# How best to secure a tenancy



## Jem0509 (Jan 3, 2014)

How easy it to independantly find a 3/4 bedroomed place to live without going through an agent.? Do all agents charge a finders fee? What would anyone advise who has been through this. We are up against the clock as we have to have a tenancy agreed within 4weeks of us arriving (i think this is fairly standard - so it must be reasonably possible) - the company pay for a hotel for the first month but expect you to find somewhere in that time.

Independantly versus agents -any advise.?


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## busybee2 (Aug 8, 2013)

most of the times you have to pay the finders fee... if you are up against time then go with the bigger banks etc they still charge you a fee look in abu dhabi week for an idea, there are aldar, manazel, mpm, epico... you will find that most of the places that you will see are thru agents anyways even if you see them on the side of the buildings..... finding something in 4 weeks is tough even if you find a place in week one it can take an age to get everything sorted, utilities connected etc ..... you basicially just have to take what is available unless you have the time to shop around... and most people if they have the luxury of cmpany paying for 4 weeks they quite often then have to just pay the excess over that time to find somewhere suitable. remember here is very different to the uk, for one everything is on the tenant, the agents fee, deposits for this and that and etc etc... yearly rents, some will do a couple of cheques but more rare... and even if the rental is split whichever way you are still liable for the whole amount.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

where exactly are you relocating - dubai, abu dhabi, etc?

the agents here are mostly crap but unfortunately it can be difficult to get directly to the landlords. the agents will charge a fee of 5% of the rent. you may not even use an agent as you could find properties through dubizzle but the majority of them will be managed by the landlord's agent and you are still on the hook for the commission as the renter.

we found our apartment using dubizzle. i looked for the listings we most wanted to see and counted how many times the same agencies came up. then i checked that those agencies were registered with RERA [do not use an agent/broker firm that isn't registered] and came up with my top contender. called them up and was fortunate enough to land a good british agent who was attentive and answered calls etc.

as for timeline, a month is typical for landing and getting settled. your husband will hopefully have a good PRO at work who will drive the visa process for him. he will need to hit the ground running and get his medical immediately. you can start to look in that time but he will need his residency visa in order to sign and finalize a tenancy agreement. he will also need the visa to open a chequing account and be able to write out the cheques for rent.

it is entirely possible and many people do it within the one month time frame. just don't waste time when you get here and don't ever wait for people to just call you back. drive the process yourselves as much as you can.

i can only be more specific as it relates to dubai so if you are moving elsewhere then perhaps someone local can be more specific.

welcome to the sandpit!


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## earthworm88 (Jun 14, 2013)

Sammylou has it right on! 

9 out of 10 listings are done by agents, why? Because the fees are paid by the tenants, so landlords can't be bothered with the headaches. Having said that, I do my own listings on Dubizzle because I hate dealing with agents, I can also screen the potential tenants if the email/inquiry from them come across as rude/demanding/crazy. Also this way I can save the tenants commission $ which will make my property even more attractive, it's a win win situation for all. 

In order to save yourself a lot of time and headaches, you need to be able to narrow down to specific areas you want to live in; be it near your office or your children's school. Then you need to decide if you prefer villas or apartments or townhouses. List out the criteria you are looking for and give them to your agent(s) and tell them firmly only show you those fitting the list or you will be all over town wasting your precious time. 

You should be able to get a pretty good general idea of the houses/apartments layout and ammenities available by googling the developers as well as all the real estate websites such as:

Property Real Estate for Sale and Rent. Jobs in the Middle East and North Africa , Free Classifieds in with Dubizzle.com
Buy Dubai Property ~ Properties Finder
Dubai Property | Dubai Real Estate for Sale - Buy Sell Properties in UAE - Bayut

Good luck with your search!


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## nikkisizer (Aug 20, 2011)

Hello Jem0509,

Check out this website which you may find of use:

Dubai Property Dubai Real Estate

Good luck!


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