My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like
Businesswoman Bhawna Sehra and her family live in a two-bedroom town house in Dubai’s Mirdif district.
She moved to the UAE from her native India 23 years ago “when the Burj Al Arab opened” and says her current home gives her a calm space from where she manages her scented candle company, Palm Lights.
Ms Sehra, 46, moved to Mirdif three years ago with her husband Gurpreet, 49, a Dubai property manager, and their 15-year-old son, Agamjeet Singh.
Ms Sehra takes The National on a tour of their comfortable home …
Tell us about your place
The town house has two bedrooms on the first floor, with attached bathrooms. There is a shaded parking space, kitchen and living room on the ground floor.
The living room opens into a small back yard which overlooks the [community] pool. We also have a maid’s room with an attached toilet and a laundry room in the basement.
We are on a relatively quiet street, but our house is under the flight path [for Dubai International Airport] so you can hear a plane fly past every few minutes in the day as well as in the night. Our annual rent is Dh75,000.
Where did you live before?
We love the Northern Emirates and used to stay at Al Hamra Village in Ras Al Khaimah, a spacious and prime gated community.
We have lived in the UAE for 23 years, including Sharjah. My husband and I are both ex-hoteliers and worked with the Jumeirah Hotels group.
My husband joined a new job in Dubai, and most of my corporate clients are in Dubai. So, once my elder daughter moved out for her higher studies, we decided to shift to Dubai to be close to work and we chose the Toufiq compound.
What drew you to this district?
During Covid, the rents in this area were lower compared to other places in Dubai, and we wanted to continue living in a villa or town house, so Mirdif was the ideal choice.
Gurpreet drove around the area looking for available properties, shortlisted a few, called the landlord directly and arranged for viewings. The process took about three months.
Properties in RAK are pretty affordable and huge, so although moving to Dubai, in a similar rent bracket, inevitably meant “downsizing”, we looked forward to the change.
What are the advantages of living here?
Quick access to motorway E311 and Emirates Road (E611). Mirdif City Centre mall is seven minutes drive and we are 10 minutes away from the airport.
Also, the villa compound neighbours get together during New Year’s Eve and other festivals like Diwali and Christmas.
How have you personalised your town house?
The first things you see when you enter our home are the blue sliding doors, opening into the backyard overlooking the blue water pool. I love colour in my surroundings, so (we) matched the wall colour of the living room with the colour of the windows and doors – you guessed it, blue.
Besides the laundry, the basement also has a maid’s room with storage and shower facilities. We turned this space into a study for my husband and myself. It is also where I dream up new fragrances for my candles. Devoid of any distractions, I blend natural essential oils to come up with unique scents … a peaceful, creative haven.
Do you think this address offers value for money?
We moved here during Covid times when the rents were slightly lower. Since then, our rent has been stable. The landlord indicated an increase this year but no increase has been sanctioned per the Rera index so we plan to continue as it is. Compared to other villa settlements in Dubai, this area is better priced.
Are there any downsides to living here?
We feel the kitchen is tiny compared to properties we lived in before. Besides that, I wish there were more parks nearby for an evening stroll and more sports facilities in the vicinity. Right now, we have to walk all the way to Uptown Park through traffic. And there is only one sports centre, which tends to be overcrowded by children of all age groups.
Do you plan to stay in your property?
We would like to move somewhere larger eventually. But for now, we are happy here.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Company%20profile
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
BMW%20M4%20Competition
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20Dh617%2C600%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
