plucky

Hi,
I'm heading out to Dubai in about six weeks.
I will try to arrange viewings for rental property when I arrive.
I'm told that you need to be ready to sign on the dotted line as soon as you see a place you like.
Can people offer up some tips on what to do. For example, how much should you haggle over price?
And what is a reasonable commission to pay an agent?
Thanks.

Blue Cat

Agent commission is 5%. As for haggling your wasting your time, there is always someone behind you who will take it.

NorthernLad

Correct - best advice is have money ready and snap up first place you can live in. There's no time to be picky, and rents can go up literally by the day.

It's all FUBAR here with rents.

plucky

What about if you offer to pay for a year's rent in advance.
Will they drop the price?

andyjock

Em.............no cause they are going to ask for a years rent up front generally anyway im afraid

NorthernLad

Unlikely - they will probably stick 5-10,000dh on if you ask to pay on 2 cheques.

We've got five people at work waiting to go to rent committee not knowing if they have to move home in mid November. It's disgusting.

Hello.Kitty

yup... I won't bore you with my story, but take the first thing that you like and don't expect that handing over all the money in record time will seal the deal.

The way it works here is that the tenant is over a barrel and the contract is not a contract until the landlord has signed - which is the very last thing that happens.

The first place we went to see had another couple looking round it at the same time as us.

The second had another couple looking round it as the agent was phoning the landlord to say we'd take it (this fell through because the landlord decided that he didn't want to rent it after all... after we'd paid the year's rent, deposit and commission).

The third place was all agreed and then the landlord stopped answering his phone when the agent wanted to confirm.

The fourth (and last) place was actually the first we viewed - a week later and 5k more - and we snapped it up, not quite understanding why the other couple hadn't. Turns out, the landlord took 2.5% of the agents' commission as part of the deal. He's a really nice chap too.

Anyhow, agents are jackals and will procrastinate, lie and double-cross you rather than tell you the truth. You have no bargaining power (apart from maybe paying in cash). Some landlords are lovely, some are greedy monsters who don't give a fig about you.

Such is the way of things... for the moment.

Roadking

[QUOTE=Hello.Kitty;6936021]yup...

Anyhow, agents are jackals and will procrastinate, lie and double-cross you rather than tell you the truth. QUOTE]
And that's just the good ones...

Hello.Kitty

[QUOTE=Roadking;6936133] yeah... the bad ones do all of the above and then whine down the phone to you about all the problems they're having sorting out the contract. Or they use you as a glorified taxi service for an afternoon, leading you to believe that you're actually going to see the landlord and not just take the agent back to his office. Or they withold concluding the contract while they bicker amongst themselves as to who gets what proportion of the commission (that you've already paid) and use your deposit as leverage.

Not that any of that happened to us, of course. Nah, it's all above board here!

Blue Cat

if anyone is interested in a 'bargain' 2 bed at JBR - 215k a year send me a pm - just had an e mail about one

oh just to add it's a 2 bed plus maids and is smaller than my two bed which are currently going for 140k, but of course I can't see the sea

diablo

I had some discussion with IndieG and Blue Cat a while ago about this rent issue and it seems that they were right and I was wrong. Anyhow, here is my dilemma now ... what are the thoughts:

I believe my tennants and I will have to go through RERA to check it - I want to sell my apartment and apparently non-occupied apartments are easier to sell. I don't know what the new owner would want to do with it - nor is my business. So when our contract expires I'll ask them to leave (giving them 3-6 months of notice). This is end of the 2nd year.

If we go to RERA I'll tell them that I do not want to rent it any more. RERA can make sure that I don't rent it by imposing any bans etc. - and I will not; so I am not playing around any rules. I just want to sell it - full stop.

Blue Cat

being nosy now, why you selling? getting that Palm Island dream? the laws keeps changing all the time, I think you have to give them 3 months notice. I would be honest with them about your situation and if needs be give them a little bit of compensation to keep on their good side, worth it in the long run. Don't know about RERA.

diablo

No worries ... one of the apartments got (I hope ) sufficient value to pay my outstanding loans for the others ... I work as a consultant and our living is based on what I make i.e., there is no salary coming to my account on the 1st of month ... so I thought perhaps I should take it easy on myself?

diablo

how much are 4-bed going now?

Blue Cat

no idea the e mail was only about a 2 bed