Living away from one's family or staying together in dingy, shared accommodation is the stark choice facing many middle-income earners, say residents. "The scenario has never been so bad. The quest for reasonably priced accommodation has become so acute that one has to share with strangers in order to stay together as a family," said Rasheed Moorkath, a university administrative assistant.
Moorkath, who has been in the UAE for the past three decades, says he is forced to live away from his family, as his income is insufficient to sustain their monthly expenditure. In 2005 he sent his family, comprising his wife and four children, back home to India.
"Rent is the biggest issue. Earlier one could find a single bedroom apartment for Dh25,000 to Dh30,000. Now this figure has gone up to Dh50,000 to Dh60,000," he said.
The cost of living has sky-rocketed and the price of basic food items has gone up by 100 per cent, he said, adding that he is able to save some money now that he lives in "bachelor" accommodation.
A bed space costs him Dh1,000 per month. "The situation is so bad that if there was affordable accommodation with basic facilities like roads, water and electricity then people would happily opt to live there regardless of whether it is in the middle of the desert," he added.
Mental torture
Sharing his view, Muneer Ahmad, an accountant working at a college, said: "I live with my family - wife and two children - in a very old villa for Dh2,000 per month.
"Another person living here, who also is not a legal tenant, has sublet this villa to me. Every few months he tells me the rent has gone up and that I need to pay extra or move out. Mental torture is the tactic."
Two years ago Ahmad used to pay Dh1,100 for the same space. He has lived in the UAE for the past 10 years. "I still consider myself lucky because I'm only paying this much. Sending my family home would be the only solution if the rent was any higher."
"I have moved three times in the past year due to soaring rents," says Syed Aamir Hussain, a private company employee. "Earlier I used to live in shared accommodation in the city and paid Dh30,000 per year but then the rent went up constantly. So we finally moved to a place away from the city."
He now lives in a partitioned villa with his wife and son and pays an annual rent of Dh45,000.
"Although the rent is higher we are enjoying the privacy unlike in the shared accommodation," he said.
Nausheen Yaqoob, a homemaker, said: "Families with only one person working find it most difficult to survive as the rents have hit the ceiling. I run a beauty parlour at home. For this we have partitioned the hall. Also, we have sublet one of the two bedrooms.
"It is definitely an inconvenience, especially when you have small children, but there is no other choice."
Send us your comments
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Gulf News may edit comments for length and clarity but will not change the tone of the message. Comments will only be accepted if all fields (including name) are filled correctly and the message isn't abusive, defamatory or offensive. The Gulf News website will only print your first name along with your comment. Please state in the message if you wish to remain anonymous. All comments sent may be forwarded for use in the Gulf News newspaper.
