45% of tenants are looking to upsize in the next six months: report
The most common reason for tenants wanting to relocate is that they are not happy with the rent that they are paying (43%)
Less than a third of respondents will be staying in the same area (28%) with 57% moving to a new area and 16% moving to a different emirate
A quarter (25%) of respondents aim to furnish their new home with pre-owned furniture
dubizzle Property, the UAE’s biggest and most visited online property platform, reveals that 83% of tenants surveyed are looking to move into a new home in the next six months, with almost half (45%) searching for a larger property.
The poll of 1004 dubizzle users that was conducted on the platform in October 2019 explored the main reasons why people are looking to move and how they will be furnishing their new home. The results indicate that the majority of the active home seekers surveyed are looking to upsize, while 37% are looking for a similar sized property and only 18% want to downsize.
When questioned about why they are looking to move, the most common reasons were that tenants are not happy with the rent they are paying (43%), they are unhappy with the building/community facilities (24%), they want to be closer to work/school (23%) and that their family situation changed (22%).
The desire to live in a prime area was the least popular reason, with only 9% of respondents selecting this as one of the top three reasons behind their decision to move. However, only 28% will be staying in the same area, with 57% moving to a new area and 16% moving to a different emirate.
Commenting on the poll results, Matthew Gregory, Director at dubizzle Property said: “We have seen property prices continue to soften throughout the year across the UAE. While the increase of supply has placed downward pressure on prices, it has also presented tenants with a larger pool of property to select from. They now have the flexibility to find a property that is not just better suited to their lifestyle but is within budget.”
Out of those seeking a new home, 83% currently live in apartments and are looking to either move to another apartment (71%) or to a villa (12%). The remaining 17% of respondents live in a villa, with 8% of those looking to move to an apartment that is larger (31%), smaller (51%) or similar size (18%) than their current home.
In terms of furnishing their new home, 25% will be opting for second-hand items, 27% will be buying brand new furniture and 55% of respondents claimed that their current furniture will be enough.
When asked about what they plan on doing with their current furniture, the most common response was ‘take it all with me’ (64%), followed by ‘keep some of it’ (27%). Almost a fifth would give their current furniture a second life by opting to ‘sell it’ (8%), ‘give some of it to family/friends or charity’ (7%), and ‘call on services like takemyjunk’ (4%), with only 5% opting to ‘throw it away’.
“Most furniture has a lifespan of 7 to 13 years, as naturally, people outgrow it and look for a refresh, particularly if moving homes. From this poll, it’s great to see that most used furniture will either be kept or passed on to family members or friends. A sustainable mindset which considers waste reduction is vital in today’s world,” commented Helmut Bracun, General Manager of Classifieds at dubizzle.