Who licenses holiday homes
Short-term rentals in Dubai are regulated by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), still widely called DTCM. Operators register as a business, then permit each unit they manage.
Owners can also register a single property themselves, but professional operators manage dozens or hundreds of units — which is where software matters.
The compliance cycle per unit
Each unit moves through the same cycle.
Where operators get caught out
Expired permits on units that are still listed, guests not registered on time, and Tourism Dirham reconciled by hand at month end. Each one risks fines and delisting.
If your listings, permits, and bookings live in three systems, you will eventually list a unit with an expired permit.
What holiday home software needs
The goal is one view of every unit’s compliance status next to its bookings.
Build or buy?
Global PMS tools handle bookings well but rarely handle DET compliance. Most operators we work with keep their PMS and add a compliance and operations layer on top.