If you ask most people to imagine shared housing in Dubai, they will picture a recent graduate who has recently landed her first job, and who is living in a shared flat with strangers in order to save money. This painting is now blank.This is now a blank painting. The decision to choose sharing accommodation in Dubai  is a quiet, long-term decision for a much wider range of individuals – from the senior professionals to couples, remote workers and much more – and the reasons behind it give an insight into the way Dubai’s rental market works.

It’s no longer just a first-job thing

There are three forces that have brought sharing beyond its entry level.Rents for one-bedroom flats and studios in central areas have risen faster than many salaries. Increasingly, more people come on short-term or project contracts, and are not interested in a 12-month lease. And more and more of the residents opt to live with others when they come to a city like that without family or friends.

This means that inter-generational and inter-ethnic and inter-class sharing is becoming more common in the flats, which was not so common 10 years ago.

Five renter profiles behind the shift

These are composites of common scenarios and not individuals, but each one is a large population of today’s sharers.

• The saver: a mid-career individual who would be able to afford a studio but wants to save the remaining amount for a property deposit back home.
• The project worker is an engineer or consultant on a six to nine month contract, who seeks a furnished room without a long term contract.
• The remote worker: an employee who works abroad and made the decision to come to Dubai for its lifestyle and time zone and values company over space.
• Two partners living in one huge room of a shared villa to save money and work out where to live.
• The newcomer: still the biggest group, a common flat as their base as they learn the city.

What sharers pay compared with going solo

These are not set prices, but rather “typical” figures. Prices can differ based on the location, the building and the season, so be sure to ask the entire monthly fee of any property you’re interested in.

The cost of a private room and a one-bedroom flat in the same location can easily be at least AED 40,000 over a year. That’s the deciding factor for many sharers.

The new expectations: contracts, cleaning, Wi-Fi

Expectations have increased as sharing has become more upscale. The following are some of the expectations that today’s sharers have:

• An agreement in writing which specifies the amount of rent, what is covered and the notice period;
• proof of the main tenancy registration with Ejari; and
• Reliable high speed internet; as many work from home part of the week;
• A cleaning scheme involving tenants (rota or paid cleaner);
• Has a clear limit on the number of persons allowed in the flat.

Landlords and flat managers who provide these regularly see their rooms filling up quicker and tenants staying on longer.

Where shared living goes from here

A continued professionalisation of the market will be expected. The growth of purpose-built co-living buildings, managed shared villas and better listing standards are growing. Meanwhile, sharing via friends and in messaging groups will not be eliminated at the low end, either.

The takeaway for renters is that it’s not about settling for less anymore. Before you even think of it, determine what you will not settle for when it comes to an attached bathroom, maximum number of roommates, or a close driving distance and narrow your search to listings that don’t match your criteria.

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