DET's holiday-home guide lists 78 numbered items in its Appendix 1 checklist, spread across eight sections: the unit as a whole, the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, the kitchen, an assistant's room, technical specifications and sustainability. Which items apply to you depends on your class, since the checklist has separate columns for Farms, Deluxe Villas, Standard Villas, Deluxe Apartments and Standard Apartments. If you're furnishing an Airbnb or other short-term rental in Dubai, this is the DET list a holiday home is inspected against.
The figures come from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) guide "Leasing Out Holiday Homes - User Guide". The guide says it's updated from time to time, so check DET's website for the current Appendix 1 before ordering. The checklist is one part of getting a permit. Title deed, insurance and owner limits also apply, and we cover those in our guide to the holiday home permit in Dubai.
Every row in Appendix 1 is tagged Main or Sub, and the sustainability rows are mostly tagged Optional. DET publishes fines for failed criteria, and we don't quote them here. The guide doesn't say how many items a unit needs to reach Deluxe, so don't trust anyone who quotes you a pass mark.
An inspector visits once you've applied. If something is missing you get a warning or a penalty and two weeks to fix it, then a second visit, then periodic unannounced ones. Furnish to the whole list from the start and you avoid paying for a second delivery.
Every class needs a sofa or armchair for two, a dining table with at least two chairs, and a colour TV with a remote. The guide counts both per bedroom or studio. The guide doesn't give quantities beyond that phrase, and it doesn't define how a studio differs from a one-bedroom.
A rug or carpet is on the list for all five classes. Deluxe units add a coffee table and wall decoration.
Floor area is measured without the bathroom and entrance.
| Deluxe Villas and Apartments | Farms, Standard Villas and Apartments | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum bedroom | 14 sqm | 12 sqm |
| Minimum studio | 20 sqm | 17 sqm |
| Main bedroom bed | 200 x 180 cm | 200 x 150 cm |
| Other single bed | 200 x 120 cm | 190 x 90 cm |
| Other double bed | 200 x 150 cm | 190 x 135 cm |
Those bed sizes are minimums. Beds need a headboard, a modern mattress, sheets, pillows and a clean bedspread, plus two sets of sheets and pillow covers for every bed so housekeeping always has a spare set.
Each bedroom needs a bedside table with a drawer or shelf and a shaded lamp. It also needs a wardrobe or cupboard with shelves and a mirror, with at least six hangers, drawers and shelves. A safe goes inside the wardrobe or in a hidden place, one for each studio and main bedroom. Deluxe units add an en-suite bathroom and a TV in the master bedroom.
If the unit has a domestic worker's room, the guide gives it a 9 sqm minimum floor area, a bed of at least 190 x 90 cm with the same bedding standard, and a wardrobe with at least three hangers. The guide doesn't say whether these apply only when such a room exists, so we treat them as applying where the unit has one.
Each en-suite bathroom needs a shower or a bath, a sink with a mirror and lighting, and basic toiletries such as soap and shampoo. Two sets of towels per room, a WC spray washer or bidet, a towel holder, a bath mat and hooks complete the Standard list.
Deluxe adds a glass door on the shower or bath, a magnified shaving mirror with lighting, and a hair dryer. It's a small line on the checklist but a real cost in a villa with five bathrooms, so count the doors before you price the job.
Every class needs a sink with a draining board, a microwave, cooking utensils and two tableware sets per bedroom, and an odour extractor fan. The rest splits by class:
A preparatory kitchen doesn't have to carry the cooker, fridge and dishwasher rows when the unit already has a kitchen that meets the specifications.
A run of small rows applies to every class:
Then there's the printed material. You need emergency procedures in Arabic and English with contact details, 24-hour assistance and maintenance numbers in both languages, and a Visitor Guide covering building services, nearby public facilities, a list of what the unit contains and DET's complaint numbers. The Qibla direction has to be shown too.
Emergency tools means fire extinguishers, fire blankets, gloves and a torch, though the guide gives no type or quantity. Ask Dubai Civil Defence and your building management what applies. The main door needs a SIRA-approved smart lock connected to the Keyless system, so plan the door and frame for it before the joinery goes in.
Farms and Deluxe Villas need suitable garden furniture and BBQ equipment, and Deluxe Villas and Apartments need balcony furniture. If the property has a swimming pool, the guide asks for warning signs and safety gear such as floats, life rings and first aid kits. All classes need a parking space for at least one car.
The remaining rows cover lighting at entrances, corridors and stairways, CCTV on every main entrance, a security guard, an elevator when the building has three or more storeys (not required for Farms), and a board at the unit showing its address, classification, permit number and licensee contact.
Furnishing doesn't cover the fire, electrical or pool compliance behind these rows. Those specifications sit with other authorities, and we don't quote them here.
Section 8 lists sustainability items such as a smart noise notification system, a water filter at the kitchen sink, signs offering guests reuse of sheets and towels, and smart lighting and air conditioning. The guide tags most of them Optional even though every class column is ticked, so treat them as recommended. Entrance smart locks in that section are tagged Main, which matches the lock rule above.
The guide requires regular maintenance and fines an unmaintained unit. If a guest arrives to a major fault such as a broken air conditioner or a water leak, you have to offer an equal or better unit at no extra cost. A planned maintenance contract helps you catch faults before a guest does.
For villas, the works often go beyond furniture, and our villa renovation team can handle them. Our holiday home furnishing page describes how we furnish against this checklist. DET decides the permit and the class, and we can't promise either.
Appendix 1 has 78 numbered rows across eight sections. Your class decides which columns apply, so the count you actually need is lower for a Standard apartment than for a Deluxe villa.
For Deluxe villas and apartments it's 14 sqm for a bedroom and 20 sqm for a studio. For Farms, Standard Villas and Standard Apartments it's 12 sqm and 17 sqm. Both are measured without the bathroom and entrance.
Only in Deluxe classes, and only if the unit has two or more bedrooms. Standard units don't have a dishwasher row.
The guide asks for a safe inside the wardrobe or in a hidden place for each studio and main bedroom. It doesn't require one in every other bedroom.
Most are tagged Optional in the guide, although the class columns are ticked. We treat them as recommended. The entrance smart lock is the one tagged Main.
DET doesn't publish how it decides between Deluxe and Standard, and it doesn't say which rows are pass or fail. DET makes the classification call.