soukie

An old colleague in UK has been offered a job in AD with an accommodation allowance of Dhs.15,000 per month and is considering accepting the position. We have advised him against it as in our opinion it won't cover his costs - he needs a 2 bed place as a minimum. I'm not sure how it all works since our company provide accommodation for us but from what I hear it seems like he will have to pay 12 months rent in advance plus pay agent fees etc. How do people sort this out. Do they have to take a bank loan and if so how easy is it to get at the moment. He hasn't accepted the job yet.

admon

as others have said previously on other threads, just don't do it.

If the employer really wants this employee, then they must stump up for a years rent up front, with a clause in the contract stating that if the company lets go of the employee for any reason, then the employee has no liability towards the accommodation and the employer is 100% responsible for it.

The only other alternative is the guarantee of a minimum years salary, whatever happens.

Otherwise forget it, it's far too big a gamble for the employee.

busybee2

yes we have to pay accommodation and pay agents fees. some companies will take that on for you, but most will not, and especially in construction related industries etc.

soukie

How do people manage if the company don't take it on - with the high price of accommodation in AD it seems mad to take on so much debt and that's if you can actually get a loan at the moment. Surely you would need a constant loan with the bank as it would be difficult to save enough to pay the following years rent up front whilst still paying off the loan for the current year. Crazy or what? As admon says it's far too big a gamble for an employee.

busybee2

yep but some companies here are in real turmoil, as they are not being paid and are owned by certain companies mostly in dubai millions and millions of dirhams...... and so it goes on, so they just dont have the ready cash to give out a big rent cheque, hence why you need to go to the banks for a loan. a lot of the companies now do not pick up the rent or school bills etc, they give you a lump sum, so if you are single/couple then you are going to be far better off than a family of course.

busybee2

but this has all come about because the landlords have got greedy, more so in ad, when your rent was say 50k a year, you could perhaps find that much more easily, but now if the rent is 400k a year, times how many employees etc, then you could be spending millions alone just on rent, so the payment plan defo needs to change, which in dxb it has always been better, the ll would accept more cheques, not so in ad as the landlords are different in each emirate, some are expats and some are uae nationals.

commander

I wouldn't consider taking a job in AD unless the company provided accommodation.

Especially in the current climate

admon

at the end of the day, if your employer wants you, its up to them to take the risk.

if you as the employee take the risk, then you are chancing it in a big way.

Your choice.

soukie

Thanks eveyone I totally agree that the Company should provide the accommodation and will pass the info on! Just interested to know how people funded the other option as we have never had to do it.

AnotherWorld

Dont do it unless he is provided accommodation or guaranteed monthly rental payments.

For me personally, I arrived in AD and my company refused to pay upfront accom allowance. I took a personal loan, 14% interest PA, 2% establishment fee. After 11 months, moved into company accom paying monthly, after refusing to my GM's face that I will never do that again. He STILL pressed me to do it. A few weeks later I was made redundant. Now imagine how ****ed off I would have been if I had actually taken another loan?

Nothing in this country is guaranteed. your job, your freedom, your income, your ability to secure affordable accommodation. If I dont find another job providing me with paid accom, im off.

Your friend should stay home unless the company provides a flat.

eylesda

Serious stuff we should be aware of.

In Saudi and Bahrain it is given that employer (sponsor) is responsible for paying rents.

commander

That used to the the norm here also, however the 'boom' here saw every tom dick and harry coming here, thus lowering the standard or expat packages drastically.

In fact the phrase expat package is something of a rarity.

I feel sorry and a bit angry for people who have accepted these type of deals.

Sorry that there is a far chance they are going to get screwed over.

Angry that, by accepting these shit conditions in the first place, they have established a new datum. (Lowered the bar if you will) that employers now find acceptable.

If they don't provide accom or pay upfront. Don't come. Simple

B Bear

Fully agree with all above. I can introduce you to a whole heap of folks who have arrived since last summer, hocked themselves to the hilt just to settle in and put a roof over their heads only to find themselves just as quickly dropped as 'surplus to requirement this week'. If they really need you that much they will pay. Unless you are something terribly special, there are literally hundreds of people here with housing loans hanging over their heads and out of work and desperate

This is the devil you do not know!...

Hello.Kitty

Commander, I think the problem was/is that even last year's "expat packages" still looked enticing and kept us coming - it's just that they were not the "hardship expat packages" that people coming over 5-10 years ago were accepting.

It's often only once you've made the leap that what looked fine and good on paper doesn't quite work in reality. Rent cheques being a case in point - if you're given a fair monthly allowance - and haven't done as much homework as you maybe should have - why should you expect to pay over a year in advance?

Anyhow, back to the point - when we moved out last autumn, it was company policy not to advance you the cash, but they would if you asked nicely in a slightly paniced voice, albeit on the understanding that a bank loan "would be sorted out" asap. Now? Haha... goodness only knows!

Desperate times make people do funny things... I can well imagine that people are going to accept sub-standard packages, just to have some money coming in.

Blue Cat

[QUOTE=Hello.Kitty;7405839]Commander, I think the problem was/is that even last year's "expat packages" still looked enticing and kept us coming - it's just that they were not the "hardship expat packages" that people coming over 5-10 years ago were accepting.

QUOTE]

it's harder living here now than it was 5 years ago, I can assure you