My Abu Dhabi Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they pay each month, see who they live with and ask what they like and don't like
Jad Yammine and his wife Magalie lived in several areas of Dubai before deciding to make a move to a townhouse in Al Ghadeer, a community on the border of Abu Dhabi.
It was more out of necessity than anything else.
But it has ended up working very well for the couple, who are from Lebanon and have a new baby.
Of all the places they have lived, Al Ghadeer is up there among one of Mr Yammine’s favourites.
Here, he invites The National into his home to tell us why.
Where did you live before Al Ghadeer?
Initially I lived in Remraam for one year. It was too remote.
After that I lived in Jumeirah Lakes Towers for two years. JLT was great. I moved out when they started messing around with the parking situation.
Then we shared a house with a very good friend in Jumeirah Village Circle, so we rented a three-bedroom villa. The reason we moved from there is we thought, are we going to have a kid? Probably, yes. So we can’t live like this anymore.
The decision was then made to move to Jumeirah Village Triangle. I was not planning on leaving JVT.
Why did you leave?
I had a job opportunity in Abu Dhabi and it was a requirement that I had an Abu Dhabi lease. That was not company policy. It was a government policy, because the start-up I am working for is benefitting from a funding programme. So all employees need to be Abu Dhabi-based. That’s why we picked Al Ghadeer. And, actually, it has worked out well for us.
Tell us about the property you live in
It’s a townhouse. It’s wall to wall with others. They call this a two-plus-one. It’s more of a three bedroom because there is a massive second living room they call a family room upstairs.
How much do you pay?
We pay Dh82,000 a year. You get so much for your money. There are so many parks. You have all of your basic amenities. We have a supermarket that has a food court, we now have a cafeteria and a café. You have your laundry, your pharmacy.
How have you made it your own?
I have converted the smaller bedroom into my home office. Because working for a start-up we are few people and it doesn’t really make any sense to go into the co-working space in twofour54.
The other thing I have changed is the family room. It is at the end of a corridor right next to what would normally be the shared bathroom, so I have put in a PVC collapsing door so that door has been closed off and now that’s a master bedroom, along with the proper master bedroom.
The original master bedroom we transformed into a nursery. We just had a baby. He’s two months old. Otherwise I would have done some decorating in the living room. Painted the walls. Changed the light fixtures. I have done the garden, planted some stuff.
Do many restaurants deliver to Al Ghadeer?
A few places deliver to us now. The food apps are almost non-existent. There is one app, which is the Smiles app of Etisalat, that has a few stores.
Even on those and the ones who deliver from outside Al Ghadeer, usually the minimum charge is on the higher end. The places that deliver from DIP require a minimum spend of Dh100 or Dh150. Other places, like whenever we are ordering sushi from Ibn Battuta, the minimum charge is Dh300.
How much are your bills each month?
The air conditioning is part of my ADDC (electricity and water) and what I have noticed is my bills here are about 20 to 30 per cent cheaper than in Dubai.
In Dubai, in mid-summer, my Dewa bills would reach around Dh1,500. I have not had a bill go over Dh1,200 here. They are mostly under Dh1,000. That’s for my electricity, water and AC. Then I just pay Etisalat.
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
