The Ins and Outs of Housing Your Service Staff in Abu Dhabi Hiring the staff for even a relatively small business can be a nightmare, but once you have the right people to sign on the dotted line then your headaches really begin: visas, transport, training and where exactly are they going to sleep? The biggest problem with staff accommodation has always been that to keep transport costs down companies need...

Why Abu Dhabi Rents Have Increased so Drastically There is no doubt that rents have surged in recent times, starting in the middle of 2013, continuing throughout 2014 and still now they are going up, drastically in some instances. Across the city in 2014 on average rents went up 17% according to CBRE but there has been anecdotal evidence of even higher rises in some buildings for some tenants. So let’s...

My landlord has decided not to renew my contract. Should he provide me with a reason? Your landlord does not have to explain why they are not renewing your lease. Before November 2013, landlords were obliged to renew leases unless they had good reason not to – they wanted to move in or demolish the unit. Now, however, your landlord doesn’t need a reason, only the required two months’ notice before...

Al Ghadeer is a little known jewel of a community on the Abu Dhabi Dubai border right by the EXPO 2020 site and Al Maktoum International. It is an Aldar project of two and three bedroom villas and various low-rise apartments and at the moment the units are giving investors up to 8% return on investment. For a while it has been out there in the wilderness, but no more. Now is the perfect time...

You are about to move into a new property. What are the Landlord's obligations to prepare it? If you’re renting residential property the law states that the Landlord needs to make it habitable, nothing more. There is no legal obligation on the Landlord to clean, repaint or pest-control the Property, but they often at least repaint as a matter of good practise. If the Property (or part of it) is...

This article was published in The National. View the original here. Choosing to practise law made Ben Crompton the black sheep of his family. His mother, brother and one of his three sisters work in property, and every one of his family members owns a property portfolio. “I decided to become a lawyer probably on recommendation from friends,” says Mr Crompton, 34. “I am quite a chronological...

The markets in the Middle East are pretty jumpy at the moment, with political instability across the region, the sliding oil price and Dubai’s real estate market going into reverse. In these turbulent seas only a few islands of calm remain, and Abu Dhabi is one of them. With its solid political systems and vast oil and cash reserves there are few storms Abu Dhabi cannot weather. The emirate has an often...

Home ownership rates in Europe vary from Germany at 53% all the way to Romania at 96% (the USA is 65% and India is 86%). Most of the world owns their own home and they do that because it makes financial sense, even here in the UAE, and here is why. This is a brief summary, for the full guide please visit our website library here. Reason One – Inflation Proof Investment Inflation in the third quarter...

Abu Dhabi Law 19 of 2005 did two things, firstly it allowed Emiratis to buy and sell land (they had not been allowed to do this before that date), and secondly it created the notion of “Investment Areas” in which property can be “owned” by non-UAE Nationals. No-one apart from UAE nationals (or companies wholly owned by them (not just 51%)) can own property outside Investment Areas (which are Reem...

Fancy your own private jetty? What about an exclusive island villa? We take a look at Abu Dhabi’s most luxurious residential developments. Now where did we put our checkbook? The Hills Few have heard of The Hills development near the Grand Mosque and the Armed Forces Officers Club and even fewer know the complex is home to luxurious five-bedroom villas. With sweeping staircases and stunning hallways,...