Expats On Hunt For Affordable Housing After Dubai's Partition Flats Ban
DUBAI, June 7: Following a recent crackdown on illegally partitioned housing units in Dubai, many low-income expats have been forced to relocate, with a growing number moving to Sharjah and other neighbouring emirates in search of more affordable rent. While these moves offer financial relief, they come at the cost of longer commutes, overcrowded living conditions, and disrupted routines.
For thousands of workers, partitioned flats — often cramped, shared spaces just large enough for a bed and a fan — were far from ideal but offered proximity to jobs, public transport, and basic amenities. Their sudden removal has left many scrambling for alternatives.
"Saving on Rent"
Mohammed Irfan, who works at a restaurant in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), was paying AED 1,400 for a partitioned space in Al Rigga. After a recent raid on the building, he moved to Sharjah's Abu Shagara, where he now pays AED 700 to share a room with two others.
'I save money, but I spend more than 90 minutes each way commuting,' Irfan said. 'Earlier, I could walk to the metro in minutes. Now, I take a bus, then the metro, and sometimes even a taxi from the station. Everything was within reach in Dubai — groceries, the pharmacy, the metro. Now, it all feels much harder.'
He now wakes up earlier to accommodate the long commute and arrives at work already fatigued.
"We Had to Split — It Was Too Crowded"
Mary, a sales assistant at Al Ghurair Mall in Deira, previously shared a 2BHK flat in Muraqqabat with 13 others, paying AED 800 per bed space. After the crackdown, her group split up. She has relocated to Al Nahda, Dubai, paying AED 1,000 to share a room with three others. 'There are fewer people in the room now, but expenses and travel time will go up,' she said.
"No Privacy, But This Is All I Can Afford"
Rupa, who works at a beauty salon, used to pay AED 600 for a shared space close to her workplace. She is currently staying temporarily with a friend while searching for affordable housing, possibly in Al Nahda, Sharjah, for AED 850 per bed space.
'My commute will increase. The salon was just a minute away before,' she said. 'If it becomes too difficult, I might need to find a new job closer to home.' Despite the situation, Rupa remains grateful for whatever accommodation she can find. 'I don't earn much. This is the best I can manage.'
"My Daughter's School Is Now Far"
Farida, a single mother, had to move to Sharjah with her teenage daughter after being asked to vacate their Deira flat. While the new AED 1,200 partitioned room is larger than their previous AED 1,500 space in Dubai, the distance to her daughter's school poses a challenge.
'School holidays are coming, so it's manageable now. But once classes resume, I'll need to either figure out transport or transfer her to another school,' Farida explained.
"We Need Legal, Affordable Housing"
Javed, a salesman, moved into a shared villa in Sharjah after being evicted from his Deira accommodation. He now pays AED 500 for a bed space shared with eight others.
'With this crackdown, it's pointless to look for new housing in Dubai. It will only happen again,' he said. 'Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. We can't afford AED 2,000 in rent. There should be proper, legal low-cost housing for people like us.'
"I Sleep in a Storeroom"
Shahid, a delivery rider, now sleeps in a converted storeroom in a shared flat in Sharjah for AED 450. The room has no ventilation, and even the fan barely works. 'I had to buy a cooler, but it doesn't help much in this heat,' he said. 'Still, I'm out all day delivering. I just came back to sleep.'
