Leaving your Dubai villa for the summer: a checklist

Security

• Register with the Dubai Police home security service. It is free for villa residents: enter your address and travel dates in the Dubai Police app and patrols will keep an eye on the house.
• Lock and check every door and window, including the garage and side gates.
• Leave a spare key and your access details with one trusted person, not several.

Power and water

• Unplug appliances you do not need running. DEWA notes that devices on standby still use 5 to 10% of household electricity.
• Switch off the water heater if nothing needs hot water while you are away.
• Decide with whoever checks the house how the AC should be set. An empty villa in a Dubai summer gets very hot and humid.
• Empty the fridge of anything that will spoil if the power trips.

Pool and garden

• Book pool care for the summer, or cover the pool, which DEWA recommends to cut evaporation.
• Set irrigation to water before 8am or after 6pm, and ask someone to check for leaks and dead patches.

Paperwork

• Check whether Ejari, visas, Emirates IDs, car registration or insurance expire while you are away.
• Set bills to pay automatically so nothing is cut off.
• Leave emergency contacts, and the details of your AC, pool and plumbing vendors, with the person looking after the house.

Dar's summer home watch inspects your empty villa from June to August, with a photo report after every visit.