DangerousBro

Hello

I have been working in Abu Dhabi for a while but looking to go Native with a local contract. My housing allowance will be 135000AED so I am now at the point where I am looking for a place to live. So I am going to set a limit to 140 000 as the point of coming here is to save money and not to end up topping up the living costs too much out of my salary.

My child is booked in at Nord Anglia School on highway 22, (it was the only one with spaces) so it seems logical to be be out of town. However I do have some requirements.

1 I know I cannot afford a place near the beach without cutting into the salary too much, but a compound with a pool would be nice. However we do not want a private pool in the garden (don't think I could afford one anyway) but one of my children is a 2yr old who cannot swim yet and that is just asking for trouble.

2 I want to be somewhere with strong expat community. I will have a network as I have work, my 8 yr old will have school, but my Wife will not. I do not want her to be out here and feeling isolated. So it is important to me that she has an opportunity to grow her own social network.

3 Communal place where the kids can go wild without having to be escorted to the park every time, sometimes you just want them to be able to run out the door and get out from your feet.

I have experienced this before and it was a compound in KSA so I have been searching on dubizzle and rental band is picking up KCA, KCB, MZB and Al Reef a lot, driving around KCA and KCB today it seems a bit isolated - in that they seemed independent villas rather then compound life. It is hard to tell from the outside.

But I would be interested to hear from people who live here and also Al Reef as it seems to be ticking the boxes to whether is fits the bill or not. I am particularly interested in hearing from the Ladies who are at home. I want to find out what life is like out there. Also are there other options other then compounds I am overlooking.

Also trying to find out about prices in AL Raha but the website seems to be more focused around sales not rental, so if anyone can tell me about prices it would be good - we need 3 bedrooms at least.

Thanks for your help.

Matt

Millhouse

Nice first post mate - I can't help you at all but someone will. Maybe Al Reef, Al Raha was about 180k for a 3 bed when I last looked but rents may have come down (or gone up - logic need not apply in AD) since then.

Oyibopeppeh

By Nord Anglia School you mean BIS around the back of AD University?

You won't get much for your money for what you are wanting in the area. Al Raha is way out of your budget plus you'll get screwed on utility bills. There are a few villas in compounds on KCA for 135K but your choice is very limited.

You're best bet is either MBZ (if you like shwarmas, there are loads of good take-aways there), or as you've found out yourself, the place on the other side of the AUH runway.

DustyBits

We're currently in Al Raha Gardens and paying 180K for a 4-bed townhouse (3 floors) plus a big chunk for water, elec and cooling. This dropped from 200K last year, but the management and landlords are notoriously hard to negotiate down, hence still many empty properties.

DB

Blue Cat

how much are you paying for water and electricity?

DustyBits

It's averaging about 1000 - 1500 per month for everything including a/c, and that's with just 2 of us there for most of the time, and out working during the day.

DB

Blue Cat

that's a damn site better than the 3 k we got stuffed for this month for three weeks of DEWA!

DangerousBro

Thanks for the posts people, it has been a real education. I had no idea that the costs of AC and Water was so extortionate in villas. This could make me rethink the whole compound living option.

Just one more question, as my son is only two years old I am wondering if a three bedroom place is required considering that most places come with a maids room. The only problem is most adverts never give the dimension of this room.

So my question is what are they generally like, are they decent rooms suitable for a child or are we talking windowless boxes in the basement?

Oyibopeppeh

Al Raha is notorious for it's rip-off utility bills and several of the other "managed" estates are not far behind.

Just in comparison, we live just across the other side of Street 3 from Al Raha, in KCA. Our last water & electric bill which covered from November to 1/2 way through April was less than 2,500.

Tockalosh

The maids rooms are generally very tiny, sometimes with a small window but often not. They are generally dark and dismal and not suitable for children of Europeans.
Fine for the maids though

DangerousBro

@Oyibopeppeh Phew, okay that seems a lot more reasonable. . My heart palpitations have subsided a bit ;0)

@Tockaloah Thanks for the heads up, I'll scratch that idea then.

Looks Like I will be taking my chances in KCA or KCB then.

Thanks All

Bahtatboy

Agree with Tockalosh, although note he says "generally". That's absolutely right, but my previous apartment had a maid's room that was big enough for a double bed, bedside table and a study desk, had a built-in wardrobe and an en-suite shower / toilet / wash-basin, and would have been fine as a kid's bedroom. It was in an older block, though, which brought its own problems in terms of thin dividing walls (screaming kids and brawling parents very audible), and old a/c units (especially those of neighbours, which I'd end up listening to all night).

But I think its fair to say that nearly all newer apartments / villas will have uninhabitable maids rooms.

Tockalosh

Fortunately through genetics, generations of poor diets, and Gods will etc; a good maid is small enough to fit into the smallest of spaces. Our maids room is perfectly adequate for her physical dimensions but one family on the compound has managed to squeeze two maids into the same room. Thats just not right. Both will synchronize their mess weeks and be grumpy & ineffective in their duties.

Tockalosh

Anyway back to original post, I would try Al Reef. We stay with friends there and never heard the aircraft overhead. Its a bit like coronation street in the sun, can be dodgy for car traffic in front of the houses and the gardens are small but they do have gardens which is a plus.

Millhouse

Haha - we had to cut 4 inches off the matress in the last place to get the bed in the windowless maid's room.

The villas we looked had good size maid's rooms - Now pinoy(ing) has a proper bed, desk, TV and room to swing a small cat. That said, while it's suitable for a kid, it's downstairs so I wouldn't put a 2 year old in it.

My lowest utility bill in Dubai was 400Dh and highest (so far) 1300Dh.