Essential Tips for Finding, Selecting, and Moving to a New Apartment in Dubai
What is Apartment Move
Apartment Movers, commonly called Condo Movers, Removalists, or Van Line, provide professional services in house moving, typically from one apartment or flat to another, especially in urban cities, whereas in UAE, it is emirates like Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.
An apartment, also called a Flat or Unit in different countries, is usually a self-contained housing unit inside a building. In UAE, most apartment buildings are high-rise buildings or buildings inside a gated community with basement, ground floor, or podium parking.
Most of the UAE’s population are expatriates and live in rented apartments. People usually move their flats based on proximity to work and better facilities, even when the rent increases or decreases. Tenancy contracts for these units generally last for one year if they are not short-term rentals or holiday homes.
Moving companies handle all the house shifting processes, including packing, dismantling, loading, unloading, unpacking, and furniture assembly. Movers’ services are experienced in overcoming any logistical challenges in these high-rise buildings or communities, such as busy lifts, loading and unloading areas far from lifts, etc.
In Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, apartment movers are well-equipped to manage home shifting in spaces where access may be restricted. Their knowledge of local regulations makes their services invaluable for efficiently handling complex moves in these bustling cities.
Apartment movers offer various services to meet clients’ needs, including full-service, partial, furniture-only, and loose-item moves. Additional services like temporary storage and insurance optimize every aspect of the move to ensure a smooth, hassle-free relocation experience.
Why do you need movers for your apartment Move?
Apartment moving with professional movers ensures the security of handling and packing fragile and valuable items. In the UAE, there are local Building rules and regulations and community management rules in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, which professional movers are familiar with. This experience helps them plan the entire process smoothly. Movers also have access to specialized equipment like dollies, protective padding, and hoists, allowing them to efficiently manage or handle heavy or delicate items. This saves you considerable time and effort, as you won’t need to worry about packing or making multiple trips in your Car.
Movers provide insurance and protection for your items, covering any potential damage caused by unforeseen incidents during relocation. Their efficient transportation systems allow them to plan and execute the move swiftly, even in complex high-rise buildings or busy residential areas. Professional Moving Services offers customized moving types to meet users’ needs and requirements. There are Full-service, partial-service, furniture, loose-item, and just-a-few-item moves.
When you hire a professional removalist during the condo move, they will handle all the tasks, allowing you to focus on other tasks and remove the burden of heavy lifting. As part of the moving contract, movers provide all the post-move support in your new apartment, such as unpacking and arranging your items. This ensures a stress-free experience from move-out to move-in.
Types of Apartment Move
Selecting the Movers service based on your specific needs is crucial. Moving from one apartment to another after your tenancy period is always overwhelming, especially when managing many fragile or heavy bulky items. Professional Van line companies will have tailored moving solutions to reduce customers’ mental and physical wellness during the residential move. Making an informed choice after discussing with your move consultant will assist in selecting a complete apartment move where all the tasks will be taken care of or partial moving with a more targeted service on specific items like furniture or clothes. Moving Service from a professional team will save you time and effort and offer solutions that tackle complex logistics, physical strain, and potential risks to your possessions.
Full Apartment Move
The Full apartment move package is a comprehensive service package for tenants who prefer a hands-off approach. On this package, movers will take care of packing, dismantling of furniture, disconnection of white goods, removal of curtains, loading, transportation, unloading, unpacking, arrangement of wardrobes, assembly of furniture, installation of white goods, handyperson services for installation of curtains and wall decorations. Movers will be equipped with all the tools and consumables required to handle heavy, fragile items. All the items will be packed before the move to avoid any human error or accidental damage during the moving process. This streamlined process helps you settle into your new home more efficiently without the stress of logistics or physical tasks.
Partial or Furniture-Only Move
Partial move, also called a Furniture-Only Move, is a standard service for people interested in moving only heavy or unique items and packing their clothes/ kitchen by themselves. Most people prefer this service to save a little money on the moving budget. Some customers prefer to avoid unknown people handling stuff like clothes, etc. This service helps you with physical burdens and handling bulky items that cannot be fitted into a small car. In this kind of move, you take care of small items such as clothes, books, or kitchen utensils. It is to use Movers and Packers for labor-intensive tasks and take care of different tasks.
