My Dubai Rent: After 20 years in Dubai, psychologist still 'enjoys one of the lowest rents in the city'

Even after 20 years, Dr Louise Lambert is reluctant to buy a property and prefers the freedom of renting

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  Dr Louise Lambert rents a one-bedroom apartment in Churchill Tower, Business Bay, Dubai. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  The living area is decorated with artworks and greenery

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  The kitchen in the apartment, for which Dr Lambert pays Dh65,000 annual rent

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  The dining area

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  The bedroom

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  The bathroom

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  Plants growing on the balcony

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  The view from the balcony

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  The gym

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  The local park

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  The basketball court

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  A nearby restaurant

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  The building

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Dr Louise Lambert, a researcher in positive psychology who has been in the UAE for 20 years, has lived in her one-bedroom Business Bay apartment since 2020, which has resulted in her rent being among the lowest in the building.

The property in Churchill Tower costs her Dh65,000 annually, having risen from about Dh40,000 over the past few years.

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For as long as it stays that low, she has no intention of leaving – not when it’s such a nice place to live.

The National takes a look around.

How long have you lived here?

I moved here during the pandemic. I got super lucky, as it was the price of a song.

Why did you choose this place?

I didn't take it because it was cheap. I just took it because I like the layout. I saw others that were about the same price, and I felt like a little bird in a cage.

Louise Lambert has made the place her own with artworks and greenery. Chris Whiteoak / The National

It's in Business Bay, so I cycle every morning. I literally take my bike, go straight down and I'm right on the canal, so I love that about it. On one side, I can see the [Godolphin Racing] stables, so I see the horses every morning. I see them training and the jockeys going around. And then on the other side, I see the boats going by on the canal.

I have a little balcony, and I grow random things like little tomatoes and, at the moment, dying sunflower seeds. It’s just nice.

What do you pay for it?

I got it for Dh40,000 to Dh44,000 and now I pay Dh65,000. I have one of the lowest rents in the city, I’m sure. It does go up every year, but it can’t go up more than 5 per cent, so if you’re starting from Dh40,000 it’s not much. The new rent will be Dh68,000.

How have you made it your own?

I've got this lovely artwork. I have paintings all around and lots of plants. Greenery just adds life, and it has paid off, because every year I get a little family of birds. They're beautiful songbirds, and they come in and build a little nest in my bougainvillaea.

I get a little dose of nature and it's really bright.

What amenities do you have?

There is a gym downstairs. There’s a pool. There’s a daycare, which I don’t use, but there’s a few things for families. Then, when there are holidays, like Diwali, they do little celebrations outside and fireworks.

The swimming pool. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The municipality has done loads of really nice things on the canal. They put outdoor gym equipment, they’ve lined it with tresses. It’s really nice.

The other thing that’s really great is New Year’s Eve. I literally walk downstairs and Burj Khalifa is right across the water, so we can see the fireworks right there. It’s close to the downtown, I can see downtown, I just don’t need to live in it.

During winter I also walk across the bridge to the Zaha Hadid building, the Opus, that’s full of restaurants now. Everything’s close by. It’s perfect.

What would you change about it?

Traffic has been a big issue. It’s one of the things I hate about it. Nobody was living here before, but now it’s really bad. At 10.45am, there’s gridlock. It’s becoming really disastrous.

On this street, there’s now a new hotel, a new grocery store, new apartment buildings. It’s great, but I realised the secret’s out and now everybody’s coming in and the traffic is showing. I get stuck in my car park sometimes for 45 minutes.

Have you thought about buying?

I've thought about it. I have a few friends who did. If I were still working at the Canadian University Dubai, I might, just because I had a regular income. But, working for myself, it's high and then low and then high. It's just too unpredictable. I don't want to take the chance.

In hindsight, I've been here 20 years, so if I had bought back then my mortgage would have been paid off by now.

How long do you plan to stay in this apartment?

Even if the rent goes up, I'm staying because I'm seeing other people's rent and they're in the Dh100,000-plus for smaller or the same. So, as long as it is less than anywhere else, I'll stay. But the way Dubai is going now, where would I go that doesn't have traffic?

I will stay as long as I can. I've been here 20-some years. I've got my golden visa. All my friends are here. This is home, so I don't want to leave.