He noted that his previous room in Dubai was partitioned but better maintained. 'Now, I don't complain. I just need to save on rent.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Expats On Hunt For Affordable Housing After Dubai's Partition Flats Ban
DUBAI, June 7: Following a recent crackdown on illegally partitioned housing units in Dubai, many low-income expats have been forced to relocate, with a growing number moving to Sharjah and other neighbouring emirates in search of more affordable rent. While these moves offer financial relief, they come at the cost of longer commutes, overcrowded living conditions, and disrupted routines. For thousands of workers, partitioned flats — often cramped, shared spaces just large enough for a bed and a fan — were far from ideal but offered proximity to jobs, public transport, and basic amenities. Their sudden removal has left many scrambling for alternatives. "Saving on Rent" Mohammed Irfan, who works at a restaurant in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), was paying AED 1,400 for a partitioned space in Al Rigga. After a recent raid on the building, he moved to Sharjah's Abu Shagara, where he now pays AED 700 to share a room with two others. 'I save money, but I spend more than 90 minutes each way commuting,' Irfan said. 'Earlier, I could walk to the metro in minutes. Now, I take a bus, then the metro, and sometimes even a taxi from the station. Everything was within reach in Dubai — groceries, the pharmacy, the metro. Now, it all feels much harder.' He now wakes up earlier to accommodate the long commute and arrives at work already fatigued. "We Had to Split — It Was Too Crowded" Mary, a sales assistant at Al Ghurair Mall in Deira, previously shared a 2BHK flat in Muraqqabat with 13 others, paying AED 800 per bed space. After the crackdown, her group split up. She has relocated to Al Nahda, Dubai, paying AED 1,000 to share a room with three others. 'There are fewer people in the room now, but expenses and travel time will go up,' she said. "No Privacy, But This Is All I Can Afford" Rupa, who works at a beauty salon, used to pay AED 600 for a shared space close to her workplace. She is currently staying temporarily with a friend while searching for affordable housing, possibly in Al Nahda, Sharjah, for AED 850 per bed space. 'My commute will increase. The salon was just a minute away before,' she said. 'If it becomes too difficult, I might need to find a new job closer to home.' Despite the situation, Rupa remains grateful for whatever accommodation she can find. 'I don't earn much. This is the best I can manage.' "My Daughter's School Is Now Far" Farida, a single mother, had to move to Sharjah with her teenage daughter after being asked to vacate their Deira flat. While the new AED 1,200 partitioned room is larger than their previous AED 1,500 space in Dubai, the distance to her daughter's school poses a challenge. 'School holidays are coming, so it's manageable now. But once classes resume, I'll need to either figure out transport or transfer her to another school,' Farida explained. "We Need Legal, Affordable Housing" Javed, a salesman, moved into a shared villa in Sharjah after being evicted from his Deira accommodation. He now pays AED 500 for a bed space shared with eight others. 'With this crackdown, it's pointless to look for new housing in Dubai. It will only happen again,' he said. 'Most of us live paycheck to paycheck. We can't afford AED 2,000 in rent. There should be proper, legal low-cost housing for people like us.' "I Sleep in a Storeroom" Shahid, a delivery rider, now sleeps in a converted storeroom in a shared flat in Sharjah for AED 450. The room has no ventilation, and even the fan barely works. 'I had to buy a cooler, but it doesn't help much in this heat,' he said. 'Still, I'm out all day delivering. I just came back to sleep.' He noted that his previous room in Dubai was partitioned but better maintained. 'Now, I don't complain. I just need to save on rent.'
Kuwait Times
14-05-2025
- Kuwait Times
UAE, Kuwait strengthen economic ties as trade exchange hits $13.5bn
ABU DHABI: UAE Ambassador to Kuwait Dr Matar Al Neyadi affirmed on Tuesday that bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are witnessing steady growth across various sectors, with a particular focus on economic cooperation and private sector engagement. Speaking virtually at a symposium titled 'The Nature of Economic Relations between the UAE and Kuwait', held at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi, Dr Al Neyadi highlighted the strong momentum in economic collaboration within the broader framework of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) integration. Al Neyadi revealed that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached AED 49.7 billion ($13.53 billion) by the end of 2024, marking an 8.8 percent increase compared to 2023. He added that trade for the first quarter of 2025 stood at AED 10.2 billion ($2.78 billion), underscoring the resilience of economic ties. He noted that both nations enjoy a favorable investment climate that offers considerable opportunities for the private sector, semi-government entities, and small and medium-sized enterprises to expand cooperation and establish strategic partnerships. UAE Ambassador to Kuwait Dr Matar Al Neyadi address the audience.