Clothes and Loose Items Only
While moving, living in a furnished apartment, holiday home, hotel, shared room, dorm, or hotel apartment, you will have only clothes, shoes, and a few small household items, including kitchen utensils, which can be packed in boxes. In most cases, the facility will provide all the furniture. For this kind of apartment move, the moving company will usually only use boxes where they will pack all items in the boxes and move them for you. Sometimes, you can use this service only to move fragile, delicate, or Art Items.
Some tenants also buy new furniture for their new apartment if their existing furniture is damaged or old, and the furniture company takes care of all the transportation and delivery of the items. Movers will pack your loose items carefully, ensuring they are securely transported. Then, they will load and unload them at your new location. This service removes the stress of packing clothes, folding items, and managing other loose belongings, making the relocation more organized and efficient.
This method of transportation is also beneficial for traveling long distances, such as from Dubai to Ruwais.
What is the estimated duration required to Move an apartment?
The moving time required to move from one apartment to another varies. It entirely depends upon the apartment size, availability of lifts, distance to the loading bay, complex disassembly and assembly of furniture, quantity of items, and distance from one apartment to another. However, below is an estimated duration for different apartment types with regular working hours of 10 Hours with an hour break.
Studio Apartment — An average studio apartment will consist of 10-12 Cbm items, including around twenty (20) Boxes that can be fitted into a 3-ton Closed box truck. It requires around one(1) day.
One-bedroom apartment — An average One-bedroom (1 Bhk) apartment will consist of 13-15 Cbm items, including around twenty (30) Boxes that can be fitted into a 3-ton Closed box truck. It requires around one(1) day.
Two-Bedroom Apartment — An average two-bedroom (2 Bhk) apartment will consist of 20-24 Cbm items, including around twenty (50) Boxes that can be fitted into two (2) 3-ton Closed box trucks. It requires around one(1) day. However, if the items are complex, it may be planned to complete them in two (2) days.
Three-bedroom Apartment – An average three-bedroom (3 Bhk) apartment will have 26- 30 Cbm items, including around twenty (80) boxes, which can be fitted into two (2) 3-ton closed box trucks. It requires around one(1) day. However, if the items are complex, they may be planned to be completed in two (2) days. Also, if the move is from Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman to Ras Al Khaimah or Abu Dhabi, it needs to be planned in two (Days).
Note: Aside from specific needs at each move, this depends on how many belongings one is moving. This is where professional movers come in handy; they can give a more appropriate timeframe for your move since only they can estimate how long specific logistics will take. Professional movers are trained and experienced to assess and handle these household items with ease to ensure that the transition is smooth and efficient.
What are the Key factors that lead people to Move from One Apartment to Another
Reasons for moving to a new apartment are usually because of various factors, ranging from lifestyle changes and individual needs because of job changes or financial conditions. UAE has a dynamic real estate market and fast-paced infrastructure development, growing USD 2.72 trillion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 3.69 trillion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.27% during the forecast period (2024-2029); residents often seek new opportunities to enhance their living situation.
Here’s an in-depth look at why people move to new apartments in cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah while addressing critical topics like the ideal location, better amenities, moving from rentals to ownership, etc.
- Moving Apartment to Get More Space
When you start moving with a life partner when a family grows, such as having a baby or when kids grow up, parents move in with you. You need a bigger space to accommodate these requirements. Rental facility space is often expensive; residents prefer to move to family-friendly communities with better layouts and extensive floor plans. Moving from a limited space to a more spacious apartment improves the quality of life, allowing everyone in the family to live more comfortably.
