Selecting a house, an apartment or any other form of residence is one of the biggest challenges when relocating to the UAE. Whether it is for a job opportunity, education or a new beginning in life, often finding a house to live in is a thrilling endeavour. When it comes to housing in the UAE there are numerous possibilities that fall into the category of either high-end flats in large cities or more modest middle eastern style homes in the less crowded outskirts. 

Here is a brief guide that may assist you to find accommodation when you are in the UAE.

Tips to Find Accommodation in the UAE

Here are some tips to find accommodation in the UAE. 

Understand the Local Housing Market

It is also crucial that you first learn about the UAE housing market, specifically before going on your search. The costs of renting accommodation differ from one emirate to the other, from one neighbourhood to the other and depending on the type of property. Reasonably, Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer rentals at a higher rate as compared to other emirates for instance, Sharjah or Ajman. Studying trends of general rents in the desired location will assist a person in establishing a proper financial limit.

Determine Your Budget

The amount to be spent is therefore an important factor to be considered when searching for a place to live. It focuses on an individual’s monthly earnings and estimates extra expenses such as electricity, Web connection, and upkeep fees. It does help to remember that one should not spend more than 30% of his/her monthly salary on rent. Another thing to consider is that in the UAE, rent is normally paid ahead of time for rented accommodation and paid either in one lump sum or by post-dated checks to the landlord which in turn affects the budget.

Decide on Location

If your accommodation is well chosen, it can have a great influence on the whole of your day life. For example, ease of access to your workplace, means of transport, educational institutions as well as relevant facilities like supermarkets, hospitals and parks. Among the various localities of Dubai, some of the preferred ones are Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, but it has to be noted that the cost of the rented house in these areas is relatively high. If you think prices are too high then you should look at some of the suburbs in Sharjah or Ajman while travel times may be longer.

Use Online Platforms and Real Estate Agents

Some of the leading sites that people use to find homes in the UAE include Property Finder, Bayut, and Dubizzle among others. These websites offer certain parameters which you can use to narrow your search down by location, price range and type of real estate among others. They also contain comprehensive lists of agents which include pictures, descriptions and contact details of the properties.

Shortly, real estate companies may positively contribute to one’s choice of house and especially if one is a first-time homeowner in UAE. They understand the local market very well and can guide on the best region to locate depending on one's preferences. Make sure that the agent is RERA certified so as to avoid any fraudsters in the market.

Visit Properties in Person

That the properties can also be found in online listings, so it’s wise to go and view the properties physically. Sometimes the pictures can be deceptive and by seeing the property in person, one can immediately tell the size of the house, its condition and the neighbourhood. Observe the type of maintenance done on the building, the level of noise and whether it is easy to get in the building when you are a visitor.

Negotiate the Rent

Negotiation is paramount in UAE especially in fixing the rent as it is understood that one can bargain with the landlords for an added amount of agreed rent for example paying a higher rent than agreed at one time or for a longer duration of let.

Make sure to talk about money and never hesitate to negotiate about the rent and not only, trying to get some concessions or paying less rent for a period of time in exchange for free maintenance, for example. It is also important to note that with your landlord you can also be on good terms with him in the long run.

Understand the Lease Agreement

These essential things that a tenant needs to know can be highlighted as follows; It’s very important for one to read and understand the due diligence of the lease before signing it. Others include the amount of rent to be paid, the time frame the rent is to be paid particularly whether monthly, yearly or for the entire period of lease, whether the tenant or the landlord is to be responsible for the maintenance of the property and the length of the lease agreement. Other things that should be also considered include penalty for early termination of the lease and the process of renewal of the lease. If you happen to have any confusion, it is advised to contact your real estate agent or your landlord for the clarification of the issue at hand.

It is easy to locate a place to live in the UAE when you are well equipped with information and would want to take your time to do it. This means that one should be able to look for a home that fits him/her depending on multiple factors. Some of which are; market trends, available capital, rental trends and others. Depending on where in the UAE you want to live – whether you are looking into getting a flat in Dubai or a villa in Sharjah for example, there are a great number of options available that suit people’s individual tastes and requirements for their living area.