Don't!

6 years ago I moved to Dubai and for most it has been a good experience;-)

- Living in a construction site , ever since.

- Working inside another construction site. It was almost not for about 6 months.

- More and more traffic jams.

Don't get me wrong there are good sides also but they are no part of this story ;-)

There is one thing that drives me bananas. Like in any other place there are rules and regulations when it comes to renting an apartment. Most of the times those rules are quite reasonable but were does it end? With my Landlord here it took about 1 week to feel like I was living in a student dorm in Sweden... Don't do this, don't do that.. If you think I am joking please continue to read.

- Don't have any Pets

- Don't BBQ on the balcony or on common grounds.

- Don't hang laundry on the balcony

- Don't install a Satellite dish

- Don't litter

- Don't have social functions in the common grounds (mind you they are like 10 football pitches)

- Don't do any kind of alterations to the premises

- Don't park bicycles in the staircase

-Don't live more than 2 adults (Husband and Wife!) and 0 children in a 1 bedroom apartment

- Don't live more than 2 adults (Husband and Wife!) and 1 child if the apartment is 2 bedrooms

- Don't live more than 2 adults (Husband and Wife!) and 2 children if the apartment has 3 bedrooms

- Don't allow relatives coming for visit to stay in your apartment

- Don't move any furniture out or in to the apartment without explicit permission from Landlord

- Don't clean the apartment after 2000

- Don't leave any belongings in common areas

- Don't drill in the walls in the kitchen

- Don't drill in the walls in the bathroom

- Don't sublet a room in your apartment

- Don't share your apartment for free.

- Don't park more than one car in the parking (too bad if both husband and wife actually need one each!)

- Don't distribute flyer's in the buildings (vendors/residents).

I always have a pile of 20 brochures every month... I know exactly how long my neighbours have been gone! However as we have no pigeon holes or any other means of getting mail at the apartment even the landlord is actually leaving contractual documents outside the door! I do have a PO box at the post office.!?

- Don't play loud music.

- Don't smoke in common areas

- Don't use the fire exits for casual entry (mind you the doors are always open.)

Now last week I got two more papers.

Mandatory tenant ID card. (have not filed the papers yet and wont. With copy of passport, residence visa and tenant contract)

-Don't move around in the premises without the mandatory ID card (mind you there is no fence around the compound. just desert, a 2 km long shopping mall and a construction site.....

Mandatory Parking permit (mind you the form explicitly says they have no obligation to guarantee a space even though my apartment number is marked on a parking space?! again with copy of passport, residence visa and tenant contract)

- Don't park your car without the mandatory Parking permit

For both of the above note that to get the tenant contract the same office require the same exact document and if they, the landlord does not have an original signed tenant contract for my apartment ... then who does!!!

Whatever you think... DON'T!