- Upgraded Buildings for Better Amenities
Enhancing amenities is one of the primary motivations for relocating to a new building or community tower unit. Given the high demand for properties in the United Arab Emirates, many developers are constructing new projects with increasingly sophisticated amenities for tenant convenience. Several apartment complexes feature cutting-edge facilities, including gyms, pools, saunas, jacuzzis, children’s play areas, concierge services, and smart home technology. Individuals are moving to these locations to take advantage of upgraded features that improve comfort and ease of living. Pet-friendly accommodations, secure parking, and green spaces also factor into relocation decisions, enriching daily life and facilitating routine tasks.
- Moving Closer to Job Location
In the UAE, public transport is very convenient and accessible, and owning a personal car is cheaper and tax-free compared to other countries. On the contrary, busy roads cause traffic congestion since the number of vehicles exceeds the infrastructure capacity, and metro trains are packed during peak hours. Because of this, many working professionals prefer to move near the work area to reduce commute times and avoid traffic congestion. By preventing this travel time, you will have more work-life balance, which allows people to spend more time with family, leisure, and personal affairs. Accordingly, this will help you to increase productivity. People prefer to move closer to their job location.
- Leaving Due to Maintenance Issues
Poorly maintained apartments, frequent issues, or dissatisfaction with a property’s maintenance services are other driving factors for relocation. Even though there is strict control and instruction from RERA and other regulatory departments in UAE, some apartment maintenance teams must provide maintenance services within the specified time frame. In some cases, because of the age of the building, the frequency of maintenance or electrical, plumbing, or air conditioning system failure is high. In some buildings, there will not be a 24/7 maintenance team, and the tenants want to wait until the day shift to get a repair done. New developments are continuously launched in the UAE because of the high demand. People move to newly launched units or a building with more reliable maintenance teams.
- Moving from Rental Properties to Own Property
UAE infrastructure and real estate are growing day by day. Local government, financial institutions, and property developers support innovative plans for investors and residents to buy property. Also, rental prices significantly increase, which motivates immigrants to purchase property instead of leasing a property. Also, the UAE provides long-term Residency options and attractive payment options to expatriates and locals. A key milestone for many UAE residents is transitioning from renting to owning an apartment or a property. Homeownership offers stability and financial security, allowing the residents to invest in their future instead of paying rent. As a result, many choose to buy rather than rent in the UAE and create a more permanent and personalized living space.
- Selling Own Property and Moving to Rental Properties
On the other hand, some property owners may choose to sell their owned apartment and transition to a rental property. This is often driven by financial flexibility, less maintenance responsibility, or a desire for increased mobility. In fast-evolving cities like Dubai, selling a property at a high market value and moving into a rental can free up funds for other investments or opportunities, allowing for a more flexible and carefree lifestyle.
- Empty Nest
Families often relocate to a smaller or more manageable home as children move out. In UAE, empty nesters prefer areas with leisure activities, community engagement, and other modern amenities. In red, using costs and adapting to their new lifestyle can also lower utility and maintenance costs, allowing parents to enjoy their newfound space with less financial strain.
- New Relationship or Starting a Family
Starting a new relationship or growing a family often triggers a move to a more suitable living space. In UAE, many residential communities cater to families with children by offering spacious living spaces and child-friendly features such as play areas, nurseries, and secure environments, making them perfect for young families. Proximity to schools and parks also makes these communities more appealing. It ensures families have all the resources for a comfortable and engaging lifestyle.
- Catchment Area for Schools
For most families living in UAE, when it comes to an apartment to stay in, priority starts with the kids’ school. For any family in the UAE, educating their children is one of their main priorities and, hence, a key factor when choosing where to live. Parents prefer to move to areas with easy access to top and well-known schools to ensure their children receive a good education. Living in such places shortens the commute for children and makes daily life easier, giving families more time together. Usually, school starts at 7:00 am to 7:30 am; accordingly, it will be hard for students to start traveling so early. Also, while you do the math, if any parents have two or more kids compared to school bus fare, moving to a school area will be convenient even though the rent will be 20% higher where their kids can commute easily. Also, it can be dropped off or walked to school.
