In Dubai, a family pays 250,000 dirhams to rent a villa — The National

In Dubai, UAE, the family of Ana Eliza Seixas rents a four-bedroom villa in the Umm Suqeim area for 250,000 dirhams per year. According to Seixas, the current rent is nearly 70% higher than last year, but the family decided to stay because of its connection to the local community.

A villa near the beach

Seixas, who works in sports brand marketing, has lived in the UAE for 21 years and in Umm Suqeim for about 15 years. Together with her husband, architecture and travel photographer Catalin Marin, and their son, she has rented the villa for seven years, The National reports.

The house has four bedrooms, an office, a closed kitchen and a garage for two cars. Each villa in the complex has a private garden adjoining a shared garden. Seixas called the common green area the main advantage: children from the complex play there.

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The family renovated the flooring, changed the appearance of the kitchen with a decorative coating and converted an additional room on the ground floor into Marin's office. The home also contains travel souvenirs and photographs taken by him.

Rising rental rates

Seixas said that during her time living in the area, villa rental rates have in some cases more than tripled. According to her, this has caused some families to move away, while property owners are demolishing old villas to make room for modern townhouses. She believes that because of such development, Umm Suqeim is gradually losing some of its old architecture and atmosphere.

The area is located near the beach, the Kite Beach cycling and running track, and has convenient access to Sheikh Zayed Road. At the same time, the resident complained about heavier traffic on Beach Road and Al Wasl Road. The family also bought a house in Arabian Ranches, where they initially planned to move, but decided to rent it out and remain in Umm Suqeim.