Want a 2-bed flat in Khalidiya with a pool? Worried about parking in Jumeirah Lakes Towers? Want to see whether an expensive lifestyle in Dubai Marina is worth the cash? Or just want to know what your neighbours are paying?
Rent comparison site Ndoors.me, which goes live today, will allow residents to view Dubai and Abu Dhabi rents and properties all updated in real-time. The site allows you to see rent prices near you, along with tenants' ratings of their properties, and lists of facilities and amenities.
Launched by Stefan Thoren and Peder Wessel, the site uses submissions from tenants to provide a dynamic map of rent prices across the UAE.
Renters will also be able to post about the quality of the building, allowing potential tenants to gauge the desirability of addresses, and learn about buildings’ quirks and faults.
“Our users say it’s like TripAdvisor for renting a house,” said Mr Thoren.
While many people research hotels using online comparison sites, few do so for their next rental purchase.
“Even though deciding where to live is one of the biggest decisions to make, we are less informed than when we decide which hotel to stay at for the next vacation,” said Mr Thoren.
Users can share opinions of properties – alerting them to insects under the floorboards, or telling them of scenic autumn evenings by the poolside. They can also browse prices by area and property type, helping tenants and landlords to make good decisions.
Ndoors.me, which is designed to complement existing efforts made by Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority, aims to improve transparency in the rental market.
abouyamourn@thenational.ae