{
  "id": 8045147,
  "title": "Abu Dhabi opens holiday home market to tenants under new rules",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/abu-dhabi-opens-holiday-home-market-to-tenants-under-new-rules",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-17T15:11:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/09/17/abu-dhabi-holiday-home-airbnb-new-rules/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Abu Dhabi has updated its rules to allow more individuals and entities to list their properties as holiday homes. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT) has expanded the categories of eligible operators, including individual owners, joint owners, legal entities, tenants, and people authorized by property owners. The new regulations clarify eligibility, licensing, operational obligations, inspections, and compliance requirements. All holiday homes must display the DCT Abu Dhabi licence number on their listing pages to ensure transparency. Operators cannot list properties on any website or digital platform without a valid DCT Abu Dhabi licence. The changes aim to raise safety, quality, and guest experience standards while supporting the Tourism Strategy 2030 objectives. In 2025, the number of holiday homes in Abu Dhabi increased by 77%, adding over 2,000 eligible units and reaching a total of 4,771 eligible units. Guest volumes also grew by 77%, reaching slightly over 335,000. Holiday homes are now an integral part of Abu Dhabi's tourism sector, responding to changing traveler preferences and broadening accommodation offerings. To list a property, owners or operators must register through DCT's online platform, providing various documents such as personal details, property deed, insurance certificate, lease contract, and identification. They must also specify their account type (homeowner or operator) and provide a Department of Economic Development license. The regulations set occupancy limits and restrictions on property conversions, and holiday homes must be located within approved development projects or licensed residential or investment plots.",
  "summary": "More people in Abu Dhabi can now list their properties as holiday homes after authorities updated rules, expanding the categories of eligible operators. The rule allows individual owners, joint owners, legal entities, tenants and people authorised by property owners to operate holiday homes in accordance with conditions set by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi DCT has revised the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Abu Dhabi opens holiday home market to tenants under new rules",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/abu-dhabi-opens-holiday-home-market-to-tenants-under-new-rules-8051136",
        "published": "2026-09-17T15:11:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}