Commission model: rates and qualifying bookings

This article explains how commission is calculated across our two partner streams: guest-side partners who send us bookings, and landlord-side partners who introduce property owners. Read it alongside your signed partner agreement, which governs in the event of any conflict.

The two commission streams

A partner may operate in both streams.

Guest-side: what counts as a qualifying booking

A booking is qualifying, and therefore commissionable, only when all of the following are true.

• The booking was created through your agreed channel — your partner code, your named account, a booking request sent from your registered email domain, or an agreed API/extranet connection.
• The guest was not already in our system as an active or recent direct guest at the time of your referral (see attribution below).
• The booking is confirmed by us in writing and a reservation reference is issued.
• The stay has taken place — the guest has checked in and completed the stay.
• The full accommodation amount has been collected and cleared, with no chargeback, dispute or unresolved balance.
• The booking has not been cancelled, or reduced below the minimum stay we accepted.

What is excluded from the commission base

• The DET (formerly DTCM) tourism fee and any other government fees or municipality charges.
• VAT and other taxes — commission is calculated on VAT-exclusive net accommodation revenue, and the commission itself is stated exclusive of VAT.
• Refundable security deposits and any deductions made from them.
• Cleaning fees, mid-stay cleaning and linen changes.
• Damage charges, penalty charges and late check-out or early check-in charges where applied.
• Third-party extras arranged for the guest — transfers, tours, chef services, and similar.
• Payment processing and card fees where these are passed through.
• Any discount, credit or goodwill amount granted to the guest — commission follows the amount actually received, not the amount originally quoted.

Attribution: whose booking is it

Attribution decides which partner is paid when more than one party touches a guest. We apply these rules in order.

1. A booking made under a partner code, partner account or partner-connected channel is attributed to that partner at the point of booking.
2. Where no code is used, the first partner to send us the guest's identifying details in writing — by email or through your account manager — owns the lead, provided we confirm receipt.
3. A lead ownership window applies from the date we confirm receipt. If the guest books within the window, the booking is yours.
4. If the guest was already an active guest, had an open enquiry with us, or had stayed with us within the preceding period, the booking is not attributable to you.

Landlord-side: what counts as a qualifying introduction

An introduction is qualifying when all of the following are true.

• You submit the owner's name, contact details and the specific unit or units in writing before any contact is made between us and that owner.
• We confirm in writing that the owner and unit are registered to you and are not already in our pipeline.
• The owner signs a property management agreement with us for the identified unit.
• The unit is successfully onboarded, licensed under DET (formerly DTCM) and made available for booking.
• The unit is under our management in the month the fee accrues. There is no minimum period: the fee accrues month by month and simply stops if the unit leaves management.

Registering a landlord lead

1. Email the owner's full name, mobile number, email and the exact unit reference (building, unit number, community) to partners@deluxehomes.com, marked for the partnerships team.
2. Wait for our written registration confirmation. Registration is not automatic and is not created by your email alone.
3. Once registered, introduce us to the owner — or let us make contact directly if that is what you have agreed.
4. Keep your lead ownership current. A registration stays attributed to you for 6 months from our written confirmation and expires if the owner does not sign within that time.

Commission rates

One rate applies to every partner in each stream, and your rate is recorded in your partner agreement and confirmed in your statements.

• Guest-side: 10% of net accommodation revenue on commissionable (gross) bookings, excluding VAT and the Tourism Dirham, with the commission itself stated exclusive of VAT. Travel agencies and concierge services that invoice their own client work on net rates instead — your margin is your mark-up, and no commission is paid. Corporate partners receive a negotiated net corporate rate.
• Landlord-side: 5% of the rental income generated by the referred property, excluding taxes, paid monthly for the first 12 months after the property is onboarded, per unit.
• Negotiated rates for a named account, a corporate contract or a specific building are governed by that contract.

Worked example — guest-side

In this example, commission is calculated on the AED 14,000 accommodation line at your commission rate. If the guest shortens the stay to five nights and we refund two nights, commission is recalculated on the amount actually retained.

Cancellations, no-shows and refunds

• A cancelled booking generates no commission, whether or not a cancellation charge was retained by us.
• A no-show follows the cancellation treatment above.
• A partial refund reduces the commission base by the refunded amount. Where commission has already been paid, the difference is offset against your next statement.
• Refunds follow the Refund Policy published on our website, which may change over time. Where the guest booked through you or through an OTA, that channel's own cancellation policy governs the guest's entitlement.

Your obligations

Statements and payment

1. We issue a commission statement listing every qualifying booking or introduction in the period, with the commission base and rate applied.
2. You review the statement and raise any query within the query window.
3. You issue your invoice against the approved statement, quoting your trade licence and tax registration details where applicable.
4. We pay to your registered bank account. Payment is by bank transfer on the 25th of each month (or the next working day) for the previous month's statement, and always within 30 days of a valid invoice.

• Balances below AED 500 roll forward to the next payment run.
• Settlement is in AED by default (USD by written agreement for partners established outside the UAE). You bear currency conversion and intermediary bank charges; we pay only our own bank's fee.
• Adjustments, reversals and offsets from earlier periods appear as separate lines on the current statement.

Questions and disputes

For attribution disputes or statement queries, contact your account manager, or reach us on +971 (4) 392-0202 (phone and WhatsApp) or at partners@deluxehomes.com. Send the reservation reference, or the owner name and unit reference, with every query — we cannot investigate without it. In an emergency affecting a guest in one of our properties, contact local emergency services first, then notify us.