# B&B, Guesthouse in Dubai



## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Got talking with a friend, who is letting his villa out for a week, about the lack of bed and breakfast/guesthouse facilities in Dubai. Is strange considering the high cost of most hotels here.

To set up a B&B as a going concern and didn't own the property, I would assume you would need to have a proper contract with the landlord and they were fully aware what you were doing?

Would you need to have a seperate company licence and even sponsor for this venture?

Would there be restrictions on what area you could operate out of, as I suppose this is a commercial venture and may not be allowed in residential areas?

Any other comments/opinions as to why there is not more or hassles in setting one up?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

In the UAE a property must be for either residential or commercial use. It cannot be both and that's why people cannot offer B&B facilities in their home. You see many villas that are shops or offices, but they can only be that. No one is allowed to live on the premises. 

You'd need permission and licences, buit would not get them here. I assume your friend owns the property he is letting? You can do short term rentals only if you own a property.
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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

No, my friend realises he is being naughty but it is a one off for a friend of his while he is away anyway.

Seems a stupid law that you can't live above the "shop" but then it is Dubai and nothing surprises me. So for hotels, there are no live in staff at all?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Mr Rossi said:


> No, my friend realises he is being naughty but it is a one off for a friend of his while he is away anyway.
> 
> Seems a stupid law that you can't live above the "shop" but then it is Dubai and nothing surprises me. So for hotels, there are no live in staff at all?


I would think that having a friend to stay is rather different from a commercial short-term let 

I really don't know about hotels, although I think they all have off site accommodation. Yep, a daft law, but you know what this place is like! By law, if runing a business you have to have a proper office/premises and cannot simply set up from home. For example, my husband & I both work from home, but have separate legal offices in order to do so.
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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Elphaba said:


> For example, my husband & I both work from home, but have separate legal offices in order to do so.-


That was my next question actually, so do you actually have an empty office just to fufil criteria or I notice that some of the free zone licences offer hot desking?


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Mr Rossi said:


> That was my next question actually, so do you actually have an empty office just to fufil criteria or I notice that some of the free zone licences offer hot desking?


If you have a FZ licnce, it often comes with 'desk space' (some of which doesn't even exist yet!) or you have to rent some, whether or not you use it. Either way, you have to have a registered address somewhere, even if you technically do your work elsewhere.
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## Andy Capp (Oct 5, 2008)

There is a Guest House B&B here in Dubai.

Bed and Breakfast Guesthouse Accommodation Dubai - The Jumeirah Garden

And it's meant to be very, very good....


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

Andy Capp said:


> There is a Guest House B&B here in Dubai.
> 
> Bed and Breakfast Guesthouse Accommodation Dubai - The Jumeirah Garden
> 
> And it's meant to be very, very good....


They call it a B&B, but it isn't in the conventional sense. More like a small boutique hotel. Just for clarification. 
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