Salaries don’t match rent increase
This is true, and a problem faced by most people I know (‘Mismatch between salaries and rents, Abu Dhabi residents say’, Gulf News, March 29). For many, bonuses and raises are a thing of the past, as employers tighten their belts and salaries stagnate, even as rents increase. My parents, who live in Sharjah, saw their rent increase by Dh30,000 and had to either vacate within two months or pay the new rate. There is definitely a great mismatch, especially because many salaries don’t take into account transportation costs and have minimal housing allowances. Perhaps the authorities could investigate and put measures in place to reduce the gap between rents and salaries. It would make a huge difference to middle-income employees in the UAE.
From Ms Sasha Bhatt
Sharjah
Did you re-register with Ejari?
I think that rents are increasing because very few residents are registering their tenancy contract with Ejari after renewal. Everyone who rents a new home registers their tenancy contract, as it is mandatory. Obviously, newly rented homes are usually highly priced, which is recorded in Ejari. However, rent renewals from people who have taken rooms three to four years ago are at much lower rates than newly rented rooms. Since people are not re-registering their tenancy after renewal, this comparatively lower renewal rent price is not getting registered in Ejari. The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera) rent calculator bases its calculations on Ejari registrations and, hence, ends up showing higher rents. This cycle continues. I am sure if everyone registers their Ejari today, the rents in the Rera rent calculator would be pulled down accurately. The cycle of rent decrease will start, even if it occurs gradually.
From Mr E. G.
UAE
Full name withheld on request
Take his advice
I agree with Mr E. G. and it was upon registering with Ejari that I started to wonder how these loopholes occur. It seems like it would be difficult for landlords to get away with illegal rent hikes if the tenant is properly registered with the concerned authorities. Being new to the UAE, I would gladly take his advice to make sure Ejari is consistently up to date with my situation or that I have registered with each passing year. Is it really that simple?
From Mr Leo Roberts
Dubai
High salaries, an illusion
I have seen some reports mentioning pay hikes and good salaries, but it all seems flawed. My salary has been the same for the past five years. Yet, rent and even transportation costs are very high. The authorities should take action.
From Mr Jaga
UAE
Website comment
Creating sustainability
It seems as though the majority of people living in Dubai earn less than Dh10,000 per month. They are playing a major role in the development of this beautiful country. It would help if the rents decrease so that this place becomes even more affordable and beautiful to live in. High rents and chaotic traffic creates a lot of stress for individuals and their families. The authorities should seriously look into what kinds of salaries are necessary to sustain the basic needs of the majority.
From Mr Sam
UAE
Website comment
Salaries go towards rent
I totally agree with this Gulf News report. Rents seem to be constant, and are not coming down. Also, the agency fees in some areas remain unaffordable. Many people spend 75 per cent of their earnings on rents. We cannot even think about the future with this fear. I really hope that the rents go down and we further increase our happiness.
From Ms Calvina
UAE
Website comment
Affordable rents needed
Regarding the rents in Dubai, I believe they are still rising rather than staying constant, as mentioned in Gulf News’ article. My building’s rent has been increased by 15 per cent in 2014 and 2015. It has made it difficult to afford living here anymore. The same is the issue with many of my family members and friends, who all got a notice of a hike in rent from 20 to 25 per cent. We would have survived even if the rent was the same as the previous year. Even an online search won’t offer up a one-bedroom apartment for less than Dh50,000. The news is regarding people earning more than Dh10,000. But please consider from the majority of salaried people below Dh10,000. Where do we go?
From Mr V. I. N.
UAE
Website comment
No tolerance for terrorism
A Gulf News story on 17 people dead due to Somali militants storming a hotel, portrays actions that should be condemned (‘17 dead as Somali militants storm hotel’, Gulf News, March 30). Somalia used to be in the news for piracy, but now militants have also started looting and this is unacceptable. Governments should implement some mechanism to overcome this. Terrorism cannot be tolerated.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Leading from the front
The people of India have experienced a whole set of emotions after the Indian team were dismissed from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup. An initial reaction of anger and disappointment quickly gave way to sympathy and moral support for the players. There was a flurry of witty jokes and one-liners floating around on social media about some players and their partners, who accompanied them on the tour. However, what emerged from this is a clear message: We Indians belong to a society, with a perfect blend of people with differing ideologies. The short-tempered few vented their frustration by throwing their television sets in some cities! The matured ones quickly agreed that winning or losing is just part of the game. The optimistic ones complimented the team for triumphantly reaching the semi-final stage, particularly in the backdrop of a disastrous tour in Australia in the past three months.
However, an emotional group really got social media buzzing with their praise for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This man has proven to us all, yet again, that he is a never-before-seen phenomenon. India is yet to see a public figure, who has risen from a small town and achieved meteoric fame in such a short time span. He rarely loses his cool in tense moments, and has provided cherished moments in cricketing history. Even if India lost the race for the World Cup, the team captain has won the hearts of millions!
From Mr Suhas Inamdar
UAE
Defeating enemies together
Nowadays, when I switch on the television or read a newspaper, my heart hurts to see news of all the innocent people being killed and the amount of fighting going on globally. There is a lot of hunger, thirst and lack of medical facilities. Children are robbed of their childhoods. I heard that the European and Arab leaders want to form a European-Arab alliance to increase the safety of their people. What about other countries? We all need to help and try to solve the world’s problems as we are all humans living on the same Earth. Save the world from wars and disasters for our future generations before it’s too late. We need to work as one and countries should contribute military units with advanced weapons to defeat those who create terror around the world.
From Mr Titus Dias
Muscat, Oman
Go beyond Earth Hour
I participated in Sharjah’s Earth Hour event at Al Majaz Water front last week (‘City goes dark in light of Earth Hour’, Gulf News, March 29). It is nice that such events are planned to raise awareness about environmental issues. People all around the world celebrated Earth Hour by turning out their lights, but a long list of seemingly harmless everyday actions also contribute to the emission of carbon dioxide and other planet-harming greenhouse gases. Even a short email is estimated to have a carbon from greenhouse gases produced in running the computer, server and routers and a part of their manufacturing.
Thus, it is very important that we go beyond Earth Hour and adopt such practices in our daily lives, which contribute significantly to reducing the consumption of energy. We must minimise wastage of energy and water to secure a sustainable environment. After returning from the Earth Hour celebration, I wanted to make it more meaningful and wanted to extend it beyond Earth Hour, so I requested my parents to switch off the lights and have a candlelight dinner. We had a great time together even under candlelights and we, as a family, have decided that on alternate days, we will have a candlelight dinner to save energy. This may be a small effort, but small efforts lead to bigger savings and big impacts. After all, what matters is making our lifestyle sustainable. I would like to urge readers to think beyond Earth Hour and adopt eco-conscious attitudes every hour.
From Ms Arushi Madan
Sharjah
Demanding government action!
I, along with my family, joined the Earth Hour event at the Bay Avenue Park in Dubai. We did this to show solidarity towards efforts to address climate change and the demand that worldwide, governments take significant action to deal with global warming when the United Nations convenes in Paris in December 2015. This is the issue of our generation. This is real, not symbolic. I, in my small way, have made a commitment to reduce the environmental impact on our planet by being a part of this visual way of acknowledging climate change.
From Mr Amiteash Paul
Dubai
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