jazbernsina

Hi, my wife and I and our baby daughter are moving to Jeddah in August, I am taking up a teaching job there.

We were hoping for some advice on finding a nice apartment.

We have seen a few adverts online for apartments in Jeddah, but we don't know Jeddah and we don't know the nice areas from the not-so-nice areas. We need as much advice as people can give us.

We're looking for a 2 bed-room apartment, with a lounge, dining room, large kitchen, bathroom, apartment to be on the ground floor or with a lift for baby's pram.

Furnished or un-furnished? - we're not sure, please advise us.

We've only found a couple of online forums where individuals are advertising apartments, are there any apartment agencies/agents in Jeddah, with a website?

Our budget is around 25,000 SAR/Year.

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

Bob

I thought most teachers had accommodation provided for them?

It's a topic that comes up a lot for various areas, so you'll probably find some info already on BE if you searched them out. Though if you're paying the issue is usually how much you have to pay up front, some places seem lucky at 3 months, but many requiring 6 months upfront.

Anyway, welcome to BE and good luck with the move!

jazbernsina

Hi Bob, my package has an accommodation allowance with a one-time furniture allowance, which together comes to around 25,000 SAR. So they finance the accommodation but you have to find it yourself.

I already tried a search with 'apartment Jeddah' and it just returned a variety of topics, nothing on apartments. Can you suggest a good search term?

Thanks for the warm welcome!

flares

I drove past a Better Homes office in Jeddah on my last trip. They are big in UAE and have now got into KSA.

Speak to them.

http://www.bhomes.com/saudiarabia/index.xhtml

A friend is taking a modern 2-bed apartment in Jeddah for 30,000 pa. Rents are a lot cheaper than other gulf places if OK being off compound

dragonladyoz

Destination Jeddah is a local magazine that has a directory of different services (google it - they have a website) - you may find something there. From what I know of prices though you won't get a place on most of the western compounds for that much money - most are much more expensive - but you can always ask.

Given the nightmare of Jeddah traffic I would look at where the school is and then choose somewhere close - you really don't want to be living very far away. Which school will you be at?

jazbernsina

Thanks saudiflares! We're going t have a look at Better Homes.

dragonladyoz, thanks for telling us about Destination Jeddah, we'll have a look at that too.

samraja

Hi,
Are you working at KAU? or a school?

samraja

What area is your school in?
I am surprised that your school has not provided accommodation!

jazbernsina

Hi samraja, if I had wanted to say where I was working, I would have said it in my opening post. I would rather not say in case it contravenes any rules to do so.

It is extremely rare for teachers to be given compound or any accommodation, it is nearly always an allowance.

dragonladyoz

That would depend on the school. The school my son attends - there is a staff housing compound attached - so accom is supplied for them as part of their contract. Also at the school that close friends children attend.

typical

Did your school tell you that?

samraja

Well I work at a school and was given a nice villa on a compound. I have many expat friends who work at different school also provided with accommodation. The uni is the only place i know which tends to give money for housing. PM me if u need further help.

jazbernsina

Hi typical, no the school did not tell me that, my own research and months of researching recruitment adverts for teaching jobs in Jeddah told me that, at least, the type of teaching job I will be doing - teaching English at KAU.

Samraja, I only ever saw compound housing as part of the package for English teachers with ARAMCO, and another teaching job in Al Hasa which included provided housing but the basis pay was significantly lower.

I guess my type of teaching job pays the same with all employers when you add everything up in the package, but the money is distributed slightly differently across the package.

Our apartment budget can go up to 30,000 SAR. Can anyone recommend a good letting agent? We see lots of 'adverts' online for apartments, but to be honest I'm not filled with too much confidence to contact the advertisers, who are in the main not the owners or landlords, but renters who want to sell their household items and get back some rent they've paid in advance that they cannot get back off the landlord. How can you deal with someone who is not even the owner of the apartment? What about rental agreements/contracts? Is it even legal for a tenant to be touting for new tenants? Aren't there any companies who rent out apartments in Jeddah?

Thanks

BenAdwan

Hi
I can asset you in this.. at free of charge :-) lets say its a voluntary work.
I lived third of life in the US and I know how it feels to live overseas, despite that i had alot of friends, and ex's :-) .. I am originally from the west coast of Saudi Arabia and have lived years in jeddah and makkah... I have also attended this university..KAU... the one you're going to teach in..

I hate it lol

My uncle is a professor there anyway and he is OK with it.
Let get to the point, there is a neighborhood next to this university... its called the university neighborhood.. or hai aljamiya.. DO NOT live in it.. most of them are illegal immigrants .. and thieves.. its bad and smelly like sh!%, even if you find an apartment there for FREE I don't advice you to go.. unless you want to buy some hashish (hash).. this is how illegal immigrants make a living there! Most of them came from Somalia and Ethiopia and Bangladesh...etc

Jeddah anyway is full of these illegals, and the gov is not paying any attention to it, maybe just a little. You will see them bagging (maybe dealing) at traffic lights in some streets away from the authority eye, that if there is an eye in the first place in these neighborhood. Anyway, prices in these bad smelly places for apartment two bedroom is around 20,000 to 30,000 SAR.. I don't pay rents, but I know this from a friend who ran a real-estate office in the past.

if want a nice place to live, go north of the city.. rents are 40,000-60,000 SAR /YEAR and more for the fancy ones.. but worth it :-) and there is a disadvantage to this.. It would take you around 30 Minutes to get to the university, and what gonna drive you nut in the morning and rush hours are the taxi drivers.. they are so selfish. Insure your vehicle full coverage, do not go with liability.

if you want more details, let me know.. please have specific questions.. straightforward ones so I can help you...cause my time is limited
my email sammy_alkhammash(at)yahoo.com

samraja

Sent u pm