QUANTUM REAL ESTATE EBOOK
HOW TO RENT IN DUBAI?
INTRODUCTION
Quantum Real Estate are an award winning Real Estate Brokerage based in Dubai. We are ranked as the highest lead generating company in the region (New Tenant and Buyer applications) and we have a sales team that are trained to the highest possible standard. We believe in doing things right and we really are – Bringing Service to Real Estate. We have written a series of eBooks that we believe will help out when looking to buy, sell or rent in Dubai. This eBook focuses on renting in Dubai for Tenants. We cover what we believe are all aspects that should be considered and understood before making the big move. We hope you enjoy this publication and invite you to take a look around our website for any of your property needs www.qredubai.com
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HOW TO – RENT IN DUBAI Whether relocating to Dubai from another country or moving from your current Dubai home to
another, finding a new rental can seem a little scary. We have broken down your search below to make things a lot easier step by step.
Here is our How-To guide to get you through the jungle of rentals into your new home. 1- WHERE SHOULD I LIVE? – This is one of the most important questions that need to be answered. While Dubai is full of exciting places to live, you cannot live in them
all. You have to really consider the reasons why you want to live there. We suggest answering the following questions as a family before deciding –
Where do you and anyone else at the property work? Dubai is extremely busy and
with traffic jams becoming part of everyone’s day to day commute you need to make
sure that you take in to account you will be at this property for minimum 12 months so factoring in your daily travels will make you happier in your new home. Ask your agent which is the best area to be in based on your daily journeys. You may not have considered and area that is ideal for you and your family.
How many rooms do you actually need? This is not done by a simple head count of family members. Take into consideration that you live in what is probably the best city
in the world, visitors are never-ending and you have constant requests from family to
come and stay. Are they on the couch or will you have a place for Mum and Dad to stay when they come over to see the grandchildren?
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The School Run. This is sometimes over looked when picking a home and if consid-
ered beforehand can make your mornings full of pancakes and fresh coffee. What
school are the children in? What is the best route to the school? What major highway do I need to be close to for easy access? Does the school bus stop close by?
Community. Finding the right community to be in is a huge part of enjoying your time
at the property you choose. There are many different options in Dubai with some more mature communities that offer play days and family BBQ’s on a regular basis and
others that are recently developed or a lot more private than others. You also have
buildings with specialist children’s pools or others that have alcohol serving bars and restaurants. This is something to agree on as a family and advise your agent on as there is a community that suits everyone in Dubai.
When you have gone through the above with your agent you will have a clear idea on the exact location and how many bedrooms you will need. Next up. 2 - BUDGET. – This is a figure that is sometimes not properly considered before go-
ing into negotiations on your property. Remember that your agent works for you and
the more they understand about your search the better they can help and negotiate on your behalf. A lot of the time in Dubai your budget is set by your company. If this
is the case you need to have the answers to the following questions form your HR department.
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Who’s name will be on the contract – you or the company name
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Will they be company cheques or will you be supplying personal cheques
• • •
How many cheques will you paying in
How long does it take to get approval from your company
How long does it take for your company to provide cheques if they are paying
All of the above are key parts of the negotiation process and will help towards getting your offers accepted.
If you are not getting a housing allowance from your company and you are paying yourself you still need to have the above answers in place ready for when you offer. Things to take into consideration are –
Rental Amount to be paid in cleared funds before the day of move in Deposit of 5% unfurnished or 10% furnished is payable in cleared funds before move in (this is usually paid upfront when putting forward an offer
Agency Fee of 5% payable to the Brokerage. This is the standard in Dubai and is to be paid in cleared funds before the move in date
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3 - VIEWINGS. – So we have set out the budget and we know exactly where we want
to be. Lets get out and view some properties. There are many things to consider when setting up a viewing, one of the main points to consider is that the best properties don’t normally make it online. At Quantum Real Estate we only work with respected and reputable landlords. We have a database of forthcoming properties that spans the whole year, this is based on client relationship management and scheduling proper-
ties based on their availability. This is why Quantum are able to show you properties that others do not have yet as we have pre built relationships with all of our landlords. Based on this, setting viewing times just at a weekend when everyone is free is not advisable. The best way to ensure you get the property that is perfect for you is to go through ALL of the above steps and then book out a weekday with your agent. Every-
one is super busy in work all of the time, but surely dedicating some time to find your
perfect home where you and your family will be living for the next 12 months minimum is a pretty important task to complete. When you are on the viewings, be as open as
possible. We do not own any of the properties we show you and therefore have no emotional attachment to them. If we are showing you a property that you do not like,
we need to know every reason why. This way we can tailor what we show you next
to make sure we tick all of the boxes on that viewing. Be sure to also tell us what you love! This also helps in the event you do not want to take this specific unit, we can
then make sure all the good points are there at the next property too. If you think the
property is the one, the first thing you need to do is plan your furniture. Where is the
couch going, where will the TV be, which kid is in which room, where will grandma sleep and is there space for the trampoline? This is will give you clarity on whether you need to make a move on this property.
