Short Term Rentals
Furnished homes in Dubai, from one week to six months.
Move in this week. No year-long contract, no cheques, no furniture to buy. Every home we place you in holds a valid DET holiday home permit, and the number is on the listing before you pay anything.
The Rules First
What counts as a short term rental in Dubai
Most agency pages skip this. It decides what you can and cannot do with the property, so we would rather you knew before you paid a deposit.
Any residential unit in Dubai let for less than six months at a time is legally a holiday home, regulated by the Department of Economy and Tourism — the authority formerly known as DTCM. That is a real legal category, not a marketing label, and it changes what you get.
Stays of six to twelve months work differently. Those are short-term leases, registered on Ejari, and they can support a residence visa and a DEWA account in your own name. We arrange both. Tell us how long you are staying and why, and we will tell you which route is correct for you.
- Every unit holds a DET holiday home permit, renewed annually, with the permit number displayed on the listing.
- The whole unit goes to one guest group. Renting individual rooms is not permitted.
- Your passport is registered with DET at check-in. Standard, mandatory, and handled by us.
- A Tourism Dirham applies per bedroom, per night — the same fee hotels charge.
Choose Your Stay Length
Everything changes at six months
Under six months you are booking a holiday home. Six months and over you are signing a lease. The paperwork, the payment structure and your legal rights are different on each side of that line.
Short stay
Visiting, working a short project, or house-hunting before you commit to a community. Hotel-style check-in, none of the hotel bill.
Relocation window
Landing in Dubai, waiting on a company apartment, or working a contract. Monthly rate, discounted against the nightly.
Extended stay
Between homes, on probation, or arriving ahead of the school term. Best monthly rate on the holiday home side of the line.
Short lease
The moment you need a residence visa, an Emirates ID address or DEWA in your own name, you cross to this side. Different contract entirely.
Where To Stay
Six communities, six different reasons
Indicative monthly rates for a furnished one-bedroom. Short-stay pricing moves sharply with season and events, so treat these as a starting point and ask us for live availability.
Dubai Marina & JBR
Live without a carWalkable, waterfront and tram-connected — the most consistently booked short-stay area in the city. Best for first-time visitors and anyone who does not want to drive.
Downtown Dubai
Executive short staysBurj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Dubai Opera at the door, DIFC ten minutes away. The default choice for shorter luxury stays, and priced accordingly.
Business Bay
Our own neighbourhoodMetro-connected, canal-side, five minutes from Downtown at a real discount, and the shortest commute in the city to DIFC and Sheikh Zayed Road offices.
Palm Jumeirah
Groups and familiesBeach access, resort amenities and private-pool villas. Peak-season rates climb steeply from December through March, so book early or shift your dates.
Jumeirah Village Circle
Best value per dirhamThe affordable option that is not a compromise. Quieter, more space for the money, genuinely family-friendly. A car is recommended rather than optional.
Dubai Hills Estate
Relocating with childrenVillas and townhouses near schools, parks and Dubai Hills Mall. Works best for stays of two months or more, where the space earns back the commute.
Rates shown are indicative for a furnished one-bedroom and exclude the Tourism Dirham and any refundable deposit. Send us your dates and we will quote the real number against live availability.
What You Get
Ready to live in from the first night
Fully furnished
Beds made, kitchen equipped, appliances tested. Nothing to buy, nothing to assemble.
Bills in the rate
DEWA, district cooling and high-speed Wi-Fi are included. No separate account to open.
Housekeeping
Weekly or fortnightly clean with fresh linen and towels, scheduled around you.
Building amenities
Pool, gym and allocated parking, with access cards issued before you arrive.
Arrival handled
Keys, access cards and building registration arranged in advance, whatever time you land.
A person, not a portal
One named consultant from first enquiry to key handover, and reachable during the stay.
What is not included: the Tourism Dirham, charged per bedroom per night exactly as a hotel charges it, a refundable security deposit, and anything you break. All three go in writing before you pay a dirham.
How Booking Works
Four steps, usually inside a week
1. Tell us the brief
Area, budget, bedrooms, move-in date, stay length. Two minutes on WhatsApp is enough.
2. We shortlist
Three to five genuinely available homes, real photos, all-in pricing. No bait listings.
3. View it
Same-day viewings across Dubai, or a live video walkthrough if you are still overseas.
4. Confirm and move in
Sign, pay, collect keys. Move-in commonly happens the same week you enquire.
