Housing demands from tenants spike since stay-at-home regulations were announced - Property Weekly Home Guide - MAY 21, 2020

1. Health 7
W
ith Eid Al Fitr around
the corner, it’s time
to deck the halls and
fill our homes with
celebratory cheer. Whether look-
ing for a complete overhaul of the
ambience or wanting some design
trends for your living and dining
space, home décor ideas abound
during this time of year. “Eid is the
perfect time to indulge in some
of the wonderful new variations
on décor trends and traditional
motifs and aesthetics on offer,”
says Adel Sajan, director Danube
Home. “Whether it’s a special
Eidia corner, a welcoming Majlis
or enchanting lamps and chan-
deliers, there are endless oppor-
tunities to make an eye-catching
statement that celebrates tradi-
tion with a contemporary twist.”
Here are tips to help spruce up
your home for the celebration:
A single addition makes a dif-
ference: Never underestimate the
power of a central piece of furni-
ture to influence the space around
it. A beautiful Moroccan-themed
ottoman, an ornate majlis or a
theme running through your cur-
tains, cushions and drapes, infus-
ing your space with a statement is
all about showcasing an aesthetic.
Let the light draw your eye:
Arabesque candelabras, lanterns
and chandeliers make a bold, un-
mistakable and classy statement
that can completely transform a
home with their aesthetic, and
the way their light frames a space.
Celebrate living and dining
spaces: Let’s face it, these are the
spaces in your home in which you
will most come together on Eid.
Changing your dining room sets
or your couches is an obvious op-
tion, but sometimes you can do a
lot by just changing upholstery,
or adding a unique eye-catching
touch, such as Marrakesh motifs
in your crockery or delicately el-
egant silverware.
Your garden is your personal
Eden: What better space to trans-
form for Eid than your garden,
which represents all the bounties
the almighty has bestowed on hu-
manity. Listen to your heart, the
sky is quite literally the limit in an
outdoor space. From captivating
gazebos and majlis to the infinite
possibilities for expression in the
way you light your garden, any
changes you make in your private
oasis will create endless memories
in the years to come.
“Decisions around home fur-
nishings and décor should always
be made on the basis of the feel-
ings they evoke and this is espe-
cially true when you’re commem-
orating Eid,” says Sajan.
MAY 21, 2020
Property Weekly Home GuideTenants6
W
ith the gradual easing of Cov-
id-19 restrictions in Dubai, busi-
nesses are slowly returning to
a new normal. Many tenants in
Dubai are also considering moving into newer
homes, due to a change in their circumstanc-
es and needs. Some are looking to downsize,
while others need more space.
“With lots of supply hitting the market
over the last 12 months, tenants have more
choices and want value for money, says Rich-
ard Waind, group managing director at Better
Homes. “This also means lower rents and now
lots of tenants are equally interested in great
builds, facilities and community. They now
want something that’s little bit different.
“The number of tenants registering to rent
with us has increased 324 per cent since lock-
down ended. So, there is plenty of demand in
the market and the best properties will attract
the most attention.”
Buyers’ preferences
Waind notes that tenants can now find
homes at attractive prices, with landlords
more flexible over rent-free periods and the
number of cheques. There is also a big increase
in tenants looking for villas than apartments.
“The number of tenants enquiring for villas
rose from an average of 39 per cent in January
and February to 48 per cent since the start of
April,” says Waind. “It is understandable that
after an extended period of time at home, gar-
dens and extra space to live and work are on
people’s minds.
“The top five most popular villa commu-
nities over the last six weeks at Better Homes
have been The Springs, Arabian Ranches, Ma-
ple Villas in Dubai Hills and Jumeirah Village
Triangle. The most popular areas for apart-
ments in the past few weeks have been Dubai
Marina, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), Busi-
ness Bay, Downtown Dubai and the Palm.”
Avinash Uttamchandani, sales manager
at Rocky Real Estate, sees strong demand
from areas such as Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)
and Warqa. “[The demand] in Silicon Oasis
is mainly due to low rents and proximity to
several businesses in DSO itself or Academic
City,” says Uttamchandanix. “The average
rental prices in DSO range from Dh23,000 to
Dh32,000 for studios, Dh38,000 to Dh52,000
for a one-bedroom unit and Dh50,000 to
Dh70,000 for a two-bedroom unit. Further-
more, Healthcare City is just a 20-minute
commute and we see many medical profes-
sionals wanting to live in DSO.”
In Warqa, interest is also picking up be-
cause of new developments. “Warqa is pop-
ular because it has a lot of new buildings,
[with] all necessities, including restaurants
and schools and a very affordable rental price
index, with average rents being Dh22,000 to
Dh25,000 for studios, Dh35,000 to Dh40,000
for one-bedroom units and Dh45,000 to
Dh55,000 for two-bedroom units.”
Rental activity
Rental transactions have slowed down
due to stay-at-home regulations in the cur-
rent pandemic, says Ozan Demir, director of
operations and research at Reidin. “However,
areas such as Dubai Marina, JLT, The Greens
and Views, Dubai Sports City and Dubai Sili-
con Oasis have remained active in terms of
rental activity.”
Being more developed with social activi-
ties, combined with affordability concerns,
are drawing tenants’ attention to these areas,
says Demir.
