My Dubai Rent: Mother's 'crazily good deal' for one-bedroom apartment on city outskirts

Alison Rego pays Dh33,000 a year for home she shares with her daughter

Indian mother of one Alison Rego moved to her one-bedroom apartment in Dubailand last year because she got a deal she felt was too good to turn down. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

View of the swimming pool area at the Skycourts tower D in Dubailand in Dubai.

Ms Rego pays Dh33,000 a year to live in a home that she describes as the perfect location for her and her daughter.

Originally Ms Rego paid Dh25,000 but now pays Dh33,000 per year.

Ms Rego said she definitely plans to buy at least a two-bedroom apartment in the near future.

Dubailand is close to things Ms Rego and her daughter need, unlike Town Square which she considered too far out.

View of the Skycourts tower D in Dubailand in Dubai.

Ms Rego said she has kept decorating to a minimum as she is only renting.

Ms Rego and her daughter plan to be in the UAE for another five years and hope to own property soon.

My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they pay each month, see who they live with and ask what they like and don't like

Indian mother of one Alison Rego moved to her one-bedroom apartment in Dubailand last year because she got a deal she felt was too good to turn down.

Ms Rego, 42, who works in the recruitment sector, pays Dh33,000 a year to live in a home that she describes as the perfect location for her and her daughter.

She had previously lived in Sharjah but felt the time was right to move to Dubai, having lived in the UAE on and off for several years.

She invited The National into her home to show us just why it is so special to her and her 10-year-old daughter.

How much do you pay in rent?

When I first moved here in March last year I was paying only Dh25,000. It was a crazily good deal.

Now I pay Dh33,000, but that is still brilliant value. I am very comfortable in this community and so is my daughter.

What are the benefits of living where you do?

It has a great park area and there is a large Asian community. A lot of my friends from school live here too and it is like my generation is growing up together.

It is very close to most locations too. You can get to most places in Dubai within 20 minutes, which is fantastic, especially for work.

I used to live in Sharjah during the pandemic, which was OK when you could work from home, but once we had to go back to the office I needed to be closer.

Having the park is important too because my daughter can go out and play with her friends and I don’t have to worry too much about cars zipping in and out of the roads.

We definitely feel safe here.

Do you see yourself staying here for long?

I plan to buy a property here soon. That is definitely on the to-do list because I will need more space as my daughter grows older.

I definitely plan to buy at least a two-bedroom apartment in the near future.

We are going to be in the country for at least the next five years. Even if I have to move away I can still rent it out.

Did you look at many other areas before deciding on here?

Yes, I looked at quite a few, including Town Square, which felt just a little bit too far out for us.

As I said, we are pretty close to most places so that was definitely a factor in why we ended up here.

What have you done to the apartment to make it feel like your home?

Apart from my daughter’s paintings on the wall, I haven’t done much. I don’t really want to spend a lot furnishing a place that I am only renting.

What would you change about your home if you could?

Well, like I said, I am hoping to upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment so my daughter can have more of her own space.