My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they pay in rent, see who they live with and ask what they like and don't like
Kanessa Muluneh moved to Dubai with her family from the Netherlands in the second half of last year.
For their first home in the UAE, she and her husband chose to live with their two children in a seven-bedroom villa in Al Quoz.
They pay Dh300,000, split into four cheques.
Ms Muluneh, 32, who runs her own clothing line, invited The National into her home to show just why it is so special to her.
Why did you choose to live here and not somewhere else?
When we were considering moving from the Netherlands, we thought about moving to the typical expat areas like Arabian Ranches.
We wanted to get as much space as we could for our money and I told my husband that the main condition was there would be a view of the Burj Khalifa from our home.
When we looked here we realised it was a very Arabic area, which was great for me as I was born in Ethiopia and the cultures are extremely similar.
We didn’t want to move here and just live the same lifestyle we lived back in Europe.
It’s the best of both worlds really. The house feels very Arabic and I don’t like new houses as they have no atmosphere.
This feels like a home that has been lived in.
What are the advantages of living here?
It’s only a 10-minute drive to Downtown so it’s quite convenient in terms of location.
There’s a nice park here too, which has a great view of Downtown. It reminds me of Central Park in New York.
The area is quite private too. It’s not like a compound; I love that. Everybody here respects each other’s privacy.
What touches have you made to the property to put your personal touch on it?
Apart from the suitcases of clothes we brought with us and the furniture we bought, after moving in we haven’t changed much.
It just feels so different from our home in the Netherlands, which is exactly what we wanted.
The colours are brown and beige and I never had that before.
Also our home in Europe is full of stuff everywhere so it was nice for us to have a contrast here with a lot of extra space.
We like the minimalist feel here.
Did you look at many properties before settling on this one?
We were originally quoted Dh420,000 for the property, which was a bit outside of our budget, but we negotiated down to Dh300,000.
We looked at about six or seven other houses in Al Barsha and Al Quoz.
Do you see yourself staying here for the long-term?
Everybody knows the market is high right now but as soon as it changes we will buy our own home here.
We also plan to build our own home here in Dubai someday.
What would you change about the property if you could?
My husband would like to have a pool but I don’t really want a pool myself.
I am not sure there’s much else I would change as we rent and don’t own the property.
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
