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
Business strategist Gagandeep Singh is determined to make his next move a permanent one. He and his entrepreneur wife, Jaswinder Kaur Bedi, who is setting up her own jewellery business, are putting the money together for a deposit on their own property.
In the meantime, they get a great deal on a two-bedroom apartment in Al Quoz 4, where they live with their son Arshbir, 11. They pay Dh65,000 per year for 1,400 square feet, just minutes away from Arshbir’s school.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
Gagandeep: Currently we stay in this flat in Al Quoz 4. It’s a very big flat – it’s actually 1,400 square feet – and has a big hall and two big bedrooms.
Jaswinder: The best part is the kitchen is quite huge. It’s its own room, but bigger than the studio room here. As Indians, we cook a lot, we need a lot of space for all the spices and this also has a door.
We have the first floor so the sunlight here is really good. And we’re right next to our kid’s school – it’s just a one-minute walk for him.
How much do you pay?
Gagandeep: We got it at a very good deal. We pay Dh65,000. For us, they haven’t increased the rent because we have already occupied the place for three years.
Someone who rents it new will pay Dh80,000.
What is the neighbourhood like?
Gagandeep: It’s next to Business Bay, where Al Quoz starts. It’s an amazing property by Wasl and we’ve been here three years.
There are pros and cons to this area. The best part is everything is nearby. I can reach Business Bay in five minutes. My office is in Media City and I can get there in 15 minutes.
But there are also disadvantages. Our building is very family-friendly, but behind us there is a lot of labour accommodation, so there are a lot of crowds on the other side of the road and so much traffic, lorries and big vehicles.
Jaswinder: The morning can be quite difficult for us. If I go to work after 7.30am I will be stuck in traffic in the same area for 25, sometimes 40 minutes.
Gagandeep: It’s a high-demand area.
Jaswinder: We had to compromise, but inside it’s spacious and we love it. We have other Indian families we’ve found. My kid has friends here, so they go and play, although they don’t have a specific place to play.
Gagandeep: This is a big disadvantage. It’s a family building, but there’s no place for kids to play. So where do they play? Outside the building, there’s a big area for parking, and that’s where they play. Sometimes it’s very risky for our kids. We have made so many complaints, but no action so far.
What facilities do you have?
Jaswinder: We have a gym.
How have you made the apartment feel like home?
Gagandeep: The credit goes to Jaswinder. Her nickname is Nancy, so the credit goes to Nancy. She has taken care of everything.
What’s important to me is my bookshelf, because I love reading. I have a lot of books here and I’m also the writer of a book. I wrote my book in 2021 on product management and strategy. So I love keeping books on my shelves.
Jaswinder takes care of all the decorations, everything is tidy and maintained. My son’s room we have some gym activities because we want to increase his height.
Jaswinder: We are planning to turn that room into a judo room, because he’s a judo player.
Where else have you lived?
Gagandeep: We have been in Dubai for the past five years, and were in Abu Dhabi for five years. When we moved from Abu Dhabi to Dubai it was Covid time and we actually moved to Business Bay, where we stayed for three years.
The Business Bay flat was really good. It was a one-bedroom, with a hall and kitchen, and because it was Covid, rentals were so down, so we were paying just Dh45,000.
Would you think about buying?
Gagandeep: When we think about changing apartment, we always think to buy a house, but we face some hiccup or challenges and end up moving to another rental. But this time, we are thinking if we move out of this building, we need to move to our own house.
Even if we move back to India, still the house will give us rental. That’s how we’re thinking about it. So we’re trying to pull up some funds from India, selling some properties because we don’t stay there. That’s our plan.
I would have purchased this flat where we stay. Even with the disadvantages. But Wasl doesn’t sell. No builders make properties the way Wasl does. It’s amazing. The past three years, maintenance is covered. We just call or put a request on their app, the next day the guy is there and they fix everything, so you don’t have to pay from your pocket.
How long will you stay here?
Jaswinder: I am praying in the next year we will buy our own place.
Where would you move to?
Gagandeep: Arjan is one of our top areas. Another area is near to Dubai South, basically Ibn Battuta side, because we have our holy Sikh temple there. What we see in the area is it’s growing because of the near proximity to the airport. It has more potential.
