval is required
- My contact details and approval channel are current
- I have access to the owner portal for statements, expenses and owner-stay charges
- I respond to quotes within a timeframe that does not lose booked nights