Guest Posts, Link Building, SEO, Pay-Per-Click campaigns
Advanced Search
Rebecca's Archive

Renting, ranting and the international flat-hunt… - By Rebecca Wicks

Last night I went for dinner in the most amazing flat � it was in one of the original towers in the Marina and was filled with art and trinkets and the kind of furniture people like me (who gets everything from IKEA) can only dream about. I long for a home that’s filled with the essence of me, and not cheap tat from a catalogue shop. I’m sure we all do. But the truth is, this generation rarely has it because we all move around so much. I’m 28 and I haven’t been in one place for more than two years since I was 18. And before that of course, I was living at home with mum and dad � getting my laundry done for me, getting my plates washed for me, getting driven around� er� well, like I do here, really.

I’m quite comfortable here, of course, but as much as I long for a home of my own, I can’t see it happening for a while; as soon as I got one, I’d feel stuck, my feet would start to itch and I’d be off again. Sydney? New York? Paris? It’s really quite possible to live anywhere these days, isn’t it, if you score the right job and set your heart on it. It’s probably why people are investing in properties at a later age, and marrying at a later age, and having kids when they’re in their 60s!

Everyone around me seems to be moving house lately, and of course, if buying isn’t an option, you’re forced to fling yourself full throttle into the rental market. As most of us know, it’s no easy feat to rent a place here. Finding a suitable apartment that’s not going to force you into poverty or desperation over an unreasonable, ill tempered or ignorant landlord is hard enough, but if you’re single and looking for a room in Dubai, the competition is fierce. My friend had to go through an interview process the other day, along with about ten other people. All wanted a large en-suite room in a huge, happy villa, somewhere off the Beach Road. Sounds like a dream indeed, and at 4,000 dhs a month, the cost was actually pretty reasonable, judging by the rates these days.

She’s now tentatively awaiting a “call-back”, not unlike a contestant in a riveting talent contest. Was she good enough? Was she funny enough? Was she pretty, clever, tidy and cute enough to join the gaggle of expats in their dream home? Or did they give it to the guy who came equipped with a 52� TV for the living room and free passes to his 5 star restaurant round the corner? It’s a tough game at the moment. You have to be a player.

I decided to do a little research. If we can really live anywhere these days, how does Dubai compare to other cities? Well, most decent, double rooms here now will cost between 4000 and 5000 dhs. Let’s say 5k. That’s roughly 763 UKP a month. If I lived in London, judging by the rental property website, gumtree.com, I could have my pick of locations for that money. And I definitely wouldn’t be slumming it. I could have a room in Greenwich overlooking the Thames, for 523 UKP per month, all inclusive. For five-quid more a month than I’m paying here, I could live 5 minutes walk from Marble Arch. That’s central London, Zone 1. When did Dubai become as desirable/overpriced (depending on how you look at it) as a city under pressure from a credit crunch?

If I moved to New York, based on what I pay here I’d have 1388 USD to spend on a place per month. Looking at their biggest website, craigslist.com, I could have a double room, sharing with two other girls on the Upper East Side (E 70's and 2nd Ave - Carrie Bradshaw style!) for 1250 USD. If I wanted to “slum it” and live 5 minutes away from Manhattan in North Brooklyn, I could live 5 minutes walk from the subway in a double room, in a nice, fully furnished apartment, for 800 USD.

I wouldn’t have a swimming pool or gym in London or New York, of course. And I wouldn’t have a maid. But I would be able to cross the street without dodging a bulldozer, wading through sand or hailing a cab that may or may not get me there in one piece, due to lack of public transport.

I’m not entirely sure why Dubai � a brand new city of shopping malls and moderate current tourism interest � has suddenly grown just as expensive as two of the busiest, most popular destinations on the planet. Still, it’s an unfortunate fact that until we feel the need to settle and invest, and set up our homes full of art and fancy trinkets, there’s really no choice but to pay the going rental rates, wherever we might choose to lay our hats.

Posted: 18 September 2008

  All fields are mandatory
Your Name
Email
City
Country
Your Comments
 Max 250 characters - Word Count :
Image Verification
Change Image

     
 
More Info
Tell us what you think about this article. Email us here.
Who is Rebecca Wicks? Read about her.
 
Archive
Little Corn, Nicaragua - a world away from Dubai
Building a house in Costa Rica The day I became a diver...
Chilling out in the desert – An Al Maha escape Defining the meaning of Supper Club
Colour me good, with therapy.... The cost of living in pastures new....
If I was Paris Hilton’s best friend.... Time flies, it’s been fun, but....
My name Blackberry, er, .... A tailor-made treat for the masses
Dive in movies and other summer hot stuff... Getting down to business class
Petty crime and British pigs... Superhero midgets, big clubs and Barsha...
The highs and lows of JBR Walk A Weekend in Yemen...
Cat-woman and the solo living plan... Totally Addicted To Twilight...
Confessions from a tech-widow... Geese and guilt-free cookery...
The Friday Harbour brunch high Cirque du Soleil – more than a trip to the circus
To tweet or not to tweet? How to work the circuit (and leave)
Money and the monkeys... Sofa, so good
Getting intimate with the Woman in Black Hair today, gone tomorrow - Dubai’s best kept style secret
Orphans and the hands of fate England, Dubai and the theory of Pie
Fisherman’s Friends, Fois Gras & The Harbour’s new high Solidarity, skyscrapers and a surprising lack of NY resolutions
A lazy, hazy Christmas at the orphanage The 22 degrees of Christmas
Spinach, tigers and the invisible tarantula... Raindrops keep falling on my head...
When is savoury sweet? When it’s at the Westin... The word on the street is... fireworks
Re-biting the Big Apple... A Living Cat-astrophe
Squirrels, lumberjacks and kneecaps The BBC - but not as you know it…
Beards of a Feather Flock Together Round the clock bites and delights
Jolie-Pitts - paving the way for families? The brunch bunch
What's bugging us? The contest giving camels the hump
The cleaning man who never was Come az*u*r and taste the organic side to Dubai
The 7 day detox (and other dilemmas) Swimming with the fishes…
The frog and the impossible flat hunt… High School and the make-believe grandfather
Observing the holy month Living in 5* squalor
HONG KONG; from the Middle to the Far East The horse and the not-so-mad Inventor
Mother Nature's Revenge Indian Enlightenment
Lobster season's almost here… What a difference a lunch-break makes…
Ten run away to the mountains... Confessions of a nail-biter
Nakheel – Masters of 'The Universe' When good public transport systems go bad
Dubai Dreams and the impossible boxing... Plane talking...
Prelude to a punch up The quake that rocked a nation…
Renting, ranting and the international flat-hunt… Letting us in on The Secret
A Shock to "the system" The greatest discovery of all
Theatrical flashbacks and forgotten dreams... The killer villas
Terminal thoughts... The 7 day detox (and other dilemmas)

Back to top






Hotels hotels Check out Hotels in Dubai
Shopping shopping A complete Mall & Store Guide
Dining dining Eating out at the coolest spots
Sightseeing sightseeing Things to see & do
DCG Recommends dcg recommends Best of the best in Entertainment
News Alerts
News Alerts
Stay ahead with dubai news
dcg mobile
dcg Mobile
With you wherever you go
rss feed
RSS Feeds
Get the latest
dubai blog
Dubai Blog
Your space, your voice
sitemap
Sitemap
DCG at a glance