- Ideal Location
Choosing the ideal location is a fundamental reason for moving. Residents may relocate closer to work, schools, or public transportation. Relocation choices also depend on lifestyle preferences. Vibrant areas like Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah, etc., are more likely to attract those who want easy access to shopping, entertainment, and healthcare. In contrast, for people who prefer a peaceful, family-friendly environment with spacious homes and green spaces, quieter suburbs such as Arabian Ranches, Al Reem Islands, etc., may be appealing. These communities are ideal for those seeking a relaxed pace of life while staying connected to essential amenities.
- Change of Scenery or Lifestyle
For many individuals, the decision to relocate stems from a desire to change scenery or lifestyle. In the United Arab Emirates, numerous residents seek new apartments that accommodate their evolving needs, such as moving from a bustling urban locale to a tranquil neighborhood or closer to the beach. An eco-friendly community or areas with abundant green spaces and outdoor activities can provide a refreshing change and enhance residents’ well-being and work-life balance. A significant aspect of Dubai’s communities and developments is that they offer diverse locales catering to varying tastes.
- Change in Surrounding Area
Urban development and changes in the surrounding neighborhood can prompt residents to move. People prefer to relocate to a quieter area if there is too much construction or traffic or if the vibe of the neighborhood changes. Some people may even migrate to regions with better benefits like better public transport access, shopping centers, parks, etc. With its rapidly growing cities in the UAE, moving to areas undergoing modernization or future development can offer long-term benefits.
- Financial Flexibility and Cost Management
For many UAE residents, financial considerations are crucial in deciding when to move.
People might choose to move to a cheaper apartment to save money. At the same time, some take advantage of better rental offers such as favorable rental agreements, low deposits, low agent commissions, or rent-free periods. By moving to such houses, residents can manage their expenses more efficiently, focus more on their financial goals, and manage their finances more efficiently.
How to Identify a New Apartment? Critical Considerations for Your Apartment Hunt
Suppose you are in search of a new apartment in the UAE. Since there are many options, finding a new flat will be exciting and challenging. You have to consider many facts before making an appropriate choice. Finding a suitable apartment requires careful consideration of critical factors to make an informed decision. The process involves establishing financial parameters, evaluating location needs, identifying essential features, exploring available options online and in-person, assessing neighborhood amenities, reviewing lease terms, investigating the landlord, understanding community regulations, and considering planned local developments. A structured search process can lead renters to the optimal apartment that suits both immediate and long-term housing requirements.
Define your Budget
Establish a realistic budget by accounting for rent, utilities, fees, and deposits to stay within one’s financial means. Evaluate location importance regarding proximity to work, school, transportation, grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and other daily needs. Create a list of mandatory and desired features for the new home.
Online Listing Portals
Online property listing websites are effective for filtering housing inventory by specified criteria. However, in-person viewings are necessary to inspect units and gauge neighborhoods firsthand. During visits, note interior conditions and common area upkeep.
Checking Amenities
Researching local amenities informs the quality of life factors surrounding an apartment’s location. Thoroughly review the lease terms, paying close attention to duration, costs, maintenance roles, and any restrictions. When possible, speak to current tenants to investigate the landlord’s reputation.
Community Regulations
Understand community regulations governing parking, noise levels, pets, and shared space access.
Consider Planned Developments
Stay informed on planned developments that could affect the area’s long-term value and suitability. By diligently considering these essential aspects, renters can confidently select an optimal apartment aligned with both present and future housing requirements.
When searching for rental properties in the United Arab Emirates, tenants often encounter various value propositions and promotions that make leasing more attractive.
Numerous real estate companies and property owners in the country offer a range of benefits and incentives to prospective tenants. These offerings are designed to enhance the rental experience by making it more convenient and affordable. Below are some of the primary value propositions commonly provided:
- Rent-Free Periods: A popular incentive, especially in competitive markets, is offering one or more months of free rent, typically at the beginning of the lease term. This allows tenants breathing room to settle in without immediate financial obligations, which is precious for those relocating or seeking to reduce upfront costs.
