Learning & Developme Group

I run training programmes for a facilities company here in Dubai and I have rented in three towers in five years. Rent is the number everyone argues about. The one that actually decided things for me was the service charge.

It is billed per square foot per year and it is not small. Two towers on the same street can differ a lot, because one has a pool, a gym, chilled water and a concierge, and the other has a lobby and two lifts. If you buy, that charge follows you every year and the building sets it, not you.

Second thing that surprised me is how rent is paid here. One cheque for the year is cheaper than four cheques for the same flat. The landlord is pricing your payment schedule, not only the flat. When I moved from one cheque to four, the annual number went up on the same unit in the same building.

Third is chiller. Some buildings include chilled water in the service charge and some bill it to you separately. Ask which one before you sign, because in July it is not a rounding error.

I keep an eye on https://middle-east.realestate/ to see what is actually listed across the emirates instead of what one agent wants to show me. Comparing the same unit type across buildings is what made the service charge visible to me in the first place.

Not advice, just what I would have wanted someone to tell me in year one.