Emaar Beachfront and its private beach: what residents get, and what it costs to keep

Can the apartment be let by the night?

Yes, and a resort format invites it, but it has to be done legally. The unit is registered for short-term letting, and the operations — calendar, check-in, cleaning, guest communication — are usually run by a licensed operator for a share of the income.

Before building a strategy on nightly lets, check the position of the complex’s management company. Rules on guest access to a closed beach differ from project to project, and they affect how attractive the listing is.

Seasonality matters. High season brings in most of the revenue, so build the annual plan on average occupancy and not on peak rates.

Reviews and rating decide occupancy more than the view from the window does, which makes the quality of management the real variable. Nightly letting also wears out the finishes faster, so put an interior refresh into the numbers.

The alternative is an annual contract, furnished. Nightly letting can earn more but is more volatile and costs more to manage; the annual route is the conservative one, and in a resort location it also lets at a premium.

What is left after the costs?

Less than the gross figure suggests. The gross yield on a seafront unit looks attractive, but the net figure is shaped by deductions: the higher service charges of a resort complex, the operator’s commission on nightly lets, utilities during empty periods, and the renewal of furniture and textiles.

As a rule the gap between gross and net yield is wider in the resort segment than in ordinary city housing. That is exactly why investments should be compared on net cash flow.

The second part of the result is growth in value. The shortage of land by the water limits new supply on the first line, and historically that has supported the prices of seafront assets.

The premium is realised over several years, though, and only if the complex is kept in exemplary condition.

Which mistakes do buyers make with a beachfront home?

Apart from the beach itself, three. The first is ignoring transport: resort locations are congested in season, and a resident tenant will count the time it takes to get out to the city.

The second is buying a unit that does not suit the letting it is meant for. A one-bedroom with a panorama loses to a family format in the nightly market, where guests pay for capacity.

The third is deciding without comparing neighbouring seafront projects on price per square metre, charges and stage of completion. By the sea the spread on all three is especially wide.

Stage deserves its own line, and in 2023 it was a live question here. Entering early is cheaper, but for the first years the district may still be under construction. If the plan is to let immediately, choose finished buildings with working beach facilities.

Alongside the stage I look at the developer, and at the facilities of both the beach and the complex.