Holiday Home Furnishing Cost in Dubai:
A 2026 Guide for Owners

How much will it cost to furnish your apartment for guests? What does DET ask for inside the unit? Is a studio cheap enough to pay back fast? And what happens if the inspector finds something missing?

Ask these questions before you buy a single sofa. This guide shows the usual furnishing cost in AED from studio to three-bedroom. It also covers DET’s checklist room by room, what Deluxe adds, and the cost for each night a guest books.

Want a figure for your own apartment first? We can price the furnishing and show what the apartment could earn in one free assessment. Or keep reading.

Key takeaways

What does furnishing a holiday home involve?

Furnishing a holiday home means getting an apartment ready to pass DET’s inspection and host paying guests from the first night. It covers furniture, appliances, kitchen items, linen, towels, décor, safety items and listing photos.

It goes further than furnishing for a tenant. A tenant brings their own plates, towels and bedding. A guest arrives with only a suitcase. So everything they need must be there already, with two sets where DET asks for it.

How much does it cost to furnish a holiday home in Dubai?

These are the usual market prices we see in 2026 for furnishing an empty apartment for guests. Each range covers furniture and appliances, kitchen items and linen, styling and décor, and photos and setup.

Usual ranges for an empty apartment furnished to holiday home standard, before the DET permit application. Your cost depends on the layout, what is already there and the finish you pick. Use them to plan, then get a quote for your unit.

The jump from two to three bedrooms is bigger than from one to two. Each extra bedroom needs a bed, mattress, wardrobe, bedside tables, two sets of sheets, two sets of towels, and more seats and plates. DET links several items to the number of bedrooms.

What does the fit-out cost per booked night?

The easy way to judge the cost is to spread it over the nights it will earn. Furniture works harder in a holiday home than in a family home. So this guide assumes it lasts about five years. At 90 per cent occupancy across 351 available nights, that is 316 booked nights a year.

Example figures only. They assume a five-year life, 14 nights a year kept for your own use and 90 per cent occupancy. Lower occupancy raises the cost per night.

The practical takeaway: a one-bedroom earns several hundred dirhams a night, so furnishing is a small part of each booking. Our short-term vs annual lease guide shows furnishing next to every other cost when you compare a holiday home with a tenant.

How quickly does the fit-out pay for itself?

Compare the extra income with the cost. This owner P&L uses an example one-bedroom that would rent for AED 100,000 a year. It is booked at 90 per cent occupancy at an average of AED 735 a night:

The holiday home earns about AED 42,900 a year more than the lease. A one-bedroom usually costs AED 30,000 to 40,000 to furnish. So the extra income pays back the furnishing in about 8 to 11 months.

Example figures only, with no promise of results. They assume 14 owner nights a year, 90 per cent occupancy (316 booked nights), Airbnb’s 15.5 per cent fee and our 18 per cent fee. Running costs are AED 1,500 a month for DEWA, district cooling, internet, supplies, small replacements and insurance. Service charges are paid either way, so they are left out.

What does DET require inside a holiday home? The room-by-room checklist

DET lists its rules in the Leasing Out Holiday Homes user guide. The list below shows the main items for a Standard apartment. DET updates the guide, so check the latest version before you buy.

Throughout the apartment

• Internet and laundry. Wi-Fi, a washing machine with dryer, an iron and ironing board, and a free vacuum cleaner for guests.
• Dark rooms. Curtains or blackout blinds that make the unit fully dark, plus bins in the kitchen and rooms.
• Guest information. Emergency steps and 24-hour contact numbers in Arabic and English, a visitor guide and the house rules on show.

Living and dining area

• Seating. A sofa or armchairs for two people per bedroom or studio.
• Dining. A dining table with at least two chairs per bedroom or studio.
• Extras. A colour TV with a remote, and a rug or carpet.

Bedrooms

• Beds. A headboard and a modern mattress. The main bed must be at least 200 by 150 centimetres in a Standard apartment.
• Linen. Two sets of bed sheets and pillow covers for each bed.
• Storage. A bedside table with a lamp, and a wardrobe with a mirror, drawers, shelves and at least six hangers.
• Safe. A safe box in the wardrobe or another hidden spot, in the studio or main bedroom.

Bathrooms

• Towels. Two sets of towels per room.
• Fittings. A sink with a mirror and light, a bidet spray, a towel holder, hooks, a bath mat and bath items.

Kitchen

• Appliances. A cooker, a fridge, a microwave and a cooker hood fan.
• Kitchen items. Cooking tools, and two sets of plates and cutlery per bedroom.

