How to Rent Out Your Home on Airbnb

• Register Your Property as a Holiday Home
• Sign up on Airbnb as a Host
• Create a Listing to Rent Out Your Home on Airbnb
• Welcome Guests
• Earn Rent 
• FAQs

As a property investor, one looks for better returns in terms of rental yields. Since the UAE is well-known for tourism, Airbnb can turn out to be a great option for renting out your home. Whether it is just a room, an entire apartment or a villa, you can turn it into an Airbnb house and earn rent from it. 

However, you must follow a complete process to rent out your house on Airbnb. Let’s learn about how to rent out your home on Airbnb. 

How to Become a Host on Airbnb

Airbnb is a marketplace of holiday rentals. Homeowners list their properties or rooms on Airbnb and the tourists rent these spaces on an hourly or daily basis. When you rent your home on Airbnb, you get control over changing the availability of your house. You also have the liberty to set the time, price and rules associated. Besides, you don’t have to be present at your property. Simply put, Airbnb is among effective ways to rent out and manage the house remotely.

While Airbnb has certain advantages, you must adhere to the laws and regulations in Dubai. Airbnb is a regulated marketplace and the host needs to complete the procedure. Here’s a step-by-step process on how to rent out your home on Airbnb. 

Register Your Property as a Holiday Home

Before you rent out your home on Airbnb, register your property as a holiday home in Dubai. You need to submit the following documents to register or renew your holiday home permit in Dubai.

• Title deed or sales purchase agreement copy 
• Payment completion certificate
• Passport copy or Emirates ID of the property owner
• Trade licence (if registering as a company)
• Emirates ID or passport copy of the authorised signatory (if registering as a company)
• Property Management Letter as a downloadable document (if you are a property management company)
• Copy of Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) bill
• Tenancy contract and Ejari documentation (For tenants registering their rented space as a holiday home) 

After obtaining a permit, you must follow the guide to holiday homes in Dubai. This will help you learn the responsibilities and understand the essentials. These include details about taxes, tourism dirham and home insurance.

Hosting Responsibilities in Dubai

The main difference between a holiday home and a hotel apartment is that the former can be part of a residential neighbourhood. However, this comes with responsibilities. For instance, when you rent out an apartment on Airbnb, ensure that you explain the building rules to the guests. Moreover, you can inform your neighbours about the guests and vice versa to avoid inconveniences.

Other hosting responsibilities include the following:

• If you don’t allow smoking, put the signs on the walls.
• Ensure putting parking rules
• Remind guests to avoid making noises
• Set house and pet rules

Furthermore, the hosting responsibilities include taking care of the following things to prevent hazards:

• Practice fire safety laws
• Keep fire safety equipment
• Ensure that the guests have the map to all the exits of the property and building
• Give privacy to guests if you are sharing a room
• Follow the tips to childproof your home and inform guests about potential hazards

These hosting responsibilities are very important. The ones posting their property for monthly short-term rent in Dubai or daily must follow the Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) guidelines.

Taxes

One of the reasons to invest in holiday homes is no taxes. In the UAE, the taxes don’t apply to the rental income. Plus, when you rent out a home on Airbnb, you can receive more guests and higher rental income as a holiday home operator.

Contracts

You must have all the contracts and complete documents. For instance, you must submit the mortgage contract in Dubai if you are registering your property as a holiday home. Besides, you must check the tenancy contract and follow RERA tenancy rules to see if you can sublet a property.

Tourism Dirham

While there are no taxes, holiday home operators have to charge Tourism Dirham (an applicable fee) from the guests. This fee must be paid to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Moreover, the current Tourism Dirham fee is AED 15 for a deluxe room, whereas AED 10 is for a standard room.

Home Insurance

Airbnb covers for hosts in case of damage. However, you must have basic coverage when buying home insurance in the UAE. Besides, if you are subletting a rented property as a holiday home, you must learn about home insurance for tenants in Dubai.

Sign up on Airbnb as a Host

You must sign up on Airbnb as a host after registering your property as a holiday home. You can prepare and follow the tips to turn your property into a holiday home in Dubai. Additionally, you can follow these steps to sign up as a host:

• Sign up on Airbnb using a Facebook account, Google ID or email address.
• Now create a listing.
• Add information about your property, such as address, home features, amenities and facilities.
• Take pictures of the home you want to rent out on Airbnb and add them to your listing.
• Add a description of your property.
• Set a rental price and other information.

After posting your listing, the guests will find your property on Airbnb and rent it. The whole process is simple with Airbnb helping out to complete the information.

Create a Listing to Rent Out Your Home on Airbnb

As a host, it is simple to create a listing. That said, you must comply with all the laws and regulations in the country. You can check the pricing tool by Airbnb when you rent out your home to set competitive prices. Describe the property, number of rooms, availability and whether it will be a shared accommodation. Moreover, add the number of guests you can accommodate. 

Welcome Guests

After you post the listing, you can welcome guests in person or send them a code. You can manage the property by keeping clean towels, toilet paper, sheets and other necessities.

Earn Rent 

You won’t have to worry about payment when you rent out your home on Airbnb. They have a secure payment system and guests pay the rent in advance. Airbnb pays the host automatically after check-in. However, it deducts a service fee of 3%. You can receive payments via direct deposit, Paypal or other methods.

FAQs

How do I put my house on Airbnb?

To rent out your home on Airbnb, you must sign up and click on ‘Become a Host’. After that, add details about your property and create a listing.

Is Airbnb legal in the UAE?

Yes, Airbnb is legal in the UAE. You must comply with the local rules and regulations to avoid fines.

How much money do Airbnb hosts make?

When renting your home on Airbnb, you can make between AED 356 and AED 4,536 per night. It depends on lots of factors, such as property location, number of bedrooms and facilities. 

What percentage does Airbnb take?

Airbnb charges a 3% fee from the hosts.

Is Airbnb profitable in Dubai?

Yes, Airbnb is profitable for hosts in Dubai. When renting a home on Airbnb, you can make a high rental income if your property is available for the whole month.

These were all the guidelines on how to rent out your home on Airbnb. You can also use other platforms to rent out property, such as dubizzle, which is well-known for its monthly and daily short-term rentals in Dubai. Besides, you can learn more from the FAQs about holiday homes in Dubai.

Stay tuned to the dubizzle real estate blog to learn more about renting out your property in the Emirates.