Dubai: Rising rents in Dubai are driving young professionals out of their comfort zones and into cramped bed spaces, with those drawing less than Dh10,000 per month being the worst hit.
Take the case of Shaheen Khan (fname changed), a Dubai-based accountant earning Dh7,000. She pays Dh1,600 a month for a tiny bedspace in Al Barsha that includes a small cupboard, 24-hour internet, electricity and water.
“It’s a pigeon-hole but I have no other choice. The rents are going up and there is no way I can live independently even if it is in a studio apartment,” she said.
Indian expat Natasha who earns around Dh8,000 a month, lives in a similar bedspace in Tecom. “I pay Dh1,000 a month and the rent includes a cot, a cupboard, internet, power and water. If you pay less, like Dh700, you don’t get internet,” she said.
A quick scan by XPRESS reveals rents for studio flats in Dubai are not less than Dh38,000 per annum (Dh3,100 per month), this being for studios in International City. In Discovery Gardens, a studio currently costs Dh4,583 per month, while in Dubailand it is currently renting for around Dh50,000 per annum. In Tecom, an unfurnished 672 square foot apartment is going for a whopping Dh70,000 per annum.
According to Natasha, tenants also have to make do with the facilities provided by landlords. “I pay additionally for internet connection, but for the last 15 days I have no connection.,” she said.
Sub-tenant Shaheen says her landlord cuts off the water supply to the entire apartment even if one tenant fails to pay the water bill. I don’t have much of a choice. My salary does not permit me to live in a better accommodation,” she said.
“Rent hikes are placing severe pressure on young professionals in Dubai. Many are forced to illegally share units or move to distant locations where they have to endure longer commuting times,” said Craig Plumb, head of research at JLL.
