Dubai: Increased rentals have impacted low income residents as rents for sharing accommodation have risen by 10 to 50 per cent in many Dubai areas.
Property agents and residents said sub-letters are also increasing the number of tenants per room or home to cover increased rentals.
“I was paying Dh 1,500 for a room with an attached bath, but this month I have been asked to pay Dh2,500 or share it with another person. It is a two-bedroom apartment and my landlord says his annual rent has gone up. When I tried looking for options I couldn’t find anything decent within my budget, leaving me with no option but to pay higher rent,” said Sidhartha, a bank executive who lives in Bur Dubai.
A glance at online classifieds reveals a hike in shared accommodation rents. Areas most affected include Bur Dubai and Nahda and to a lesser extent Deira and Al Barsha.
Risking it
Even though sharing is not allowed by authorities in most areas, there are many who opt for it as besides savings on rent, it also offers them flexibility of paying on a monthly basis, besides the additional cost of renting a residential unit by themselves.
“I was living in this apartment for the last three years and paying Dh350 for a bedspace, but this time they are asking for Dh450. With a monthly salary of only Dh2,500, I cannot afford to pay extra and am now looking at other options,” said Evelyn, a Filipina.
While an executive bedroom with an attached bathroom in a shared accommodation would cost Dh2,500 to Dh3,500 a month in Bur Dubai, it stands at around Dh1,400 to Dh3,000 in Al Barsha, Dh1,300-Dh1,800 in Discovery Gardens and Dh1,300 to Dh1,800 in Satwa depending on the type of accommodation.
However, bedspace costs have not increased much and in most areas like Satwa, Tecom, Al Barsha and Bur Dubai sub-letters are still charging between Dh450 and Dh650.
“We have a two-bedroom apartment and the rent has increased by Dh6,000 annually. One option was to move out, but we did not want to go to a different area, so we decided to sublet one of the rooms for Dh3,000,” said N.G., who did no wish to be named.
