# Short-term flatshare?



## Roman_Legacy (May 3, 2014)

Hi all,

I am hoping to get a job and move out to Dubai at the start of next year and have just joined the forum to get some info about what it's like there. I have read some really useful stuff here and I apologise if I have missed something on this topic in my previous research but is anybody able to give me some info on whether short-term flat share is advisable (or even possible?) for the first month or two, say, when having moved while still settling in and getting a feel for where I'd prefer to live in Dubai?

Does anybody have any first-hand experience of this that can shed some light on it? I am 26 and would like to be somewhere central as it would take some time to get a new license to drive there as I understand.

Thanks for any info!


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

If you hold a Uk driving licence, then it takes a couple of hours maximum to get a UAE licence once you have your residency.

There's also this mysterious thing called a Metro which will do in place of a car, and you will also find that taking taxis is frequently cheaper than owning a car.

Where will you be working so folks can advise on the best place to live.

Flat sharing - try Dubizzle, but tbh, you should be able to get your own place inside the time your employer puts you up somewhere, normally a month.


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## Roman_Legacy (May 3, 2014)

Thanks for the info. At the moment I do not have a job lined up but was just just enquiring generally so I cannot give a location. So I suppose that it is pretty uncommon to flatshare then given the speed at which you can sort out accommodation then? I ask because in London I have lived with flatmates for awhile now and it is pretty common, so I was wondering if it is similarly common in Dubai, given the seemingly higher influx of younger expats I read about.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Okay, several relevant threads you need to look back on.

Coming to Dubai without qualifications or extensive experience - expect very low wages, living in worse than shared accommodation (shared rooms), a six days week,60 hours a week and very little pportunity to progress.

Jobs which result from qualifications (Degree minimum) will probably include a transition period where the employer pays for your accommodation while they process your vis etc and you get settled.

Sure, you can come out blind and apply for stuff as many do, but most don't get anything decent as you are competing on low salaries with people from the East who will work for a small fraction of your expectations.

You haven't yet said what you qualifications are, how much experience you have and why you are considering the move. If its none and very little to the first two, then in all honesty there is very little here for you.

Its not a warm place in the sun like Ibiza or the Costa del sol where jobs are (were) easy to pick up. Its a place for higher end experienced professionals to make a lot of money, supported by a huge number of people from the East working very long hours, but pitiful wages - but wages that are very much more than they would get at home.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/du...ai/363865-looking-well-paid-teaching-job.html

and 

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/322553-moving-dubai.html

and

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/du...156858-entry-level-salary-fresher-lawyer.html

and

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/dubai-expat-forum-expats-living-dubai/109122-bar-work.html


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## Roman_Legacy (May 3, 2014)

My apologies, I have not been very clear. I have good qualifications, university undergraduate and Masters, and have been working in finance for 4 years now in London.

My lack of an offer in Dubai is from not applying yet, and I am currently just trying to get an idea of how popular it is to flat share there, at least at first, just from the social and acclimatisation point of view.

I have tried to read up about Dubai and there is lots of good information on offer from people, like yourself, and this was just one topic that I was a bit unsure about still. Namely, is flat-sharing just not done much in Dubai because people tend to choose to live individually, or is it actually frowned upon in general?

Thanks for the responses though, I appreciate it! Perhaps I am asking a silly question :confused2: but oh well!


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

No question is silly unless you know the answer 

Flat share is relatively uncommon given the huge amount of property here I would say. Not frowned on at all, but given peoples relatively high disposable incomes you willf ind people like to have their own place as they know they could never expericen that back in the UK.

Finance people - ten a penny here unfortunately. Lots of extremely good accounting types from India here (all bar three in our large finance department are from there) with the three being highly qualified Brits, most witha lot of years experience.

Best bet would probably to seek a transfer from your Uk employer if it has a UAE organisation as that would tend to bring you in higher up the tree than if you tried to come in on qualifications alone.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

twowheelsgood said:


> Flat share is relatively uncommon.


Yes and no, I know quite a lot of people that flat share here in fact half the office here share with other people and have rooms with random people.

Dubizzle have a section just for that.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

I think we need an app for TWG that reverses the advice given on each and every post.

The Marina, JBR, JLT, Al Barsha and to an extent, Business Bay, SZR and even parts of Jumeriah are all full of professionals flat sharing. More so in this current climate as people are more frugal with their spending, less confident in their job's security, looking to bank as much as possible or simply looking for better value for money.

I know three people that have just this week given up their shoe box studios where the landlords have all tried an illegal Expo price hike and are now paying less per head for a massive villa in Jumeriah.


