I have paid the same amount for a three-bedroom villa in Jumeirah for many years, mainly because I have a great relationship with my landlord. The issue is that with an expanding family, I would love a bigger home - ideally a four-bedroom villa. This would give me enough space to comfortably house my family and the endless guests that fly in to stay with us, But I do not want to pay much more than my current rate of Dh125,000. If I move into some of the newer communities in Dubai, can I still negotiate a good deal. And is it worth the risk when I have such a great rapport with my current landlord? I don't want to start having to move every year because I take on an unreasonable landlord. NB, Dubai
I cannot stress how important having a great business relationship with your landlord is. I am constantly contacted by disgruntled landlords and tenants about how unreasonable parties can be and sometimes they fall out over such petty scenarios, therefore good communication, reasonable behaviour and a clear understanding of the other person's situation is key to having a perfect landlord/tenant relationship.
That said, you clearly ought not to stay in a property that is either no longer suitable nor cost effective for you. Rental prices have been coming down over the past year or so and with a large future inventory scheduled to become available in the coming six months or so, this trend is unlikely to change any time soon, therefore if you are able to find a larger property that suits then you should look into this.
Areas that have four bed villas or townhouses from Dh125,000 and below, can be found in Jumeirah Village Circle, Mirdif, Al Warsan, Dubai Investment Park, Al Furjan, Town Square and Living Legends.
Unfortunately while you can pick the property to live in, you cannot guarantee what the next landlord is going to be like. The good news is that you can now check for any potential bad history on the landlord via a new service that the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre has launched. Be aware that any landlord can also check to see your history via this app too.
To use the new service, download the RDSC app, select your preferred language, click on the rental good conduct certificate if you are a tenant and if you want a RGC certificate. Choose person or company, key in your Emirates ID number and name as indicated on the ID, mobile number and email address. You will receive a text message response straightaway. If no enforcement cases are found against you the RGC certificate will be emailed to you immediately. The same procedure applies to the leaser.
One way to ensure your good relationship with your existing landlord continues is to contact him or her and enquire if by any chance he/she owns another larger property somewhere in Dubai. This way you get your larger property to fit your growing family and you get to keep your current landlord too.
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Mario Volpi is the sales and leasing manager at Engel & Volkers. He has worked in the property sector for 34 years in London and Dubai
The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario.volpi@engelvoelkers.com