My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader’s home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don’t like
Business strategist Gagandeep Singh is determined to make his next move a permanent one. He and his entrepreneur wife, Jaswinder Kaur Bedi, who is setting up her own jewellery business, are putting the money together for a deposit on their own property.
In the meantime, they get a great deal on a two-bedroom apartment in Al Quoz 4, where they live with their son Arshbir, 11. They pay Dh65,000 per year for 1,400 square feet, just minutes away from Arshbir’s school.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
Gagandeep: Currently we stay in this flat in Al Quoz 4. It’s a very big flat – it’s actually 1,400 square feet – and has a big hall and two big bedrooms.
Jaswinder: The best part is the kitchen is quite huge. It’s its own room, but bigger than the studio room here. As Indians, we cook a lot, we need a lot of space for all the spices and this also has a door.
We have the first floor so the sunlight here is really good. And we’re right next to our kid’s school – it’s just a one-minute walk for him.
How much do you pay?
Gagandeep: We got it at a very good deal. We pay Dh65,000. For us, they haven’t increased the rent because we have already occupied the place for three years.
Someone who rents it new will pay Dh80,000.
What is the neighbourhood like?
Gagandeep: It’s next to Business Bay, where Al Quoz starts. It’s an amazing property by Wasl and we’ve been here three years.
There are pros and cons to this area. The best part is everything is nearby. I can reach Business Bay in five minutes. My office is in Media City and I can get there in 15 minutes.
But there are also disadvantages. Our building is very family-friendly, but behind us there is a lot of labour accommodation, so there are a lot of crowds on the other side of the road and so much traffic, lorries and big vehicles.
Jaswinder: The morning can be quite difficult for us. If I go to work after 7.30am I will be stuck in traffic in the same area for 25, sometimes 40 minutes.
Gagandeep: It’s a high-demand area.
Jaswinder: We had to compromise, but inside it’s spacious and we love it. We have other Indian families we’ve found. My kid has friends here, so they go and play, although they don’t have a specific place to play.
Gagandeep: This is a big disadvantage. It’s a family building, but there’s no place for kids to play. So where do they play? Outside the building, there’s a big area for parking, and that’s where they play. Sometimes it’s very risky for our kids. We have made so many complaints, but no action so far.
What facilities do you have?
Jaswinder: We have a gym.
How have you made the apartment feel like home?
Gagandeep: The credit goes to Jaswinder. Her nickname is Nancy, so the credit goes to Nancy. She has taken care of everything.
What’s important to me is my bookshelf, because I love reading. I have a lot of books here and I’m also the writer of a book. I wrote my book in 2021 on product management and strategy. So I love keeping books on my shelves.
Jaswinder takes care of all the decorations, everything is tidy and maintained. My son’s room we have some gym activities because we want to increase his height.
Jaswinder: We are planning to turn that room into a judo room, because he’s a judo player.
Where else have you lived?
Gagandeep: We have been in Dubai for the past five years, and were in Abu Dhabi for five years. When we moved from Abu Dhabi to Dubai it was Covid time and we actually moved to Business Bay, where we stayed for three years.
The Business Bay flat was really good. It was a one-bedroom, with a hall and kitchen, and because it was Covid, rentals were so down, so we were paying just Dh45,000.
Would you think about buying?
Gagandeep: When we think about changing apartment, we always think to buy a house, but we face some hiccup or challenges and end up moving to another rental. But this time, we are thinking if we move out of this building, we need to move to our own house.
Even if we move back to India, still the house will give us rental. That’s how we’re thinking about it. So we’re trying to pull up some funds from India, selling some properties because we don’t stay there. That’s our plan.
I would have purchased this flat where we stay. Even with the disadvantages. But Wasl doesn’t sell. No builders make properties the way Wasl does. It’s amazing. The past three years, maintenance is covered. We just call or put a request on their app, the next day the guy is there and they fix everything, so you don’t have to pay from your pocket.
How long will you stay here?
Jaswinder: I am praying in the next year we will buy our own place.
Where would you move to?
Gagandeep: Arjan is one of our top areas. Another area is near to Dubai South, basically Ibn Battuta side, because we have our holy Sikh temple there. What we see in the area is it’s growing because of the near proximity to the airport. It has more potential.
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E666hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20at%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ1%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh1.15%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