Honest Comparison
Short term rental, hotel, or annual lease
Short-term wins on flexibility, speed and low upfront cost. It does not win on price per month. Here is the whole picture.
| Short term rental | Hotel apartment | Annual lease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum commitment | 1 night | 1 night | 12 months |
| Furnished | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| Bills included | Yes | Yes | No — you open DEWA |
| Full kitchen & laundry | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Upfront cost | Low — deposit plus first month | Low | High — cheques, deposit, agency fee, DEWA |
| Cost per month | Middle | Highest | Lowest |
| Space | Whole apartment or villa | One or two rooms | Whole apartment or villa |
| Supports a residence visa | No | No | Yes, via Ejari |
| Registered on Ejari | No | No | Yes |
Where we would tell you not to book with us: if you are staying twelve months or more and you need a visa, an annual lease is cheaper and you should take it. We will find you one instead, and we will say so on the first call — even when it earns us less.
Own a Dubai property?
Let it short-term.
A well-positioned furnished unit in a prime community can gross meaningfully more short-term than on an annual lease — but only when it is occupied, compliant and priced to the season.
What we handle for you
- DET holiday home permit — application, classification, annual renewal
- Building and developer NOCs, including the towers that quietly refuse them
- Furnishing and styling to the classification standard you are targeting
- Listing across Airbnb, Booking.com and direct channels
- Dynamic pricing around GITEX, DSF, Eid, New Year and the winter season
- Guest vetting, check-in, housekeeping and maintenance
- Tourism Dirham collection, DET guest registration and monthly filing
- Transparent monthly owner statements, net of every cost
Before you commit
Why Makan Finder
A licensed brokerage, not a listings feed
Permit-checked before we show you anything
Every short-stay home we advertise holds a current DET holiday home permit and we will give you the number on request. If an agent cannot produce one, do not pay them.
We live in the market we sell
Business Bay is our neighbourhood. We know which buildings have functioning chillers, which towers grant holiday-home NOCs without a fight, and which "canal view" listings face a wall.
Multilingual consultants
English, Arabic, Urdu and Hindi, with genuine familiarity with the South Asian and Pakistani client base relocating to and investing in Dubai.
One consultant, start to finish
The person who takes your first call handles your viewings, your contract and your handover, and stays reachable during the stay. No pass-off to a processing team.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum stay for a short term rental in Dubai?
Most of our homes take bookings from one night, though minimum stays of three to seven nights are common in peak season. Monthly rates unlock at 28 nights or more and give you the best value.
Do I need a permit to rent a short term property in Dubai?
As a guest, no. The obligation sits with the owner or operator, who must hold a valid DET holiday home permit and display the permit number on every listing. If you are renting somewhere and cannot find a permit number, ask for it before you pay anything.
Can I get a residence visa with a short term rental?
No. Stays under six months are holiday homes and are not registered on Ejari, and Ejari registration is what a residence visa application requires. If you need a visa, take a lease of six months or longer — we arrange those too.
Are bills included in the rent?
Yes. DEWA, district cooling and Wi-Fi are included in the rate on our short-term homes. The Tourism Dirham is charged separately, per bedroom per night, exactly as a hotel charges it.
How much does a short term rental in Dubai cost per month?
As a broad guide, budget from around AED 7,000 a month for a furnished one-bedroom in JVC, AED 12,000 to 16,000 in Business Bay, and AED 14,000 to 18,000 in Dubai Marina. Peak season from December to March and major event weeks push rates well above these levels. Send us your dates for live pricing.
Can I bring pets?
It depends on the building. Many JVC and Marina buildings allow pets; many Business Bay and Downtown towers do not. Tell us at the enquiry stage and we will filter for pet-friendly homes only, rather than finding out at handover.
What documents do I need to book?
A passport copy and a visa or entry-stamp copy. Nothing more for stays under six months. Six months and over requires an Emirates ID and standard tenancy documentation.
Is the security deposit refundable?
Yes, refunded after check-out once the property has been inspected, less any damage or unpaid charges. The amount and the refund timeline go in your booking confirmation in writing.
I own a property — what does a DET holiday home permit cost?
The DET charges a one-time account registration fee, then an annual per-unit permit fee that scales with bedroom count, plus a classification fee. Individual owners can self-register a limited number of their own units; managing units on behalf of other owners requires a Holiday Home Operator trade licence.
These fees are revised periodically, so we confirm the current figure for your unit type before you commit rather than quoting a number that may have moved.
Can I rent out a property I lease myself?
Only with a written NOC from your landlord on the DET template, alongside your tenancy contract, and only if your building permits holiday-home use. A significant number do not. Check before you spend anything on furniture.
Start Here
Send your dates. Get a real shortlist.
Tell us the area, the budget and when you land. You will get three to five genuinely available homes back within a few hours — not a brochure, not a callback form.
Office No. 1929, Tamani Arts Offices Tower,
Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM