My Dubai Rent: Mum and daughter love nearby parks of JLT to walk their dog

Short commute to work and proximity to Metro station make Cluster R perfect for British mum

Rosa Bullock and her daughter Ayda Grace at home in JLT. Photos: Antonie Robertson/ The National

The living room area

The kitchen

The bedroom

This room belongs to Rosa Bullock's daughter Ayda

Outside their home in JLT

JLT is a diverse community with plenty of amenities

Short commute to work and a Metro station make JLT perfect for the family

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

British mum Rosa Bullock moved to her two-bed apartment in Jumeirah Lakes Towers 12 months ago, due to the area's prime location and amenities on her doorstep - as well as plenty of space to walk her French bulldog Albert.

For annual rent of Dh120,000, Ms Bullock said the value from her first-floor apartment in the Mag 214 building in Cluster R, comes from the huge outdoor space she has. However, a recent eviction notice served by her landlord means she will be looking for somewhere else to live soon.

Having lived for 11 years in Dubai, moving to a JLT apartment from a villa in Furjan where she used to live was a big decision.

The apartment is close to her office, where she works in PR and marketing. Ms Bullock loves walking her dog with daughter, Ayda, around the green spaces of JLT, and popping into the many nearby restaurants that are in walking distance of home.

Why this area in particular?

We were living in Furjan before, but I needed to move somewhere near a metro station as I have a nanny who lives out and needs to travel to us. From that point of view, I was limited to move only to certain areas.

But also, I was keen to move to somewhere with a community. In Furjan, there wasn't really that much of a community, whereas JLT is very diverse with a great community.

What do you get for your money?

We are in cluster R, in Mag 214 and we are very lucky that we actually have a two-bed apartment that is about 1,400 square feet. We're on level one and have a terrace that is another 1,500 square feet, so we have lots of space for my daughter and my dog, and there are loads of places in JLT to do together as a family.

Outside Rosa Bullock's building in JLT. Antonie Robertson / The National

When I was looking to move, I was talking to many real estate agents who just never delivered. Then this one guy for JLT said he had two apartments, and we went with the one with the huge terrace.

There are certain little areas you can't walk in, but the majority of it is all pet-friendly, so it's good.

What have you added to make it a home?

We've added fake grass to the terrace area, so we've got a proper garden area outside. I did decorate too soon after we moved in, so we have different coloured walls in the different rooms.

I’ve put carpets down and rugs to make it more homely - it doesn't look anything like it did when I moved in. My daughter has got her bedroom done as she likes.

We moved from quite a big villa, but now she's got a bunk bed, but with a double bed at the bottom, which allows her Nana to come and stay.

How well do you know your neighbours?

We've been here just over a year, but you don't really see anybody too much so I’m still getting to know our neighbours. I've probably bumped into our neighbours only twice.

Would you move out to another place soon?

Unfortunately, the landlord has already handed us our notice, so we've only got another nine months before we have to move. The Palm is on my radar, but it's also not when it comes to pricing, hopefully we will find somewhere in our budget next year when we come to move.

Is there anything you would change?

The only thing I think I would change more would be communication between the community here. There's a great community, but it’s not really a community that communicates, in the way of WhatsApp groups or Facebook groups to sell stuff or you wanted to ask questions, there isn't really anything like that. I think that could be better, other than that it's pretty great, really.