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Accommodation costs in the Gardens have increased by over 30 per cent in the past three years, according to residents. The Gardens is a landscaped suburb consisting of 3,828 apartments off the sixth interchange on Shaikh Zayed road. The area was previously marketed as accommodation for Dubai's middle class families. Not anymore. Residents have said rising costs is putting the Gardens out of reach, even though the area is in high demand. Even with recent price rises, it is still considered one of the best value-for-money areas in the city. Nick Crawley, self-employed from the UK, told Gulf News he thought Nakheel had done a "great job" with the Gardens. "The greenery and parking are fantastic."
But he wasn't impressed with a notice that said his rent would rise by Dh4,000, an increase of about 12.5 per cent, on April 1. Crawley added that to the chilled water bill of Dh6,000, introduced last year, and Dh1,800 for service charges. He calculated charges had increased by at least 37 per cent in three years. Hala, a mother of three said she "liked it here" in the Gardens, but "it wasn't as cheap as we thought". "The water and electricity bill is very high, so are the cooling charges. We pay about Dh1,000 per month for those charges. That's another Dh12,000 per year." Hala said her family could still afford to stay on, even though the price increases had affected their monthly budget. "It's still cheaper here. There's no other option and we like it here." Samir, a married man with two children, said he paid a basic rent of Dh45,000, but said it would increase in April. "I don't see the reason for the increase." Samir said he was the family's only breadwinner but so far he could afford to stay on. Others, he said, were not so lucky. "People I know have left. They weren't able to handle the increase." With the Gardens still boasting some of the cheapest accommodation in Dubai, many others are reluctant to move. One couple who declined to be named said they rented out one of their two bedrooms to make up for the increase in rents. That meant two adults and two children slept in one room. Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Nakheel management declined to confirm price rises in the Gardens. The spokesperson said, "There is a lot of demand for apartments in the Gardens and a waiting list of 9,000 people." The spokesperson said people were not moving out of the Gardens because they could no longer afford to live there. "They are renting out the apartments instead of moving. They are giving it away to new tenants without the knowledge of the Gardens, while many have been on the waiting list for a very long time." He said the fact that "literally no units are available" showed "the price is within their accommodation budget and much cheaper than the normal market price of apartments in Dubai."
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