Finding your own apartment advertised for nightly stays is not a rare surprise for owners in Jumeirah Village Circle. This post sets out what Dubai law allows a tenant to do, who may hold a holiday home permit, and the steps to take if your unit is already listed without your agreement.
The short answer
A tenant cannot put your apartment on a booking platform on their own. Two things have to be in place: your written consent to sublet, and a valid holiday home permit issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) for that unit. Miss either one and the listing is not lawful, whoever created it.
The question has come up again this month because Abu Dhabi has widened its own rules. The National reported on 17 September 2026 that the emirate now allows tenants, and people authorised by owners, to operate registered holiday homes. Dubai has its own framework, and here the starting point is still the owner's permission.
What Dubai law says about subletting
Article 24 of Law No. 26 of 2007, which regulates the relationship between landlords and tenants in Dubai, is explicit: unless the parties have agreed otherwise in the lease, "the tenant may not sublease, or assign the use of the real property to third parties unless the relevant written consent of the landlord is obtained".
If a tenant sublets without that written approval, Article 25 (1) (b) of Law No. 33 of 2008 allows the landlord to seek eviction before the lease expires, and the eviction applies to both the tenant and the sub-tenant. Notice is served through a notary public or by registered post, and the Rental Dispute Centre hears the case.
Two things owners get wrong: a lease silent on subletting does not permit it, because Article 24 makes consent the default, and a verbal conversation is not written consent.
Who can hold a holiday home permit
Every apartment has to be registered and approved on DET's Holiday Homes system before it is advertised. A permit is issued to an individual property owner, or to a company or establishment operating as a licensed operator. Where a tenant runs the unit, published guidance indicates they need a lease that allows subletting together with a no objection certificate from the landlord; as of September 2026, confirm the current applicant requirements on the DET portal before relying on them.
The paperwork sits largely with the owner in any case: title deed or Dubai Land Department sale and purchase agreement, a developer NOC where one applies, passport or Emirates ID, a recent DEWA bill, a property management letter, and a trade licence for a company-owned unit. Permits run for a minimum of three months and a maximum of twelve, then need renewing. Fees vary by bedroom count and classification, and published figures differ between sources, so check the current schedule on the DET portal.
One rule catches people out: the unit must be let in its entirety, so a single room cannot be advertised.
What to check in your tenancy contract now
- Whether there is a subletting clause at all, and what it permits.
- If you have given consent, whether it is in writing and names who operates the unit.
- Whose name the permit is in, and whether a permit number appears on any listing.
- Your building's rules on guest access and parking.
- Whether your insurance covers paying guests, which a residential policy often does not.
If your apartment is already listed
Save the evidence first: the listing URL, screenshots, and the permit number if one is shown. Write to your tenant setting out Article 24, then serve formal notice through a notary public or registered post if the listing stays up. The Rental Dispute Centre is the route if it is not resolved.
Dubai's shared housing law came into force on 26 August 2026, with a permit regime for shared accommodation and a prohibition on occupants subletting any part of their accommodation. We covered what that means for owners in the shared housing law post.
If you want the nightly income yourself
Some owners decide the short-let market is worth having on their own terms. That means ending or not renewing the tenancy, furnishing to a classifiable standard, taking out the permit in the correct name, and then running the unit: guest registration at each check-in, the monthly Tourism Dirham filing, housekeeping and maintenance between stays. Our owner's permit checklist covers the application itself. This is the work we do for owners in JVC at Luxe Signature — we furnish to DET Deluxe standard, hold the permit and the filings, photograph and list the unit across platforms, and manage guests and housekeeping.
Working with Luxe Signature
If a tenant has listed your apartment without consent, treat it as the legal matter it is. If what appeals is the nightly rate, run the unit properly as a licensed holiday home instead. We are the top-rated holiday-home operator in Jumeirah Village Circle, with more than 1,500 listings on Bayut and 400 Signature listings, and our agents are Bayut TruBroker-verified. The owner walkthrough shows how we take a unit on, and the portfolio shows what we run in JVC today. Tell us the building and unit type and we will set out what your apartment would need.
