Seems easy but understanding how to rent in dubai is not straight forward! Let me help you!
How to rent in dubai is the second question you asked yourself after deciding to move to Dubai. The first one? When to start searching for a place. We have already discussed it in our article that you can read here.
Why is necessary this question? Well, we are new in the city and we have no experience. Is the real estate agent honest? Is he doing my interest or only his?
All questions that, in order to be able to answer, you need to have a clear picture of the Dubai housing ecosystem. You really need to master the art of knowing how to rent in Dubai.
The first step to rent is to decide in which area you want to move. Every different area has its own life and atmosphere. Different people and different vibes are related to different parts of the city. Soon a guide is coming to explain all this better. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter.
As soon as you have an area in mind you can start the research.
BONUS point: get a chequebook before renting!!! See below why.
First thing: Google Maps. Why? Well because in Dubai there are no street names. I mean, there are, but nobody is really using them. Wherever you need to go or whenever you need to write your address, the name of the building is mandatory while the street name is optional.
So check the are you want to live, maybe even on street view and appoint the names of the buildings you like.
Second: go on PropertyFinder or Bayut and search for those buildings. Searching for buildings and not area is going to give you a better result and a more precise research.
Third: Contact the real estate agents via whatsapp or phone call. Explain them your needs and which buildings you like. Remember that timing is the essence of your research. Again, read my article about timing and housing: start searching.
Fourth: Arrange a visit. Try to organise a visit as soon as possible. The market is extremely fast so what is available today might not tomorrow. Do not wait, just go a see it the day after. NOTE: ask the real estate agent to verify that the unit is still available. Really ofter unfortunately, placed already taken are still listed. Moreover, since difference agencies are promoting the same units, agents might not be updated if the unit is still free or not.
Fifth: If you like a place do not wait too long. As said before, market is really fast so if you really like it, reserve it. So many times I have seen people loosing an amazing unit just because they waited too long. Even two-three days for thinking might be too much.
Six: negotiation. How much can you negotiate? Well, this depends on the area and on the status of the unit. Check the prices of similar units in the area or in the same building and make a comparison. Being the market really fast, unfortunately often there is not too much space for negotiation. However, you can still try and I suggest you to do so. Just do not ask for an unrealistic price because you might loose face with the real estate agent. He is going to think you are not serious.
What you can negotiate on is the number of yearly payments.
In Dubai contracts are standard of 1 year. You can ask for more years but is a bit uncommon. Yearly payments can be splitted in different ways. NOTE: you need a chequebook for your rent, so get one before starting. If you do not have one, unfortunately you either need to pay everything in advance or you might loose the deal. Yes one year rent in advace, this is Dubai standard.
Number of cheques can be between 1 or 6. More than 6 is really hard to get. The less cheques you want to offer, the more you can negotiate a cheaper price. Example: rent is 100k aed per year. You can offer 90k all paid in 1 cheque or you can offer 95k paid in 4 cheques.
Seven: Contract. Dubai contracts are really standard, you cannot change them. The only part you can change is the addendum. Be sure to include the inventory of the unit, the parking space (all unit comes with one) and the payment method.
Eight: EJARI. After having signed your contract you need to register it to the Dubai housing authority. This is usually done by tthe real estate agency, but you can save around 100aed if you do it by yourself.
Nine: DEWA. Once you have the Ejari registered you can connect electricity and water. Just go on DEWA website and apply there. They will come at yours to activate it in around 8 hours.
Tenth: Moving in. You can finally move in, however ask your doorman if you need to apply for a Moving IN permit from the building. If you have movers coming and you need to furnish the apartment, you need to ask the permission to the building.