Bangalore to Gulf - April 08, 2005.

I learnt the word “Bed space” and how important it is for a bachelor to know in Dubai the hard way. I am going to narrate few of my personal experience in seeking a bed space in Dubai.  

Everything started when I got an offer to work in Dubai by a MNC company. I mistook the offer as one which would offer me a temporary accommodation during my initial stay. Dubai! one of the famous tourist spot and also for business centre, Cuisines, High Tower Buildings and much more.....   

First day in Dubai was during 1^st of week of Nov 2004 on that day was my arrival from Bangalore to Dubai International Airport. As usual for everyone, I was picked by the company representative and was enjoying in the car gazing the high tower buildings, clean roads & greenery in the pedestrian path along the Sheikh Zayad Road. After watching those man made sceneries I felt that I will be living in one of the Porsche flat with fully furnished living, bed & attached bathroom. 

With the Influence of my friend and X-colleague I was assured that for a maximum of 300 AED I will be able to get a sharing accommodation, which I was dreaming about a little while during the travel in the car. It’s a general thing for every individual irrespective of whether he is a bachelor or family person to calculate his saving after deducting of his HRA + food, now after reaching the office and completing the joining formalities as a new joinee to the company then came the accommodation subject with the official.  

I was totally surprised to hear saying “to find the accommodation myself”. Literally speaking for any one who is coming to Dubai without having any reference’s, knowledge about the place It’s very difficult. At that time I was not aware which part of Dubai my office was located and where to find the accommodation or whom to ask; that was question foremost in my mind. The other thought was that I took a wrong decision of coming to Dubai leaving a good job in an MNC company in Bangalore. 

With the help of new friends whom I met in the company finally got a lead that there is a vacant room in Diera and rent was 1100 to share with 1 more person, which gave me a slight relief for a while. I reached the place “Diera” with my luggage’s brought from India.  

Once there, I was surprised to find that it was a single room 15 x 7 with 2 old cots with out basic necessities of a bed room and there was only a single toilet for a whole flat to be shared with 14 members.  At this time I didn’t know what to do whether to stay in Dubai or return back to India. I was able to understand the flat was nothing but a family accommodation which was converted into separate rooms and the room being offered was a kitchen modified bedroom. 

May be the reader who is reading this article is from Bangalore and of having a permanent house in Bangalore might feel how hard it is to settle in this kind of environment. Majority of bangalorean’s live in individual house rather in flat and have separate room for their children’s to study and maintain privacy in the family. It was a similar case in mine where I had separate room for myself living cum bed room, kitchen and attached toilet.  

The intention of telling the lifestyle which I was enjoying in home town was not to bore the reader but since I felt that this might my experience would have happened to many of the Indians who come to Dubai for better job prospects. Now coming back to accommodation, the real estate agent took 2 months advance & 100 AED as security deposit. Now I was to follow the rules set by the flat members for using the toilet. I was given a slot b/w 5.15 am to 5.30 am and worst part is that there used to be a long queue of Bachelors for their turn to use toilet and some-times there used to be heated exchange among the members when some-one delays coming out of toilet against the stipulated timing given to them. These situations I used to watch in old bolywood films but never thought I would have to go through this sometime in my own life.  

After spending a month in Dubai I was able to understand little about how the life style in Dubai was for both bachelors and family.  

Now Crisis started for me on the 3^rd month along with other bachelors including me we were told to vacate the flat. The reason was the building was for family accommodation not bachelors but in fact to make quick money the real estate people.  

It is not easy to find a bed space with-in 3 days of time which was a dead-line given. Now everyday morning I used to buy news paper to check bachelor accommodation in other words bed space and make a phone call to concerned person who had placed the advertisement. But to my astonishment the bed space which I book in the morning negotiating the rent wasn’t be available when I reach the spot in the evening

And this exercise was regular for me but didn’t understand why people don’t keep their word, later I understood from my good friend of mine that to finalize a bed space or a flat in Dubai you have to go in person and pay the advance in order to get that bed space. 

Somehow I got one temporary bed space for a month in Bur Dubai and again the same policy to follow the existing members in the new flat where I currently got the accommodation. Again next month I have to search for the new bed space and I don’t know how long the search is going to be to get a permanent bed space. 

There are companies in Dubai, who look after the employee’s accommodation for which they deduct HRA from their salary. What I understand is that majority of the companies lure the employee by giving a small amount as HRA and assuring them during the interview, That the HRA what they are paying will be sufficient for him to get a bachelor accommodation.  

Since in Dubai the rent rate is going higher & higher and still more number of immigrants are coming to Dubai seeking job.  

Here the real estate people are enjoying the booty with the earnings of 10% of the whole amount which they get from every customer whom they provide the accommodation. The situation is becoming worse, the person who is not ready to pay the amount is given time to vacate or to find a new place where he can afford to buy a flat with his earnings. 

What is the solution for these whether to return back to the home land or to fight for the accommodation? In Many cases people move to “sharja” one of the seven emirates, because it is little bit cheap compared to Dubai but these doesn’t solve the problem since traveling from sharja to Dubai is hectic and takes at least 2 hours of travel courtesy traffic jam. 

Here two things I am able to understand for bachelors is that they are pushed out of the flat saying that it’s for family accommodation and for the family they force the existing customer to pay the huge amount or to vacate. 

My friend and colleague in the company gave this idea to write this topic in an effort to advise other people who are in or not in Dubai and even others planning to come Dubai on work may face the difficulties getting the accommodation. Cross your finger when you negotiating your salary and particular HRA package. 

Always for the better part to be in Dubai is to go for a company provided accommodation.