Buyer guide · Abu Dhabi

Can you rent out a branded residence in Abu Dhabi?

An Abu Dhabi owner may let long term, and leases of under four years must be registered by the landlord on Tawtheeq, the Department of Municipalities and Transport's tenancy register (AED 100 a contract); leases of four years or more are registered in the real estate register, at 1% of one year's rent. Short lets as holiday homes need a licence from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) before any activity, applied for with the title deed, an insurance certificate covering the unit and the owner's passport or Emirates ID; individual and joint owners, companies, tenants and persons authorised by the owner may apply, but a tenancy contract alone does not permit holiday-home use. The whole unit must be let, not single rooms, with at most three guests to a bedroom and no living room converted to a bedroom; every unit is inspected, and no listing may appear online without a valid DCT licence, whose number must be shown.

5 branded residences in Abu Dhabi on our list have published letting terms; at Mandarin Oriental Residences Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi; Fairmont Marina Residences Abu Dhabi and Shangri-La Apartments, Qaryat Al Beri the hotel or operator is involved in letting. A building's own rules and its owners' association can be stricter than the law, so the terms of the building come first.

This is a summary, not legal advice; a lawyer in the United Arab Emirates should check the title and the terms before any deposit.