Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Accommodation in Dubai

I have been here a month and my wife and family will join me in July. My biggest dilemma at present is what do I rent...................a two bed apartment OR a two bed Villa????
I have been told so many pro's and cons for both, I would really like to hear what you seasoned ex pats think. My company budget for accommodation is 132 k a year.

Thanks in advance.

Taffymanc ,

Hi there.Im sort of in the same boat as yourself (moving in 2-3months).However,whilst i dont want to be a scare-munger i have been warned by every- one not to purchase in dubai for a multitude of reasons and of course,while you should take it all with a pinch of salt it was none the less remarkable that every one said id be better of not buying!!!!!!

I hope this was not off-putting (i am going to buy,buy the way) but i thougt you should know.



good luck

Meade , thanks for your reply. If Only I could afford to buy!!!!! No, I have no intension of buying I am looking to rent on a yearly basis. I have now got my resdents visa so I'm here for the long haul.

I have been told a villa is great but I would have huge utilities bills every summer (2 to 3 k a month) and if I opted for an apartment I could be lumbered with noisy neaibours no where to park.

I never do anything without really looking into both sides of the story, hence me asking these questions. I would love one of the villas I have seen just being biult over at the Jumeira Village, but there are no facilities yet.

Having lived in both apartments and villas in Dubai, I would say villa - no question. For your budget you could easily get a 3 bed in some areas. DEWA doesn't need to be that high. For example I live in the Springs, and in summer our DEWA is around 2k, now in winter 500 - 700 dhs a month.

Chocoholic (great name) Thanks for that. I do have my heart set on a villa I have to admit. As I said, it was just the thought of the DEWA costs that I was un sure about. Schools are going to be a big factor on where we live, and I am looking at two this week. DBS and Jumeriah College.

I do like the look of the new builds in Jumeriah Village......................any thoughts??



Thanks again.

Not a bad area, just bear in mind these areas are building sites and will be for a good while yet, that's the only problem. But within easy reach of all the main facilities that you might need.

Taffymanc ,

Why don't you try a short term rental to get the feel of a place before you buy? Even renting for a year would be better than buying and regretting it.

--- Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:00 am ---

Meade wrote: i dont want to be a scare-munger i have been warned by every- one not to purchase in dubai for a multitude of reasons and of course,while you should take it all with a pinch of salt it was none the less remarkable that every one said id be better of not buying!!!!!!

Well, not everyone surely? Didn't I tell you I'd bought in Dubai and never regretted it for a minute? Or maybe it was someone else? I know a few people who have bought and don't regret it but more who wish they could afford to buy. Always bare in mind that people who are jealous of your ability to buy, or have been greedy and it's backfired, will give you negative feedback

Thanks Bethsmum, As I mentioned to Meade I wish I was in a position to buy, but no, I am renting on a long term basis. Thanks for the advise though.

Just looked at the new builds again over at Jumeriah Village.................nice.

Oh sorry. Yes you did say you were renting. Well at least you can move if you dont like it. If you have kids think about whether there will be any other kids around and if you dont have any and your wife will not have a job, dont go and dump her on a deserted building site! That will be mighty boring for her!

Bethsmum , No need to apologise. Thats a very good point actually re my wife. She is activelly looking for work in Dubai (from the UK) and our daughter is 12 (going on 18 !!!!) My wife isnt the kind to sit around doing nothing so she would get bored if she didnt have something to do during the day.

She is the District Commisioner for the Bedfordshire area with the Brownie movement and she wants to do similar here in Dubai. As for work she is looking at customer after sales or similar.

Thanks again.

Well good luck. i have 3 daughters so i know how important friends can be for them. I hope you dont find yourself ferrying her around 24/7!

Taffymanc , Just be aware that the kind of job your wife is looking for is taken up pretty much by filipinos and other asian nationalities here and they work for peanuts - so she might have a tough time finding something in that sector.

I have a friend who works in a similar industry and he's been looking for work for over 18 months now with no luck. They will only pay maybe 2,000 dhs a month, maybe up 4,000 but that's about it.

