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ILLUSTRATIVE ONE-BEDROOM CASE STUDY

Business Bay case study

A lower room-rate scenario with a more modest utilities and service-charge budget.

Why guests choose this area

Business Bay combines a central city setting with the Dubai Water Canal and proximity to Downtown Dubai’s attractions. Its mix of business premises, hotels and dining gives it appeal for both work trips and leisure stays. Short-term apartments can suit guests who want a practical base for meetings and city sightseeing, with more space for a longer visit.

A furnished one-bedroom apartment in a central business district.

Business Bay case study

Bedrooms: 1 · Available nights: 365

Average nightly rate (AED)

475

Booked nights

234

Occupancy (%)

64.1

Estimated annual revenue · AED

111150

Modelled annual costs · AED

72536

Annual cost breakdown

Management fee · 20% of room revenue AED 22,230

VAT on management · 5% of fee AED 1,112

Platform fee allowance · 15.5% AED 17,228

VAT on platform fee · 5% allowance AED 861

Utilities & internet AED 10,800

Cleaning & linen · net allowance AED 3,600

Maintenance reserve · 3% of room revenue AED 3,335

Building service charges AED 10,000

Holiday-home permit allowance AED 370

Insurance allowance AED 1,200

Guest supplies & consumables AED 1,800

Total modelled costs: AED 72,536

ESTIMATED OWNER BOTTOM LINE · AED / YEAR

38614

AVERAGE PER MONTH · AED

3218

Room revenue less all displayed costs. Before mortgage or rent, setup, furnishing, major capital works and owner income taxes.

What sits behind these estimates?

Revenue: Average nightly rate × booked nights. Room revenue is stated before platform and management deductions, excluding guest-funded cleaning charges, guest accommodation VAT and Tourism Dirham. Booked nights vary between cases; actual revenue is seasonal.

Management: 20% of gross room revenue is used as an explicit modelling assumption, plus VAT at 5% of that fee. Your signed proposal determines the actual commission basis and inclusions. These examples use the Standard plan, not the Flexible plan.

Platform costs: An Airbnb single-fee example of 15.5% of room revenue is used, plus a separate 5% VAT allowance on that fee with no input-tax recovery assumed. Actual booking channels, fee structures, tax treatment and the inclusion of cleaning charges in fee calculations can change the total.

Cleaning and linen: Normal turnover cleaning is assumed to be covered by guest cleaning charges; both matching guest charges and turnover costs are excluded. The displayed net allowance covers linen replacement, deep cleans and unrecovered cleaning. Any shortfall in guest-funded cleaning reduces the owner’s bottom line.

Property costs: Utilities, insurance, consumables and service charges are example budgets, inclusive of any unrecovered taxes. The maintenance reserve is 3% of room revenue. The one-bedroom permit allowance is AED 370. Actual invoices and building charges must replace these assumptions for a property-specific estimate.

Bottom line: Gross room revenue minus all displayed annual costs. This is a recurring operating surplus, not investment yield or after-tax profit. Mortgage payments, rent where applicable, acquisition costs, furnishing, initial setup, major capital works and owner income taxes are excluded. The monthly value is annual surplus divided by 12, not a prediction for any specific month.

Reference sources:Airbnb service fees · DET holiday-home permit fees · UAE standard VAT rate. These sources support fee assumptions; they do not validate the illustrative revenue forecasts.

About this estimate

Prepared 6 October 2026. Modelled assumptions, not actual client results or guaranteed returns. Average nightly rate × booked nights gives room revenue. The monthly bottom line is annual operating surplus divided by 12; actual income is seasonal.

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