My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like
One common theme with property prices and the cost of renting in Dubai is just how expensive it is, especially when compared to previous years.
It's an obvious by-product of a city on the up with an ever-growing population but there are still great deals available, you just have to look at the case of Anuu Singh and her partner, Sunny Noronha.
The Indian couple pay Dh60,000 a year for a one-bedroom apartment at the R441 building in Dubai's popular Barsha community.
The couple invited The National into their home to take a tour to see what makes it so special to them.
Why did you choose to live here?
Sunny: One of the main reasons is because it's so close to the metro station. Another is there is a good community around us and, during the winter months, you can just walk around and get things done easily.
You don't need to commute with your car, which means that during winter you can live really sustainably here.
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Anuu Singh and Sunny Noronha pay Dh60,000 a year to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the R441 building in Dubai's popular Barsha community. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National -
The living room. Most of the couple's furniture is red or white -
The record collection. Anuu and Sunny enjoy the apartment's location close to a Metro station -
The bedroom. Facilities in the building include three restaurants and two grocery stores -
One of the restaurants in the building -
The record player fits into the apartment's red and white colour scheme -
The kitchen. Facilities in the building also include a swimming pool where residents and their families gather in the evening and at weekends -
A novel monkey light in the apartment, which is a five-minute walk away from a park -
Comfortable chairs in the living area. The couple say the building is very well maintained -
Sunny and Anuu have lived in the apartment for four years -
The gym -
Another restaurant in the building -
The R441 building, where Anuu and Sunny plan to continue living for a few more years
Another reason is that we are paying Dh60,000, which is a great price. The reason for that is we have lived here for four years.
When we moved in the rents were lower and the landlords can only increase the rent in line with the Rera calculator.
There's so much right here on our doorstep as well. In our building alone, there are three restaurants, two grocery stores and a multitude of other services.
Is there much of a sense of community where you live?
Anuu: There's a beautiful swimming pool in the building where a lot of residents come in the evening and bring their families, especially at the weekends.
That's a good place to meet and have a chit-chat. We know our neighbours very well and interact with them a lot.
There's a park that's only a five-minute walk from where we live. There are always exercise sessions taking place in the mornings and evenings.
We go there for regular walks.
What personal touches have you made to your home?
Anuu: Most of the furniture is red and white. We've tried to ensure that it feels as warm as possible, not just for ourselves but also for our friends when they visit.
Do you plan to stay in the property?
Anuu: I think we will stay, yes. We will be completing a fourth year in a few days from now and we plan to stay for at least two or three years more, until the time we can go and buy our own property.
But, for now, I think we are pretty happy with the location and everything that the building has to offer.
Are you getting value for money?
Anuu: Yes. We've already mentioned the rent increases only being gradual and the building is very well maintained.
If our parents visit, they have access to the metro and ample amount of parking.
During the recent flooding, we had no issues whatsoever in our building and everything was safe.
Is there anything you would change about where you live if you could?
Sunny: There's not much but if I guess there is a lot of traffic sometimes in the evening, especially when people are double parked outside the building to pick up food from the restaurants.
