What to look for when renting a home in the UAE?

Apart from the locals and also the young generation of expats who were born in the United Arab Emirates and therefore possessing certain experience in this matter, everyone else had just arrived in this country, and one of the first issues that required an immediate solution was renting a house .

Below are recommendations on what to look for when choosing an apartment or villa for living in the United Arab Emirates.

  • Build. If there are empty areas around the building, then on them at the most unexpected moment the construction of a new building may begin. On the minuses of such a neighborhood, everyone guesses.
  • Mosques. As it should be in a Muslim country, hundreds of mosques function in the cities of the UAE. One study even said that the distance from one mosque to another rarely exceeds 300-500 meters. Since the first morning azan (call to prayer) is heard already at 4 in the morning, those who have a restless sleep are advised to choose a building not too close to the mosque, and an apartment with windows not facing it. On the other hand, faithful Muslims should not forget one of the seven formulas of the azan - "prayer is better than sleep." And representatives of other religions can take advantage of one more piece of advice - albeit few, but almost every city in the UAE has areas in which there are fewer mosques than the national average.
  • Airports Another problem for people with a sensitive dream - in some emirates (Dubai, Sharjah), buildings in some areas are located too close to airports. Since runways are located in the south-north direction at almost all UAE airports, it is better to choose an apartment in buildings located east or west of the airports.
  • Communal payments. Choosing an apartment, you need to clarify what you will need to pay in excess of the rental rate specified in the contract - electricity, air conditioning, water, Internet. It is advisable to check with the agent or on social networks the approximate level of these payments. This is a very important point, since monthly payments, for example, for air conditioning, by the end of the year can add from 5 to 20 thousand dirhams to the cost of rent. There are apartments on the market (usually in furnished apartments) where all services are already included in the rental price, there are apartments in which the price includes air conditioning, there are apartments where payment for air conditioning (window, split or central) is charged as part of the payment for electricity, and there are those where air conditioning services are provided by individual companies, such as Empower or Emicool.
  • Parking places. Living in the UAE without a car is very difficult, so almost everyone has them. In this regard, it is worthwhile to find out in advance whether the building has its own parking, and whether its use is included in the amount of the lease contract. If not, you need to check the availability of paid or free near the house.
  • Furniture and household appliances. Some of the apartments in the United Arab Emirates are rented with furniture, kitchen appliances and consumer electronics. On the one hand, there are undoubted advantages in this, but there are also enough minuses. When renting a furnished apartment, it is necessary to draw up a detailed inventory of the property, as well as to demand to fix the already existing damage. A security deposit in furnished apartments can reach 10-15 percent of the rental price, so you need to know why it can be held in whole or in part.
  • Metro and public transport. If not all family members have a car, then it is better to choose housing near the Dubai Metro stations. In other emirates - close to the routes and stops of the city bus.
  • Electricity. This item is important for residents of the emirates of Sharjah and Ajman, where some houses are either not connected to the central power supply system at all, or it is often turned off. In such cases, buildings switch to electricity from autonomous generators, the cost of which is several times higher than the central one.
  • Pets. If your family has pets, you must definitely clarify the possibility of their maintenance. Most housing in the United Arab Emirates does not imply pets (Pets NOT Allowed). In case of violation, the owner of the building has the right to penalties, up to eviction.
  • Additional infrastructure. Before signing the contract, you need to find out what additional infrastructure the tenant gets access to. The real situation is not always in line with expectations. So, for example, the residents of apartments "by the sea" may not have access to the beach. Access to the beach (free or for money), to the pool, to the sauna, to the gym, to the playground, etc. - all this should be explicitly stated. This is especially true for high-end housing and villas, since the conditions for access to luxury infrastructure vary greatly. By the way, some apartments offer additional storage rooms in the underground parking for storage.
  • Schools and kindergartens. Having decided on the proposed area of ​​future residence, it will not be out of place to clarify at the school or kindergarten that the children will attend about the possibility and cost of providing a school bus. If this is not possible, then it will be necessary to take the children and pick up on their own.
  • Rights for rental property. Even in the United Arab Emirates, known for their safety, there are cases of rental housing by scammers on lime documents. Only professionals can verify this thoroughly, but the tenant himself needs to carefully read the package of documents from the homeowner - Title of Deed (certificate of homeowner), Tenancy Conract (rental contract), license, certificate and power of attorney of the agent, identification cards (passport and Emirates ID) homeowner. Sometimes the owner of a property that has just been put into operation and does not manage to draw up a Title of Deed, instead provides the so-called. OQOOD (a properly registered real estate purchase contract), but in this case you also need to require a Handover Letter from the developer.
  • Lack of communal debt. Previous tenants or the apartment owners themselves could have left the arrears of utility bills (water, electricity), which subsequently may lead to the fact that the services will either not be connected or they may be unexpectedly disconnected. In this regard, it is highly desirable to require proof of payment of final bills (Final Bill) for electricity and water. Accordingly, the landlord always requires such bills from moving residents. And it is recommended that tenants move to keep their final bills in case they suddenly have any complaints about this from the new tenants to the property owner.
  • Contract (Tenancy Contract). As a rule, in order to draw up a rental agreement in the UAE, a standard form contract is used, printed on both sides on a blueprint A4 letterhead. Such an agreement contains the minimum necessary set of provisions and clauses, and it remains only to add (print) the parameters of a particular housing, the terms and cost of the lease. Large companies sometimes use their own multi-page contracts.
  • Payment method. The most common method of payment by installments in the UAE is the provision of bank checks, the dates on which correspond to the date of the next payment (PDC). Accordingly, real estate agents or homeowners require tenants with deferred date checks (Post Dated Checks, PDC) for the number of agreed payments - 12, 6, 4, 3, 2, or even 1 (one-time payment for the year). The more checks, the easier it is to refuse, if necessary, about the contract, the easier it is to bear the burden of payments, which is important for people with low salaries. However, if finances allow, you can try to ask for a discount for paying with one check instead of four or six.
  • Rental Cancellation Terms. Sometimes circumstances arise that force you to abandon the lease before the expiration of the contract. Therefore, you must pay attention to the conditions of rental cancellation. If other conditions are promised than are specified in the contract, their written confirmation must be requested.
  • Deposit. As a rule, in addition to the principal amount of the payment, the owner of the property being rented or his agent also requires a refundable deposit, which will be returned to the lessee after the lease expires. It is imperative to clarify the amount of the deposit, as well as to clarify the conditions for the return and circumstances that may cause a refusal to return it. By the way, it is recommended to return the keys to the apartment to the owner or his agent after the deposit is returned.

