• John Doringo’s community in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai. Photos: Ruel Pableo for The National
    John Doringo’s community in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai. Photos: Ruel Pableo for The National
  • Travel souvenirs at the Doringo residence.
    Travel souvenirs at the Doringo residence.
  • Family is a big theme in the living area of the Doringo home
    Family is a big theme in the living area of the Doringo home
  • Master bathroom at John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    Master bathroom at John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • John Doringo with wife Angie and children at their home in Ghoroob
    John Doringo with wife Angie and children at their home in Ghoroob
  • The kitchen area of the Doringo residence
    The kitchen area of the Doringo residence
  • John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    John Doringo’s residence in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • John Doringo with his wife Angie and two children at their home in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    John Doringo with his wife Angie and two children at their home in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • Master bedroom at the Doringo residence
    Master bedroom at the Doringo residence
  • The boys' room at the Doringo residence
    The boys' room at the Doringo residence
  • John Doringo’s community in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    John Doringo’s community in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
  • John Doringo’s collection in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai
    John Doringo’s collection in Ghoroob, Mirdiff, Dubai

My Dubai Rent: Architect pays Dh64,000 for home he has lived in for 12 years


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

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

Moving home on a regular basis is part and parcel of life for many people who relocate to the UAE.

It is no exaggeration to say it would be rare to find someone who has stayed at the same property for as long as John Doringo from the Philippines.

The architect, 50, has lived with his family in a two-bedroom apartment at Ghoroob in Mirdif for the past 12 years and he currently pays slightly less than Dh64,000 ($16,248) for the privilege.

He invited The National into his home to show our readers why it is so special to him and his family.

Why did you choose to live here and not somewhere else?

There are several reasons. One of the most important factors is that is very close to the school my two sons go to.

It is right beside City Centre Mirdif mall, which is extremely convenient.

The community here is very family orientated, which is perfect as it creates a lovely atmosphere.

There is a brilliant play area for children, fantastic sports facilities with basketball and squash courts, a swimming pool, as well a gym.

Parking is really easy here too, which you don’t get in many parts of Dubai.

The buildings are in clusters, everything is really secure so you have that peace of mind.

We are a three-to-five-minute walk away from the mall, which is great if we don’t want to cook and go out to dinner.

There’s also a Carrefour supermarket in the community.

What touches have you made to your home to make it your own?

If anyone visits our home, they will see it’s decorated very much the way we like it.

There’s no theme, if you will, but there are pictures of family all over the walls.

We have put our personal touch on it, with my Star Wars action figures and my wife’s Lego all on display.

Do you ever see yourself moving out and living somewhere else?

No. That’s the honest answer. My oldest son is going to college soon and he will be studying near where we live, so that’s another reason for us to stay.

We are looking forward to remaining where we are until both of my sons graduate.

I can see us happily staying right here for at least another 10 years.

Where did you live before you moved here?

I have lived in the UAE for 23 years and before we moved to Ghoroob we were in Bur Dubai.

We moved here when my son first started going to school. It’s only a short journey to the school so that was our main consideration at the time.

We didn’t look at many places either, I think this was the second place we checked out.

As soon as we saw it we knew that we wanted to live here.

Is there anything you would change about your home if you could?

We have a huge balcony and during the summer it gets really hot, some more shade there would be lovely.

Having said that, during the winter it’s great. I guess this is a typical problem most people have in Dubai during the summer.

Where can I submit a sample?

Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.

Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:

  • Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
  • Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
  • Al Towayya in Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
  • Bareen International Hospital
  • NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
  • NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
  • NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

A German university was a good fit for the family budget

Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600

Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between  £200-600

The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually

Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated 

As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640

Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month

MATCH INFO

Borussia Dortmund 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')

Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Mountain%20Boy
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Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')

Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)

Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA

Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore

Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Updated: March 26, 2023, 8:59 AM