Does the Dubai rent increase cap apply to short-term and holiday home rentals?

The RERA rental index and the rent increase caps under Dubai Decree No. 43 of 2013 are designed for standard tenancy contracts, the kind registered through Ejari, rather than for short-term holiday home stays. Short-term and holiday rentals in Dubai operate under a separate licensing regime overseen by the Department of Economy and Tourism (Dubai Tourism), which regulates holiday home operators and the nightly or short-stay model. Those arrangements are not annual tenancies, so the index-based renewal cap and the 90-day notice rules for changing tenancy terms do not apply in the same way; pricing for holiday stays is generally set commercially within the licensing rules rather than by the rental index. If you are in a genuine annual residential lease, the RERA cap applies and you should use the official calculator; if you are in a licensed holiday home arrangement, check the short-term rental rules instead. Because the line between a tenancy and a holiday let can affect your rights, it is worth confirming which regime governs your stay. You can compare verified UAE property lawyers on LEXAI to clarify whether your arrangement is a tenancy or a short-term let.