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4 – OFFERING. – So where now at the stage of getting the ball rolling on the property we love. There are some factors to consider here that will make the difference in you
moving in to the dream home or losing out on the dream home. The first thing you
need to do is tell your agent everything. While this may seem obvious many people miss out key factors which will affect them getting an offer accepted. Remember this
market is extremely competitive and to make sure you get your dream home you need to do it properly – •
To put an offer forward you need 3 things – Visa Copy, Passport Copy,
accepted. Providing all three copies shows how serious you are and that you
are ready to move on the property. You are not obliged or committed at this stage.
•
When you have all docs in place, you need to advise on your requested
being imported when they arrive. This is not always accepted if too far into
move in date. Take into consideration removal vans or if you have goods the distance on a vacant property so be prepared to be slightly flexible on this.
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Number of cheques – if a company let this is usually not negotiable but needs
should know how flexible you are on this
to be advised upfront that company cheques, if personal cheques the agent
•
Offer amount – gone are the days where you can offer less than market price
on your price structure such as XYZ 1 cheque or ZYX 2 cheques
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Deposit Cheque copy. Without the three of these your offer will not be
and have it accepted. You need to be realistic in your offer and advise the agent
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Do Not Hesitate – This point is one we cannot stress enough. While it is a big
the boxes, you need to offer on or just after the viewing. This is extremely important
decision to make, you cannot afford to hold back on your dream place. If it ticks all of and will be one of the deciding factors in whether you get the property. If you love it, so will others.
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When the agent has everything their job is to get the offer accepted, this is what
property is not off the market until contracts are signed. This is an important factor to
they are paid for and what they are trained for. When your offer is accepted the
remember. You need to then be speaking with your agent to have contracts signed ASAP.
5 – CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED – WHAT NEXT? – Unlike many western countries
property management is not too common in Dubai and most landlords manage their own portfolios. This means that your point of contact after moving date for any mainte-
nance or repairs is direct with your landlord. While most of Dubai is very new we need
to remember that this is the desert and wear and tear on vacant properties is perfectly normal. When viewing the property you will know whether it needs a paint or a clean
and this should all be negotiated upfront and ready for move in. Before you can move into a property you need to have the following completed –
DEWA connection – What is DEWA? Dewa is Dubai Electricity and Water Authority which is the sole provider of water and electricity in the Emirate of Dubai. You need to have the DEWA receipt to have your property registered with Ejari. DEWA prices are available to see online but are different for villas and apartments. 7
Ejari – What is Ejari? Ejari was initiated by RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) and requires all rental properties to be registered and recorded on the Ejari portal. This is mandatory.
Move in Permit – Some developers require a move in permit to be completed before you can officially move into the property. Your agent will advise on this but to gain a move in permit you need both DEWA receipt and Ejari certificate in place.
Summary – Hopefully from reading this eBook you will now be in a position of knowl-
edge ready to find your new home. In such a competitive market it’s important to act
fast, tell your agent everything they need to know and be prepared to get out and view at the earliest time possible. We have intensive training for all of our agents and run constant mystery shopping exercises along with daily meetings to ensure all of our cli-
ents receive the best service possible. We look forward to finding you your new home and hope that this eBook was of help.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SEARCH.
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