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## londonmandan (Jul 23, 2013)

Mr Rossi said:


> I think we need an app for TWG that reverses the advice given on each and every post.
> 
> The Marina, JBR, JLT, Al Barsha and to an extent, Business Bay, SZR and even parts of Jumeriah are all full of professionals flat sharing. More so in this current climate as people are more frugal with their spending, less confident in their job's security, looking to bank as much as possible or simply looking for better value for money.
> 
> I know three people that have just this week given up their shoe box studios where the landlords have all tried an illegal Expo price hike and are now paying less per head for a massive villa in Jumeriah.


Agreed, flatshare is very much the norm especially in new arrivals more so in the 18-25 market where it's all new to them.

3000pm Vs. 7000+ with the hassle of paying cheques they don't have....


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Mr Rossi said:


> I think we need an app for TWG that reverses the advice given on each and every post..


As long as we have an 'Scotsman with a chip on his shoulder behaving like an ar**' App as well.

Are you really so insecure that you have to throw disparaging remarks around about me at every turn ?

Seriouslyk, what is your problem that you cannot comment without thowing insults at me ?


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## Windsweptdragon (Aug 12, 2012)

Mr Rossi said:


> I think we need an app for TWG that reverses the advice given on each and every post.
> 
> The Marina, JBR, JLT, Al Barsha and to an extent, Business Bay, SZR and even parts of Jumeriah are all full of professionals flat sharing. More so in this current climate as people are more frugal with their spending, less confident in their job's security, looking to bank as much as possible or simply looking for better value for money.
> 
> I know three people that have just this week given up their shoe box studios where the landlords have all tried an illegal Expo price hike and are now paying less per head for a massive villa in Jumeriah.


Totally agree. I honestly don't mean this offensively twowheelsgood, but do you only know people who are in a high salary bracket, not everyone has a large disposable income? Apartment sharing is norm for anyone earning around 15,000 AED range, which includes plenty of Europeans who are here, or people who are not looking to commit to a year’s stay.

Roman_Legacy - Plenty available, just be aware that in the majority of cases the landlord picks who your flatmates are, not you, so you can end up with some right weirdo's. Haha. It is also fairly common for friends to move in together and split the costs like Mr Rossi said with the villa. I would not recommend Escape Tower in Business Bay, had lots of friends stay there, didn't take long for an escape to occur.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

twowheelsgood said:


> Seriouslyk, what is your problem that you cannot comment without thowing insults at me ?


Because you are simply wrong on a multitude of things you deem necessary to advise upon. Especially career advice and now it seems accommodation advice. No chip on my shoulder but newcomers reading your answers must thing Dubai exists entirely of you and workers from the sub continent who will work for low salaries.

And anytime you find me talking gash about engineering or construction opportunities feel more than free to have a pop.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Wading into this debate....

I know people making 30-40K a month who flatshare. Why? Because they want to save their money for when they go back home and don't want to have to deal with the hassles of finding their own place, paying the extra fees or being tied to a lease in their name. Expatdom is very unpredictable and the fewer ties you have the better off you are.

I even once knew a group of western men in their 40s and 50s who shared a large villa in Umm Suqeim. They kept their families back home for various reasons and sent back as much money as possible. 

After the big property market collapse in 2009 a lot of people did move out of flatshares into their own places but that was when you could find a 1-bedroom in the Marina for 50K. These days if you're in your 20s and even early 30s, you can save so much money sharing a flat or villa and it's a great way to meet people when you're new to town.


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## Roman_Legacy (May 3, 2014)

TallyHo, that is really interesting, I had suspected that this may be the case that it can be popular for even those who can afford to live comfortably by themselves just to save money to either send back or just for savings in general. This is one of the reasons that I would consider looking at flatshare, even though I am going to be looking for opportunities that could realistically afford me the chance to live on my own. Also, if it is anything like London, the barrier to entry quite high relative to the amount extra that gets you a very nice place, so sharing can make it quite worthwhile imo, not to mention the benefits if you are with like-minded people in a friendly atmosphere.

Of course, windsweptdragon, that is really curious that the landlord may typically choose your flatmates! Sharing is usually only fun if you are with nice people! haha I'll keep that in mind!

I really appreciate the info so far, I am not at all decided on what I am going to do but I see no reason to not even consider flatshare if it may work out well, at least at first. Of course, I am not going to naively move to Dubai without a job and plan lined up and try to find a flatshare out of necessity, but experience in London suggests it may be an option.

Lol, windsweptdragon, I do not know much, in depth, about the areas within Dubai but I will place Escape Tower, provisionally, on the mental blacklist!


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