Villa/Apartment

As aot allowed to buy property and will be renting either a villa or apartment whilst living in the United Arab Emirates.

Villas vary in size, condition and amenities provided, and are either freestanding or part of a complex, or compound

Generally speaking, the freestanding villas are double storey, spacious inside and have a small garden surrounding the property. Three or four bedrooms with a similar number of bathrooms are not uncommon.

These villas are comfortable and provide ample room for a family, particularly in the summer when it is too hot to go outside. However, they are big to curtain and carpet, and during the summer months large to keep cool.

The villas in complexes vary from single storey homes with neat gardens and wide paved areas, to compact double storey homes with smaller individual gardens. The majority of the complexes have a communal swimming pool which is cooled in summer, a games area, and some have tennis courts.

Apartments are spacious, well maintained, and most have a rooftop pool and small gym recreational area.

Your lease will be signed for a year, and generally payment of the rent for the whole year is required in advance. The company will advance you the rental cheque. Repayments will be deducted on a monthly basis from your salary. The lease contract is in the employee’s name, and you will be responsible for the administering thereof.

In addition to the annual rent, the following charges also exist:

• 10% municipality tax calculated on the yearly rent
• 5 % real estate commission
• Dhs 2000 refundable deposit for water and electricity

Security deposit which will vary according to the value of the property but which will be in the region of Dhs 3000 – Dhs 500

Motor Vehicle

The cost of cars in the United Arab Emirates is a lot less than in South Africa, and the running costs are also lower. There is also a large second hand car market, but do your homework before buying a second hand car, particularly a 4x4 that may have been well used in the desert.

The price of petrol is about half of that in South Africa, and this also considerably reduces the cost of running a car. However, be prepared to roadworthy your car every year. This is obligatory when renewing your car licence and any necessary maintenance or repairwork will have to be done by yourself.

Most models of cars can be found here such as Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Saab to name but a few.

A 4x4 is not essential, but driving a four-wheel drive will give you the opportunity to explore the deserts and mountains of the United Arab Emirates and the neighbouring country of Oman.

Pick-ups may not be owned by individual expats.

Driving in the United Arab Emirates is chaotic, added to which there are no formal street addresses, and buildings are found according to landmarks. It will take you a while to get used to the road system and to identify the major landmarks, but the layout of the city is logical and on the whole, the major road signs easy to follow.

Utilities

The electricity supply is 220/240 volts and 50 cycles. 13 amp square pin plugs are used household appliances, but heavier units such a on normal air-conditioners and washing machines may run off 15 amp square pin plugs.

Cooking will either be on an electric or gas stove. There is no mains gas supply, but gas bottles can be bought and connected to your oven if necessary.

Furniture

Furniture here is expensive and there is a limited choice, as most of it is imported from America or Europe. Locally made furniture has a distinctive Arabic style.

There is however a huge second hand market with those leaving the United Arab Emirates selling their furniture. This is more common in Dubai than in Abu Dhabi. Beds, sofas, fridge’s and cookers are the most common goods sold by expats and, if the owners are in a hurry to sell they will let them go for a good price. However, bear in mind that there are no street addresses here so if you have just arrived, it can be frustrating trying to find the location, and also remember that you will need to arrange your own transport to move the goods.

Garage sales are held virtually every Friday and are a good opportunity to pick up odds and ends at reduced prices.

Most apartments are fitted with stoves (gas/electric), and some of the newer ones with dishwashers, washing machines and fridges. White goods here are marginally less expensive than in South Africa, and are imported mainly from Asia and America.

Television

The local television station offers four channels, three that broadcast in Arabic, and one that generally broadcasts in English.

There are satellite stations available, which will give you a far wider choice of programmes to watch. These are available for a charge, which includes a decoder, installation and subscription fee. Most apartment blocks and villa compounds have satellite dishes.

However, if you live in a villa without satellite receiving equipment, you will have to have this installed at your own expense, or you can approach your landlord to see if he is willing to have a dish and antenna installed.

Domestic Help

Fulltime domestic help:
There is no "local" labour in the UAE, and you will personally have to sponsor a domestic helper should you want full-time help, pay for his or her residence visa air tickets home every two years, health card, labour card and wages. You will also have to provide accommodation.

The best way to find a live-in domestic helper is either through an agency specialising in this field, or if a family is leaving and therefore no longer able to offer employment to their domestic helper. In this instance, often the visa fee would already have been paid for and you would just take over the monthly wage, accommodation and air tickets. There are frequently notices up on the boards at the supermarkets looking for homes for domestic workers of expats leaving.

The residence visa costs at present are Dhs5000 per annum. The cost of the air ticket will vary according to where the helper has come from, but allow Dhs1500- 2000. You will also have to sign a contract stating that you will pay a minimum wage of about Dhs750 each month. If you employ a helper through an agency, there will also be an agency fee.

Part time domestic help:

It is illegal to employ part time help.

There are companies that are authorised Domestic Help Agencies for part time work, who train their staff to clean, help with children, baby sit and help with household chores. Generally speaking, the helpers are provided on a four-hourly basis at a rate of Dhs20.00 per hour. Be prepared for language and cultural differences, and if possible, employ someone who has a good grasp of English. Most of the domestic workers come from Sri Lanka or India.

Ironing

There are ironing shops scattered around the cities of the United Arab Emirates that offer quick and good ironing services from Dhs1 per piece of clothing. Their hours are normally from 07h00- 13h00, and 16h00 – 22h00 so it’s easy to drop off and collect clothes, and they provide an easy option to lighten the household chores.

Grocery Shopping

There are two chains of supermarkets, Choithrams and Spinneys, that are popular with western expats and both stock a wide range of foods.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive, although there are a few vegetables that are grown locally and are reasonably priced. Beef and lamb is imported, while chicken and fish are provided for locally.
Pork is imported, and may only be bought from areas cordoned off for non-Muslims in selected supermarkets.

There will be the odd item that you cannot get such as rooibos tea and Mrs. Ball’s chutney, but generally speaking most foods are easily available.

Food stores are open from 08h00 until 22h00 or midnight, with some small trading shops open on a 24-hour basis.