My Dubai Rent: Mother moved to Mirdif to get away from 'cookie-cutter' gated communities

Rania Jishi pays Dh150,000 for four-bedroom villa in area where she grew up

Rania Jishi with daughters Amelia and Lilia in their four-bedroom villa in Mirdif, Dubai. She pays Dh150,000 rent. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

The living room

The dining area

A spacious kitchen was a key reason for Ms Jishi choosing to live here

Ms Jishi says she gets more for her money compared with where she used to live

The studio

The children's bedroom

The master bedroom

The family shares a swimming pool with a neighbouring villa

The garden

The facade of the four-bedroom villa in Mirdif

My Dubai Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and ask them what they like and don't like

A mother of three returned to her childhood neighbourhood as she did not want her family to grow up in the “cookie-cutter” environment of Dubai's gated communities.

Rania Jishi, 36, from Palestine, returned to Mirdif in April of this year having moved out in 2017.

The artist pays Dh150,000 to live in a four-bedroom villa along with her husband and three children.

She invited The National to take a look around her home and showed us why she never wants to live anywhere else.

Why did you choose to live here?

I moved back here in April after moving out in 2017. My husband and I had been living in Town Square but we wanted to live in a house that didn’t have that cookie-cutter feel.

I had lived in Mirdif since I was eight, so this felt like I was coming home because I have relatives and lots of old friends living here.

I like the extra space we have now and it feels like we have much more privacy than before.

There’s a pool that we share with the villa beside us but it feels like a private pool.

There are lots of shops and restaurants close to us as well. Spinneys and Geant are all within a 10-minute journey.

The daycare centre for my children is only seven-minutes away, so it’s super convenient.

Do you get value for your money?

I think so, yes. We have a lot of space which is important. It feels more cosy and charming living here than where we before.

We were paying Dh100,000 to live in Town Square when we got an eviction notice.

Now we’ve moved to a much bigger home. I see online that similar properties to where we used to live are going for around what we are paying now.

We have a big kitchen which is ideal because it's crucial in our culture since we love to cook.

When I see some of the kitchens in new houses I don’t know how they cope because the spaces are so small.

It’s absurd how tiny and limiting they are.

The pool we have is gated, which is a big relief as a mother of young children.

It means I don’t have to worry about them running off to the pool.

What touches have you made to the property to make it feel like a home?

I haven't had the chance since we only moved in last month. However, I plan to plant some trees in the garden.

There is a spare room that I plan to use as an art studio for ceramics.

Do you see yourself staying there in the long-term?

We definitely plan to stay as long as possible in this house. It has a Mediterranean style that we’ve always wanted.

The concept of moving home every year or two is not something that appeals to me at all.

With new developments you are always having to move and it’s not a great experience.

Is there anything you would change about your home if you could?

The only concern I had moving here was that we would be leaving a gated community where the kids might be safer.

However, we have a private garden here for them and we are close to daycare, so that concern is gone.

My kids are very little so they won’t be going anywhere without me, so it works.