Short answer: most Airbnb and holiday home management companies in Dubai charge a commission of 15% to 25% of your rental revenue. A few start around 12%, and some use a flat fee or a hybrid of a lower commission plus separate service charges. What you actually pay depends on the model, what is bundled in, and how aggressively your unit is priced.
The three pricing models in Dubai
Almost every quote you receive will be one of these:
| Model | Typical range | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 15–25% of revenue | Your best nights cost you the most. Confirm whether it is on net or gross. |
| Hybrid | 12–15% + service fees | The headline rate looks low, but cleaning, linen, and support may be billed on top. |
| Flat fee | Fixed per unit / month | Predictable. The upside from higher pricing stays with you, not the manager. |
The commission model is the most common, and it has a quiet problem: the manager earns more when your rate is higher, but they carry none of the vacancy risk. During a peak event week in Dubai, a 20% commission on a unit earning AED 2,000 a night is real money leaving your pocket every single night.
What should be included
Before you compare percentages, compare scope. A fair Dubai management fee should cover:
- Listing build, professional photography, and copy across Airbnb, Booking.com, and direct
- Dynamic pricing that moves rates daily on demand, events, and the competitive set
- Channel management and calendar sync so you never get a double booking
- 24/7 guest communication, ideally from a local team on Dubai hours
- Cleaning coordination, linen, and turnovers between every stay
- Maintenance and vendor management when something breaks
- Owner reporting: one statement showing bookings, payouts, and costs
If photography, linen, or guest support are billed separately, a "15%" quote can quietly become 22% or more.
The fees that surprise owners
Ask any prospective manager to put these in writing:
- Onboarding or setup fees for listing creation and photography
- Cleaning markups, where the cleaning fee charged to guests exceeds what the cleaner is paid
- Maintenance markups on vendor invoices
- Minimum monthly charges during low season
- Permit and Tourism Dirham handling: is DET compliance included, or your problem?
How CORE prices it differently
CORE charges a flat monthly fee per unit, from AED 900, with no commission and no revenue share. We make our margin on the subscription, not on a cut of your bookings, so when our pricing engine lifts your ADR (the average is +22%), that gain is yours. Vendors are billed at cost with no markup, and DET permit setup plus the monthly Tourism Dirham filing are handled as part of onboarding. See the tiers on the pricing page, or how it all fits together on Airbnb management in Dubai.
So what will it actually cost you?
Run the math on your own unit before you sign anything. Take your expected annual revenue, then compare a flat per-unit fee against 15–25% of that revenue. For a unit earning AED 150,000 a year, a 20% commission is AED 30,000, while a flat fee of AED 900 a month is AED 10,800. The gap widens every time your unit performs well, which is exactly when you want to keep more of the upside.
Fee ranges reflect the Dubai market in 2026 and vary by company and service level. Always get a written scope and fee schedule before signing.