- Discounted Rent for Longer Lease Terms: Many property owners are willing to offer discounted rental rates for tenants who agree to sign longer lease terms, such as one or two years. This benefits both parties – tenants receive a better rental rate while landlords enjoy stability from a longer-term tenant.
- Waived Commission or Agency Fees: To reduce move-in costs, some real estate companies or landlords waive commission or agency fees usually charged by real estate agents. This can result in significant savings as commission fees often equal one month’s rent or more.
- Flexible Payment Plans: Certain landlords offer flexible payment options, allowing tenants to spread rental payments over several installments instead of prepaying for the entire lease period. This flexibility can facilitate budget management, especially for expatriates or those with variable income streams.
- Furnished Rental Options: Property owners may offer fully or partially furnished rental units. This can significantly benefit tenants who prefer to avoid purchasing and transporting furniture, particularly those relocating from abroad or leasing short-term.
- All-Inclusive Utility Bills or Chiller Coverage: In some cases, landlords provide all-inclusive lease agreements where utilities such as electricity, internet, water, and sometimes chiller costs are included in the rent. This simplifies monthly billing and budgeting by removing uncertainty over fluctuating utility fees.
- Complimentary Maintenance Services: Many landlords include maintenance in the lease agreement to ensure a hassle-free rental experience. This covers regular upkeep, repairs, and emergency fixes, removing tenants’ costs and maintenance or contractor coordination stress.
- Access to On-Site Amenities: Certain rental properties include access to amenities like swimming pools, gyms, playgrounds, or parking without additional charges. These supplemental amenities enhance the property’s value and tenants’ experience.
- Pet-Friendly Options: Finding pet-friendly rentals can be difficult, so some property owners offer this as a distinctive incentive. They may allow pets with no or reduced deposits, making it easier for pet owners to find suitable housing. In some cases, on-site pet areas or grooming services are included.
- Complimentary or Discounted Moving Services: Some landlords or real estate companies provide moving assistance as part of the rental offering. This can include discounted moving services or, in some instances, entirely free relocation support to simplify tenants’ move-in logistics.
- Flexible Security Deposit Terms: Landlords may offer deposit payment flexibility, including installments, reduced amounts, or occasionally waiving the deposit entirely in some situations. This significantly reduces upfront costs associated with a new lease.
- Early Lease Termination Clauses: Some agreements include early termination provisions, offering flexibility for tenants requiring an earlier move. This is particularly valuable for expatriates or those whose employment circumstances could change unexpectedly by avoiding steep penalties.
Considering these many factors, tenants can find a rental that aligns with their budget, lifestyle, and future needs. With diligent planning and research, one can secure comfortable, convenient housing in vibrant cities across the United Arab Emirates.
Conclusion
Relocating to a new apartment in vibrant cities such as Dubai, Sharjah, or Abu Dhabi can present challenges. Still, it does not have to be stressful. Professional movers can simplify the process and ensure fragile items are carefully packed, and bulky furniture is precisely transported. Movers are experienced in urban relocations, offering expert services that eliminate the hassle of moving through high-rise buildings, tight elevators, and busy residential areas. Their knowledge of local regulations and community guidelines ensures a smooth and efficient transition into your new home.
By partnering with Upsleeve Movers, you gain more than just a moving company – you receive a team of dedicated experts focused on making your move as seamless as possible. Whether full-service assistance is needed, with every detail from packing to unpacking handled, or assistance solely with large furniture transport is required, our team is equipped to manage your specific needs. We take pride in customized moving solutions that make your relocation easy and provide peace of mind, allowing you to focus on settling into your new space without worry.
Avoid moving stress. Contact Upsleeve Movers and Packers today to experience a hassle-free, professionally managed relocation. Our expert movers are prepared to handle every aspect of your apartment move, ensuring your belongings arrive safely and on schedule. Let us take the burden off your shoulders – request a quote now for your upcoming move and enjoy a smooth transition to your new home.