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I start work in Internet City in JULY

I need to rent a 1-2 bed apartment for 12 months. 1 bed = min 800 sq ft. Want a communal swimming pool + ideally a gym. Doorman not necessary but the block < 5 years old. I have a car and want max 20-30mins commuting time during rush hour (so 5mins away ideally).

I need some guidance on rent pls everyone, but approx budget is 100-120k DHS per annum. That won't include upfront deposit, furnishing or monthly utilities which i'm budgeting separately.

My questions are :

Does ‘rent’ when quoted in advertisements includes the following :
- service charge
- council/municipality taxes
- buildings insurance

If not, how much and when are these due? Also how much and where can I get home contents insurance? Are there any other major rental costs I should be aware of?

Finally, anyone know of such an apartment that I should look at right now?

See ya all soon

As far as I know,

No service charge: (you'll pay a estate brokers fee, deposit)
Municipality tax: (there is a 5% tax that is added to the DEWA (Dubai Electric and Water Authority) - unless the rent includes utilities (but I am not sure about this as I have not paid it) - I'm sure others will comment on this.
Insurance: Can't imagine that it would be included. I think it is a waste of money myself. Not familiar with Insurance companies here and their willingness to pay claims.

Note: 1)If the AC is not central, your electric bill will be hired
2) some places do not come with "whiteware" i.e. fridge, cooker, etc.
3) the Marina area is closed by and most buildings are brand new and have doormen, etc.

1. the "add on's" such as pool, bbq area, gym etc. are dependant on the complex in which you rent, some do not have all of these facilities.
2. the new 5% property tax is payable by the owner/ landlord and collected through DEWA, the liability for this must be specified in the tennancy contract. i very much doubt any of the landlords will volunteer to pay this or include it in the rent. i also haven't received any notification from my landlord on how it will be collected!
3. properties adminstered through emaar and al nakheel are subject to a property levy for maintenace and services. this is over and above the rental and is calculated on the a flat rate per square foot of property - the rate does vary, but i think it is in the region of 9 AED/ ft2 per annum.
4. an intresting point - prehaps ARNIE can shed some light on is that emaar and al nakeel (free-hold) properties fall outside of Dubai Municipality "juristriction" all the services within the developments are supplied by the administration company - this poses a question of whether they are subject to the property tax - as residents already pay a maintenance levy....
5. a/c some appartment buildings have central a/c which is covered in the levy, others have district cooling. district cooling normally involves the supply of chilled water to a cooling unit in your appartment, you are then responsible for the electricty bill for the fans that distribute the chilled air through you appartment. in my case the property administrator supplys chilled water, i pay the electricty consumption for my appartment as well as a flat rate for the district water cooling....
6. insurance - i agree 100% with concord, is a waste of time. the building owner will have insurance on the structure, but each tennant is responsible for insuring the area that they rent. unless you are a pyromanic or chain smoker i don't see any reason for insurance. i'd also put the risk of a break in/ theft at about that of being struck by lightning. does happen, but very infrequently.

Picking up on 2 of Souls points.

In Emmar Appartments the "buildings cover" is covered within our Management charge.

The "contents" insurance has to be taken out by the tennant.

The average management charge for the majority of emaar's properties is around 9 Dhs per sq foot.

This is not necessarily covered within the Rent. Generally yes, but always no.

Also the Central Aircon costs are covered within our management charges.

The security is second to none in most of emaar's complex's