“Dubai apartment rental prices declined 2
per cent in the first quarter of 2020 and rental
prices are down by 9 per cent when compared
to same term last year,” he says.
Demir adds, “The main factor for the rent-
al price change per community is highly re-
lated to the demand-and-supply equilibrium
within the area as well as the bordering ar-
eas. Additional factors like the quality of the
developments and accessibility of the com-
munity can be considered as well on rental
changes.”
While rental prices have been declining
over the past five years, increasing rental af-
fordability, Demir says occupancy levels re-
mained unchanged in most of the communi-
ties since the beginning of the year.
“But the upcoming supply will likely put
downward pressure on the occupancy levels.
And as the rent prices are dropping, tenants
will be able to find better locations, which
could be more affordable.”
Hina Navin
Special to Property Weekly
Housing demands from tenants spike since
stay-at-home regulations were announced
MAY 21, 2020
Property Weekly Home Guide
PricetrendsinDubai’s
rentalhotspots
Average rents
Villas Q4 2019 Q1 2020
Arabian 138,237 133,045
Ranches
Springs 147,988 141,453
JVT 120,000 118,333
Dubai Hills 146,667 142,417
(Maple)
Jumeirah 200,000 196,852
Umm 188,333 188,333
Suqeim 1
Apartments
Marina 101,910 99,257
JLT 83,284 80,660
Business Bay 94,217 90,831
Downtown 108,644 107,459
JVC 51,769 48,455
Palm Jumeirah 138,333 141,667
Rental price change
Community Q1 2019 Q1 2020
Discovery Gardens -6% -2%
Downtown Dubai 0% 4%
Dubai Marina -6% -3%
Dubai Silicon Oasis -10% -1%
Dubai Sports City -18% -4%
JLT -15% -3%
JVC -10% 1%
The Greens -11% -2%
and The Views
Sources: Reidin, DataFinder and PropertyMonitor. Information
provided by Better Homes
The number of tenants enquiring for
villas rose from an average of 39 per
cent in January and February to 48
per cent since the start of April. It is
understandable that after an
extended period of time at home,
gardens and extra space to live and
work are on people’s minds.
Richard Waind
group managing director, Better Homes
G
olden Loaf Bakery, one of
the UAE’s pioneer bakeries,
has celebrated four decades
of service and groundbreaking
innovation in the food industry.
These 40 years are an integral
part of the company’s growth
and an exemplary contribution
towards the industrialisation of
the emirates. The company has
been instrumental in introducing
new consumer eating habits that
caused a shift in food culture.
Golden Loaf Bakery was estab-
lished in 1979 by M.S. Al Husseiny
in Sharjah as part of the Golden
Loaf Group. The bakery operates in
Abu Dhabi under Golden Spike &
Wheat Bakery.
In the 70s, Arab food habits
were more inclined towards rice,
and Golden Loaf took it as a chal-
lenge to make bread culture pop-
ular in the region. The company
was one of the first industrial
bakeries that produced Lebanese
and Arabic breads, which was lat-
er acknowledged as a major shift
in food consuming habits in the
country. Increased demand made
Golden Loaf start the first auto-
matic bakery for mass production
of Arabic bread in the UAE. Its
staff was later trained by experi-
enced French bakers to bake and
produce authentic French breads
and croissants. A lot of motivated
employees who started their jour-
ney with Golden Loaf 40 years ago
continue to be part of the Golden
Loaf family even today.
Golden Loaf is the pioneering
bakery that delivered fresh, lo-
cally baked, gluten-free products
to customers. This was a historical
milestone in the UAE, as previous-
ly all available gluten-free prod-
ucts were imported from Europe.
A separate gluten-free production
unit as per international standards
of quality and hygiene was set up
to prevent cross-contamination.
Its gluten-free line-up includes
a wide range of baked products
from bread, muffins, pizza base,
Arabic bread and cakes.
Bolstered by market demand,
Golden Loaf adopted Indian bak-
ery technology in 2000. Present-
ly the bakery is producing many
popular Indian food items and
sweets. Golden Loaf is also pro-
ducing Filipino products.
Golden Loaf is empowered by
a culture of “ethics first and busi-
ness later” and it has endorsed
many CSR projects. It is one of the
only large-scale bakeries in the
UAE that uses minimum preserv-
atives in its products. This ensures
quality products that not only
taste good but are perfect for your
health too. Our popular products
include all types of breads, cakes,
croissants, pastries, rolls and des-
serts. Golden Loaf products are
available in major supermarkets,
hypermarkets and online portals
all over the UAE.
Golden Loaf has been awarded
ISO certifications for its continu-
ous commitment to quality.
You can visit www.goldenloaf-
uae.com and follow them on social
media: www.instagram.com/
goldenloafuae; twitter.com/
goldenloafuae; www.facebook.
com/goldenloafuae.
GoldenLoafBakery:40yearsof
innovationinUAEfoodculture
The homegrown company is known for its continuous commitment to quality
Howtodoupyour
homeduringEid
Deck the halls and fill your home with
some celebratory cheer during the
festive season
9%The year-on-year decline in
rental prices in Dubai during
the first quarter
Supplied
Decisions around home furnishings and décor should be made
on the basis of the feelings they evoke
Partner Content
Neha Kaul
Special to Property Weekly