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Al Ain rents double as Buraimi border checkpost transferred to other place

Rents of residential accommodation in Al Ain have almost doubled following the decision by the local authorities to close one of the main crossing points between Al Ain and the Omani town of Buraimi two days ago.

The crossing point has been shifted to Khatam Al Shaklah border, which is almost 20 kilometres outside Al Ain, forcing the families living near the Buraimi crossing to move into Al Ain City.

As of July 15, expatriates with UAE residence visas will travel to Buraimi through Khatam Al Shaklah border post.

The closure, real estate sources said, has led to a steep hike in rents in the city. Most of the families moving into the city are those who lived on the Omani side of the Buraimi border and travelled to Al Ain daily for business, school and shopping. Expatriates possessing UAE residence visas, too, are moving to Al Ain.

The new crossing Khatam Al Shaklah is very far from Al Ain city making it inconvenient for the daily commuters from across the border to reach their workplaces or schools in time, residents said.

The UAE nationals along with other GCC nationals would now be able to enter through the Hilli checkpost that was being used by expatriate residents before the recent decision came into effect.

Fares Mohammed Al Tarshah, a property broker in Al Ain, said that after the decision to close the Madif checkpost and opening the Khatam Al Shaklah checkpost for expatriates, thousands of families rushed to Al Ain in serach of accommodations.

He said that the hike in rents during June was almost 100 per cent. "Three-bedroom apartment is being rented at Dh75,000 a year compared with Dh35,000 only a month ago," he added.

Similarly, two-bedroom apartment is costing Dh55,000 a year compared with Dh25,000 in June 2008. Fares added that the rent of one-bedroom/hall in a low-cost residence (traditional houses that are not flats or villas) has gone up to Dh25,000 compared with Dh12,000 just a month ago.

Fatima Ali, a resident, said that her building owner has asked them to vacate as he claims that he has sold the building to another person.

"He would like to evict us and bring new tenants who would pay double the rent in violation of the rents rules in Al Ain which specify a maximum of 5 per cent hike for each new contract," she added.

lana@khaleejtimes.com