Abu Dhabi/Dubai/Sharjah: Residents say they have no option but to live in shared accommodation as income levels haven’t matched the rising cost of living and house rents.
They are either moving out of flats and villas to share accommodation or are opting to sublet in emirates such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. This is despite the rules laid out by the civic bodies on shared accommodation.
“My tenancy contract is due for renewal in the next couple of months. We have been notified by the real estate company of its plans to increase the rent by Dh3,000. My monthly income is Dh11,200. My wife does not work and I have two school-going children. I have no other option but to sublet our living room to other tenants,” said a resident of Al Nahda in Sharjah.
According to Khalid Al Shamsi, Director of the Rent Regulation Department of Sharjah Municipality, the rules do not prevent bachelors from living in the city but they are in place to create a good environment for all residents.
Within the past year in Dubai the number of building violations for making changes to flats without permission from Dubai Municipality, such as constructing walls and separating rooms, increased from 1,264 in 2012 to 2,590 in 2013.
Marwan Abdullah Al Mohammad, acting director of the Building Department of Dubai Municipality, said a total of 2,214 violations were also registered for making additions to buildings without the necessary permits.
“Before making rules and issuing fines the government should make sure that income matches the high cost of living. I have sent my family back home to the Philippines and have moved in with friends. My wife and I, along with our three children, used to live in a one-bedroom apartment. My monthly salary is Dh14,000. We used to pay Dh45,000 rent a year. But then our landlord wanted to increase our rent by Dh4,000. It was just too much for me to pay,” said a resident of Karama, Dubai.
Similarly, a tenant in Abu Dhabi said: “Due to high rents and limited income, I have rented one of the bedrooms in my flat on Al Salam Road to two non-Arab women for about eight months. They came to the capital to start a new career and they pay Dh3,000 per month,” a 42-year-old Egyptian resident said.
Yousra Mustafa, a 24 year-old Egyptian who is in a similar situation, said: “For me I would like to have that privacy or solitude of living alone.
“However, I have to adapt due to high rents especially [when} I have not started my career yet.”
She lives with three girls from different nationalities in a four-bedroom flat on Airport Road in the capital.
“They are completely unknown to me as they came from different places and cultures. I am getting used to the new situation. The owner had specific housing rules and regulations through an advertisement, which was posted in Al Wasit paper and asked for only females. “We share one kitchen, two bathrooms and a living room equipped with a dishwasher, fridge, television, washing machine. There is internet connection in all rooms.” said Mustafa who pays Dh2,000 per month as rent.
