Emaar says Downtown Dubai will stop all holiday home rentals

Dubai developer Emaar has confirmed that holiday home rentals will not be allowed in its Downtown Dubai development.

Homeowners have been advised that they have until September 19 to cease all holiday home operations, the company said in a circular.

The developer said the decision was made after the management team received numerous complaints from residents on disturbances and related inconveniences.

“In the recent past, there has also been a growing concern as holiday homes have been used for non-residential and non-family orientated activities, impacting the value and neighbourhood spirit of our communities,” the statement read.

Any apartments or villas in the area need to have made necessary arrangements to cancel any existing holiday home bookings and book no further ones as of Thursday, September 19.

The news comes a day after the developer launched its own short term rental platform, Ease by Emaar, that will allow homeowners in certain Emaar communities to rent out their properties to guests as holiday homes.

While Ease by Emaar will start with listing properties on Emaar’s South Beach development, a spokesperson confirmed that Downtown Dubai will not be included on its platform.

“Ease by Emaar will not list properties in Downtown Dubai for home stays from September 19. This is as part of our decision not to offer holiday home operations in Downtown Dubai following requests from our residents, as several of the holiday homes were used for non-residential and non-family-related activities,” the spokesperson said.

Aiming to tap into Dubai’s growing holiday-home market, Ease by Emaar will offer guests hotel-grade housekeeping and amenities such as a digital mobile concierge, unlimited wifi, Chromecast and access to facilities such as swimming pools, spas, sporting areas and kids centres. Guests can also get an ‘Ease Pass,’ which provides offers and deals for attractions such as At The Top, Burj Khalifa, Reel Cinemas and others.

For investors, Ease provides an end-to-end property management service, including property setup, reservations management, guest hosting, housekeeping, maintenance, government licensing, and distribution of the listing across Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, and over 50 other channels.

Read: Dubai developer Emaar launches short-term rental platform for holiday homes