My Dubai Rent: Family of four outgrows Dh40,000 Dubailand apartment

Marketing manager Sheeraz Shaikh lives with his wife and two daughters in a one-bedroom apartment

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  Sheeraz Shaikh and his wife Sidra Maryam rent a one-bedroom apartment in Ajmal Sarah Tower in Dubailand. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  The exterior of the building, where Mr Shaikh says he would like to buy a home eventually

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  The bedroom

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  The living room

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  The kitchen

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  The view from one of the apartment's three balconies

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  Seating on one of the balconies

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  One balcony is used for plants

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  The gym in the apartment building

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  The steam room

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  The children's play area

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  The local supermarket

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  A nearby pharmacy

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  A nearby barber's shop

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

After almost eight years living in Dubai, marketing manager Sheeraz Shaikh, who studied for his Master’s at Wollongong University in Knowledge Village, says it’s time for him to buy a property.

For the moment, he’s living with his wife and two daughters, aged three and one month, in Ajmal Sarah Tower in Dubai Land Residence Complex.

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He loves the building and aims to buy there eventually, as they’re fast outgrowing the one-bedroom apartment they’ve been renting for the past four years.

The National takes a look around.

What’s your place like?

It’s really good. Someone recommended it to me, as it can be very difficult to get an apartment in this building.

The property management company is good. If you request anything, a person will visit within an hour. If anything needs fixing they will fix it for free, unless there’s equipment to buy.

One of three balconies at Sheeraz Shaikh's apartment in Dubailand. Chris Whiteoak / The National

I also love the closed kitchen and we have three balconies, which are a really good size. We use one for laundry, another for plants and the third for sitting and barbecuing.

The room sizes are good – the whole apartment is 1,100 square feet, which is unusual for a one-bedroom. Usually they are 600 sq ft to 800 sq ft.

What do you pay in rent?

The rent is very good. I’m paying Dh40,000. If you go for a new rental, it will cost you Dh50,000 in this area. So I’m paying less because I’ve been here a long time.

Why did you choose this area?

There’s not much traffic – not like JVC or other areas. The best part of this community is that you can connect with three highways easily. There’s Al Ain Road, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road.

What facilities do you have access to?

There’s a kids’ play area, which we use a lot. Then there’s a swimming pool and a gym, and a steam room is also there.

There is a restaurant downstairs and a bakery, where you can get Dh1.5 fresh bread, which is amazing. There’s a car mechanic, so I get my oil changed there, and a barber's shop.

There’s a children's park close to our building. Right after our building, there are two parks, and a third has recently been made. They’re all pet-friendly and great for kids.

How have you made the apartment feel like home?

My parents visit a lot – two or three times a year, although they stay in a hotel.

The living room is clean and simple. Chris Whiteoak / The National

We’ve decorated our balcony well, and sometimes we have barbecues or just a cup of tea or coffee outside, so we can enjoy the view.

How have you decorated?

It’s very minimalistic. Not too much wallpaper or many pictures. Nothing fancy – it’s all simple, clean and neat. We try to keep things as minimal as we can.

What would you change about your place?

I wouldn’t change anything in the building, but the apartment layout is very irregular. My lounge is tilted, my bedroom is rectangular rather than square. It feels like there could be more space if this was fixed.

Where else have you lived in Dubai?

I was renting a studio in Business Bay before, when I was single. I was there for almost a year.

I lived in Discovery Gardens from 2016 to 2020. I would live there again.

I was renting a studio with a friend, because my university was nearby in Knowledge Village, so it was easy for me to get there, and my office was in Jebel Ali. Parking was also not an issue. I really liked that community.

Are you considering buying a place?

I would love to buy and I would love to buy in this building, but I would buy a two-bedroom here as they’re very big. On the third floor they have terraces and two-bedrooms can be 1,800 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft, while some also have maids’ rooms.

The price is also reasonable, as they are around Dh1 million, which is negotiable. But we are still thinking that mortgage rates are about to go down. If they do, we will arrange a down payment and consider buying.