<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/my-dubai-rent/"><i><b>My Dubai Rent</b></i></a><i><b> takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like</b></i> Canadian Dr Louise Lambert might have one of the best deals available right now <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/property/2022/11/01/dubai-property-rents-where-they-rose-and-fell-in-q3-2022/">in Dubai</a>. She pays Dh55,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/property/2022/06/21/has-dubais-city-centre-turned-towards-business-bay-amid-soaring-property-prices/">Business Bay</a> with a stunning view of the surrounding area from her balcony. Similar units in her building are being advertised for up to Dh85,000 on property websites. The 48-year-old psychologist invited <i>The National</i> to take a tour of her apartment and building to show us exactly what makes her home so special. Location, location, location. I wanted to be close to Downtown and the Design District. At the time when I moved here, in 2020, I was working in the Canadian University in City Walk, so moving here was a no-brainer. I am right beside the canal and the Sheikh Zayed Road. There are bike tracks here, too. All I have to do is put on my cycling shoes in reception and away I go. I have got everything I need within 15 minutes. I am a big fan of the concept of a 15-minute city — I try to avoid commuting if I can. I like to live close to where I work and my gym is only 10 minutes away. It’s about a 15-minute walk to Dubai Mall too, which I have done a few times when the weather is cooler. A lot of my friends live in Downtown, which is right beside me. I just walk over the bridge to meet them all. I was living on the boulevard beside Dubai Mall but I was paying double for half the size. It might sound very glamorous [living in Downtown Dubai], but there was constant construction work taking place outside. Before that, I was in Bur Dubai and had a much bigger space but the situation with the traffic there was just sheer chaos. I looked at a few but I took a stand of asking myself if somewhere felt immediately nice or not. This one just felt right straightaway. I don’t like living super high up and while I’m on the sixth floor, I can still hear the traffic from the road but I am also high enough up that birds land on my balcony. I grow food here, like tomatoes, which I eat every day. I also grow basil and have tried carrots and lettuce, too. I’ve also bought art, some of it was done by an artist friend. I also bought a piece that was created by my tennis coach who became an artist during the pandemic. I like colour and I like plants. The drivers who are speeding at 3am. They come out late at night, when there’s less traffic around and use this area as a racetrack. I would at least add a couple of speed bumps to slow them down.