Safety and access

• Emergency items. A first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, gloves and a torch.
• Door. A peephole or intercom, and a SIRA-approved smart lock on the main door. It links to the Keyless system that SIRA and DET launched for holiday homes.

What Deluxe classification adds

A Deluxe apartment needs everything above, plus bigger beds, a coffee table, wall art, balcony furniture, a hair dryer, an oven, a fridge with a separate freezer, a TV in the main bedroom and a private bathroom in the master bedroom. Deluxe units with two or more bedrooms also need a dishwasher. Guests pay a higher Tourism Dirham in Deluxe homes: AED 15 per bedroom per night, against AED 10 for Standard. Our holiday home permit guide explains how the classes work.

The practical takeaway: buy for the checklist first and for style second. DET inspectors visit before approval. Any missing item must be fixed within two weeks of a warning.

What makes furnishing cost more or less?

Two apartments of the same size can cost very different amounts. These are the usual reasons:

• Bedrooms and layout. DET links seats, dining chairs, plates, linen and towels to the number of bedrooms.
• Standard or Deluxe. The Deluxe list adds furniture, appliances and bigger beds.
• What is already there. Kitchen appliances, wardrobes and curtains already in place lower the bill.
• Old furniture. You can keep pieces from a past tenancy if they are in good shape and suit guests.
• Made-to-order pieces. Custom headboards, built-in units and imported items cost more and take longer.
• Strong materials. Hard-wearing fabrics and solid frames cost more at the start but need replacing less often.

What should a holiday home furnishing package include?

Compare quotes by what is inside them. A full holiday home package should cover four things:

• Furniture and appliances. Beds and mattresses, sofa, dining set, wardrobes, TV, washer-dryer and any missing kitchen appliances.
• Kitchen items and linen. Pots and pans, plates, two sets of sheets per bed and two sets of towels per room.
• Styling and décor. Rugs, lights, art, cushions and one clear look that photographs well.
• Photos and setup. Delivery, assembly, installation, a final clean and professional listing photos.

A quote without linen, kitchen items or photos looks cheaper. It costs more once you add them back.

How do you furnish an apartment for guests?

The checklist gets you through inspection. These choices decide your reviews:

• Sleep first. A good mattress and blackout curtains get more praise than any fancy chair.
• A place to work. A desk or dining table with a good chair near a plug suits business guests.
• Easy-clean fabrics. Tough covers that wash well last through back-to-back stays.
• Space for bags. A luggage rack or clear floor space keeps suitcases off the bed.
• Spare sets. Extra linen and towels keep cleanings on time when laundry is late.
• One clear look. Matching colours make the listing photos stand out in search.

What are the benefits of furnishing to a holiday home standard?

The main reason is income: a fully equipped apartment can be listed, inspected and booked. Owners also gain:

• An easy inspection. Buying from DET’s list avoids repeat visits and permit delays.
• Better listing photos. A styled home stands out from similar apartments in the same tower.
• Fewer guest complaints. Everything a guest expects is already there.
• Options later. A well-furnished apartment can also be rented furnished to a tenant if your plans change.

What are your options for furnishing a holiday home?

• Do it yourself. The lowest cost if you have time. Every delivery, assembly and checklist item is on you.
• A furniture shop package. Fast and easy. Many leave out linen, kitchen items, safety items or photos.
• An interior designer. A unique look, usually at a higher cost and with longer waits for custom pieces.
• Your management company. The furnishing is planned around DET’s checklist and the guests you want. Then it goes straight into use.

How does furnishing work with a property management company?

This is the part most guides skip. Furnishing is the first big decision, and it shapes everything after it. If you furnish and manage it yourself, you handle:

• measuring the rooms and checking the DET list item by item;
• finding, ordering and chasing deliveries;
• assembly, installation and the final clean;
• booking the inspection and fixing anything flagged;
• styling and listing photos;
• replacing worn and broken items between stays.

A professional holiday home management service that also offers interior design and furnishing handles all of that. Once the apartment is live, it also handles the permit, prices, guests and cleaning. You see every booking and payout in the owner portal. The trade-off is the management fee. Ours is 18 per cent, with no setup fee and no monthly retainer. Furnishing is a separate, one-off cost. We will price it for your apartment before anything is ordered.

See our management fees guide, portfolio results and the areas we manage, including Business Bay and Dubai Marina. Our guide to choosing a management company shows what to compare.

Ready to see what your furnished apartment could earn?

The real question is how much of the furnishing and running you want to do yourself. Tell us about your unit. We will estimate the furnishing cost and show a full year of income after every cost. It is free, with no commitment. Prefer to talk first? Our contact details are here.

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Frequently asked questions