# Apartment Sharing/Dubai



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

I've been paying for a studio on a monthly basis at International ****y. Now the landlord is going up on the rent for the second time in less than a year so I need to find a new place.

Does anyone have a studio flat or a room in a villa to rent out?


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Your best bet is to look on Dubizzle but you would have to move fast as most of the good rooms go within hours!


----------



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

We've just paid rent for this month so we'll be looking to move in about 28 days. Is it legal for a bunch of unrelated westerners to share a villa?


----------



## crazymazy1980 (Aug 2, 2008)

DesertStranded said:


> We've just paid rent for this month so we'll be looking to move in about 28 days. Is it legal for a bunch of unrelated westerners to share a villa?


Sorry to hear about your situation,

Unfortunately it is! They are doing crack downs on villas so you need to be very careful - especially if you're not all the same sex.

Realistically (and if you trust the people you're with) you need to pool together and one of you goes for an annual lease on a property where you all pool together. This is with the acceptance that if you leave of your own free will, you lose your part of the cash. 

Be careful where you rent too. For example they are building a canal to service the new Burj Dubai and are just evicting all the tennants from the villas in the area where they want it to go. 

HTH


----------



## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

crazymazy1980 said:


> Sorry to hear about your situation,
> 
> Unfortunately it is! They are doing crack downs on villas so you need to be very careful - especially if you're not all the same sex.
> 
> HTH


I disagree. I strongly advise against sharing a villa. If something were to go wrong, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Villas are for families only and if you need to share, I would advise you opt for an apartment. Technically, it would still be illegal to share but the authorities do not seem to be overly concerned about bachelors sharing apartments but since they have started the crackdown on villas, there might be a chance that you may be evicted if they were to find out. Save yourself the trouble and subsequent stress and go for an apartment instead.


----------



## crazymazy1980 (Aug 2, 2008)

Maz25 said:


> I disagree. I strongly advise against sharing a villa. If something were to go wrong, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Villas are for families only and if you need to share, I would advise you opt for an apartment. Technically, it would still be illegal to share but the authorities do not seem to be overly concerned about bachelors sharing apartments but since they have started the crackdown on villas, there might be a chance that you may be evicted if they were to find out. Save yourself the trouble and subsequent stress and go for an apartment instead.


I didn't say anywhere they should rent a villa - I said property. I still stand by what I said which is be VERY careful where and what you buy!!


----------



## vhy (Sep 2, 2008)

DesertStranded said:


> I've been paying for a studio on a monthly basis at International ****y. Now the landlord is going up on the rent for the second time in less than a year so I need to find a new place.
> 
> Does anyone have a studio flat or a room in a villa to rent out?


Recently I observed that the rent listed at dubizzle is going up like every two weeks... When I started my hunt of apartment in mid Sep, it costed 75k/year.. than I rent mine at end of Sep and was already 80k... This week i saw some are listing at 85k and even 90k...

and my landlord said I was the first one response to his advertisment within hour after he posted and he received nearly 20 enquiries within the next two days...


----------



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

I think because of all the crackdown on people sharing villas all the landlords are upping rents since there are so many people looking for rooms now.

My Indian friend is being kicked out of where she has been staying because of this and it will be even harder for her to find a place she can afford since she only makes AED 5k/mnth.

The rental situation is crazy here.


----------



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

Another question:

If you don't have a contract with your landlord because you can only afford to rent on a monthly basis does that mean you don't have any rights to contest rent increases? 

How many times in one year can they go up on rent? To go up on rent twice in 9 months seems unfair.


----------



## Ogri750 (Feb 14, 2008)

If my understanding of the law is correct, I was led to believe that a landlord couldn't raise the rent for the first 2 yers of a tenancy, and after that it can only be raised by 5(or is it 8)% annually.


----------



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

Thanks, Ogri. Is that the case even if you don't have a contract? Who should I contact to find out for sure and complain to if possible?


----------



## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Not 100% sure, but I would say no contract- no leg to stand on...

I am pretty sure that you have to register your contract with staff at Rent Committee now, before they will even give you info.
If contract isnt registered they wont help now.

http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20006582.html


----------



## DesertStranded (Oct 9, 2008)

Well, initially we signed something and it listed the rent at 5k/mnth. I guess it was a contract of sorts. But they didn't give us a copy of anything. I thought 5k was expensive for a studio flat next to a sewage treatment plant. Then after 6months they increased the rent to 5,500. Now, 3 months later they want to increase the rent again to 6k. I guess they will continue to increase the rent every time there is a crackdown on villa sharing and there are more people looking for a place. Urgh.


----------