Tenant Reference Dictionary:

  • Tenancy conract - lease contract.
  • PDC - Post Dated Cheque, a check issued on a future date, is used for deferred payment.
  • Title of deed - certificate of ownership of real estate.
  • Rera - Real Estate Regulatory Agency, a real estate supervisor in the Dubai Land Department.
  • RDA - Rental Disputes Center, in essence, is the rental agency of the Dubai Land Department.
  • Ejari - Translated from Arabic means "My lease", the system of mandatory registration of a lease in Dubai.
  • Oqood - they call them the primary contract of sale of real estate under construction, registered in the OQOOD system.
  • Emirates id - identity card of a citizen or resident of the UAE.
  • POA - Power of Attorney, power of attorney.
  • DEWA - Dubai Electricity and Power Authority, a water and electricity supplier in Dubai.
  • Sewa - Sharjah Electricity and Power Authority, a water and electricity supplier in Sharjah.
  • Fewa - Federal Electricity and Power Authority, a water and electricity supplier in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah
  • ADDC - Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, a water and electricity supplier in Abu Dhabi.
  • Aadc - Al Ain Distribution Company, a water and electricity supplier in Al Ain.
  • Final bill - Final utility bill.
  • Empower - A provider of centralized air conditioning services in several areas of Dubai.
  • Emicool - A provider of centralized air conditioning services in several areas of Dubai.

Watch the video: Renting Property in Dubai? What You should Know (March 2024).