Thats not good. She is quite well paid in the UK. She works for an american company dealing with military defence software.Maybe I got her title/job descritption wrong......................typical bloke......doesnt listen!!!!!

Now I'm going to have to ask her what she does..............opps

Taffymanc , Haha I'll say you got it wrong! In that case, maybe should could apply to some security companies or even the military and polcie forces here, they do employ expats.

Taffymanc ,

Thats absolutely right,i must apoligise to bethsmum as she did tell me that she loved dubai.I was not being forget-full either as the overall opinion was that their were ancillary problems with buying a house and they do seem to be getting more and more reports of the same.However,you just cannot please all the people all the time and thats why i said every thing has to be put into perspective......

Sorry bm

Meade wrote:Sorry bm

No problem. You're right as you can't please all the people all the time. I can never wait to get back to my place in Dubai. I just love it.

Bethsmum ,

Also bm,i meant to say thanks for all your input on my post.....i did'nt want you to think that i forgot your input,because i did'nt!!!!!!.....ssssssoooooooooo sorry

Dont be daft! I have a habit of bigging up Dubai which tends to get on the nerves of others. i speak as i find. Good luck with your decisions!

As school choice is goig to be a big factor on where we wil live, ive looked at two schools this week and both look great. Dubai British school and Jumeirah College. Do any of your kids go to either of these schools? if so, is there anything I should know about in particular?

Taffymanc ,

Are you talking to me? I'm presuming so as I said I had kids
Well I'm not the best to advise on schools as I'm based in the UK and my place in Dubai is just a holiday home. I do have a couple of friends who sent/send their daughters to the Wellington School opposite the MoE. One has moved hers within the last year to another school which name escapes me, she's 12. She lives near Sports City so it may be nearer home or something.
I will text her and ask if she knows anything about the schools you mentioned. I'll let you know.

BTW can I ask about your user name and the manc bit? Manchester? and if so, red or blue? It may influence if I ever speak to you again

--- Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:50 pm ---

Haven't heard from my friend with the 12 year old but spoke to someone else who gave me the following advice.

NB from what I know of Dubai "British" School it is British Indian but is part of a major (cartel) of Schools out here - Taalem. On the other hand Dubai College is seen as much more prestigious because of its location - umm suquiem/jumeirah, 　where as the other one is in Springs (a major expat area in "New Dubai") Also important is where she will be living and does she drive? as not all schools have transport. Does she look at expatwoman.com there is lots of info on the education section and also the forum

.

Hope that helps and if I hear any more I'll let you know.

eeehh Villa Marina - this is my dream (((

Bethsmum , Thanks for the info re schools. My daughter is at present doing tests in the UK for DBS and JC so hopefully she will get accepted by both. They are both coming over in March to have a look at schools.

Am I red or blue..........................I have a tattoo of a red devil in a place only my wife knows about

132k is quite a good budget and will get you some nice accomodation. You can get a nice villa for that, but you also want to look at travel distances - you don't want to be too far from your place of work.

Yes your right 132k is not bad but I have to think of the dreaded water/electricity costs. I have been looking around Arabian Ranches and am very impressed. Of course schools is going to be the deciding factor of where we live.

I have been told the DBS picks up at Arabian Ranches, so fingers crossed my daughter gets in there.

Taffymanc wrote:Am I red or blue..........................I have a tattoo of a red devil in a place only my wife knows about

Oh no.

I'm one of the noisey neighbours.

I've got my fingers crossed for Spurs today, it will take the pressure off a little bit.

--- Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:02 pm ---

Taffymanc wrote:I have been told the DBS picks up at Arabian Ranches, so fingers crossed my daughter gets in there.

Good luck. You rarely have trouble getting in to fee paying schools when you are paying the fees.

For a family then villa, for a single person apartment

Apartment

very old tread

How we can get villas and appartment on rent? On what terms and conditions and do we need to go for legal aggrement for same? And If I want to purchase villa or appartment then how much it would cost to me and do loans are available on that?