- KUNA photos The ambassador also praised the outcomes of the fourth and fifth sessions of the UAE-Kuwait Joint Higher Committee meetings, which identified priority sectors for collaboration. These include food security, healthcare, communications, information technology, artificial intelligence, defence industries, infrastructure, energy, and air and maritime transport. For his part, Dr Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of ECSSR, said the symposium comes at a pivotal time as the region seeks to deepen Gulf integration. He emphasized the need for continued dialogue and alignment of shared visions to build resilient, competitive, and sustainable economies amid evolving global economic challenges. Al Nuaimi noted the historical depth of UAE-Kuwait relations, describing them as a model of Gulf cooperation. He pointed out that bilateral trade has surged by approximately 75 percent over the past decade, with the UAE currently ranking as the third-largest investor in Kuwait. He further highlighted the alignment between the two nations' economic visions, especially their early commitment to diversifying income sources and fostering innovation across strategic sectors. This shared outlook, he said, paves the way for advanced partnerships in renewable energy, digital innovation, and knowledge-based industries. 'These synergies open wide horizons for joint initiatives and investment in sustainable development projects,' Al Nuaimi said. Relations between Kuwait and the UAE continue to be defined by mutual respect and strategic collaboration, particularly in non-oil sectors, which have shown consistent growth in recent years. With non-oil trade already surpassing $13.5 billion in 2024, expectations remain high for even stronger economic engagement in the months ahead. — KUNA
Arab Times
12-05-2025
- Arab Times
Dear government, trust in Allah and tether the camel … Kuwait is still blocked
'LAISSEZ-FAIRE et laissez-passer' (Let do and let pass) is a principle that France adopted in the second half of the 18th century. At the time, France was experiencing a major economic crisis, so the then Minister of Finance agreed with merchants not to interfere with the activities, properties or goods of the people. In less than three years, France became a major economic power in Europe. This introduction is necessary to shed light on the decisions made in Kuwait over the past 15 years, which led to economic contraction and a decline in the gross domestic product (GDP). Behind these decisions were officials who were either incompetent or sought to quickly enrich themselves, even at the expense of the greater national interest. Before this, Kuwait was closer to the principle of 'laissez-faire'; enjoying commercial, urban and social stability. With the rise of the visa and human trafficking frenzy, we began to notice the issuance of decisions and legislation that paralyzed economic activity, including the prosecution of workers known as 'freelancers'. Civilized countries, including some Gulf states, have taken steps to ensure that the government sponsors the workers. This opened doors to millions of workers from around the world and they allowed non-citizens to own properties. What was the result? For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first to allow this, which boosted its GDP, reaching AED 1.322 trillion at the end of last year; while Kuwait recorded a GDP of KD9.73 billion in the same year -- a decline of 3.9 percent. Saudi Arabia, which opened up to the world in recent years, has allowed foreign investment and granted real estate ownership rights to non-Saudis, significantly boosting its GDP; while Kuwait is still struggling to overcome its economic downturn, lacking modern legislative tools. Nevertheless, I would like to thank Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah for the relentless efforts he exerted in this regard and for ratifying the new Foreigners Residency Law. Unfortunately, until today, no executive regulations have been issued for this law, meaning we remain in limbo while the old law is still in effect. When unfair decisions were made against Kuwaitis and expatriates, particularly regarding the deportation campaigns, the workers' wages rose from KD5 to KD20, and the wage of a professional worker increased up to KD50 or KD60. This increased the cost of construction and all services; hence, the citizens and government were the worst hit by such decisions. Today, whoever wishes to visit Kuwait is still required to hold a university degree, book a flight ticket through a domestic airline, and ensure their stay does not exceed one month. Let us assume the visitor came to Kuwait in search of an investment opportunity or at the request of a company to benefit from his expertise, despite his lack of a university degree, as we mentioned earlier. Does this justify denying him entry to Kuwait and causing the company to lose his expertise? In such a situation, we must not forget the crises that resulted from the decision not to renew the work permits of expatriate workers aged above 60 and the accompanying extensive deportation campaigns. One of the negative consequences of the decision was that 65,000 apartments became empty due to the departure of tens of thousands of expatriates who were welcomed by other Gulf countries that are now benefiting from them. It is unwise to interfere in the relationship between the employee and the company, and oblige the latter to require higher qualifications for positions. The employment relationship is confidential, established through the contract signed by the employee and the employer. The State has nothing to do with it, except in terms of protecting the workers' rights. Yes, the acting Prime Minister is trying to address this issue, but one hand cannot clap. Why are expatriates not allowed to own properties and bring their family and relatives to stay with them in Kuwait, as long as they have the financial capability to support them? Why does the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) interfere in the relationship between the employee and the employer? If the goal is to promote economic activities and social stability, why don't we adopt the measures taken by other Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE? What prevents Kuwait from restoring the leading position it once occupied? Gentlemen, through the adoption of the 'laissez-faire' principle then, Kuwait transformed into a vibrant business hub and it enjoyed stability. What prevents the return to that prosperous era, unless there are still visa and human traffickers who insist on putting a stick on the wheel of development?
