Villas offer a taste of an affluent lifestyle, with ample space, privacy and amenities like pools and gardens. However, this lifestyle comes with a higher cost and more maintenance responsibilities.
While villas have several advantages, it also has some drawbacks. That said, it all comes down to personal preference.
Today, we will weigh the pros and cons of living in villas to help you make the final decision.
Pros of Living in Villas
Ample space, gated communities, amenities and private lifestyle – Living in villas have its perks. Whether you buy or rent a villa in the UAE, the benefits of this property type attract many.
Family-Friendly Environment
Villas are the ideal home for settling down with your family. They have more bedrooms, allowing family members more room to spread out.
Additionally, the communities with villas are usually gated, which means additional security for the children. Children can go out and play safely, even at night.
Alongside, there are designated indoor and outdoor sports clubs where kids can participate in sports.
For instance, there are many villa communities in Dubai that offer several family-friendly amenities and facilities around.
Sense of Community
Living in a villa, you are mostly familiar with most of the faces inside your gated community. Moreover, it’s common for neighbouring families to develop friendships. You can come across other like-minded people when visiting shared areas like gyms or clubhouses.
Developing relationships is easier when the area is less crowded, and the brain is not concerned with ‘stranger danger’.
Potential for Investment
One of the primary advantages of living in villas is that it’s a great financial decision. UAE’s real estate market is booming, and so are the capital gains and rental yields on villas, making it a prospective investment in many cases.
Peace
These communities with villas have drastically fewer residences compared to apartments. This translates to fewer neighbours close by and ample distance between houses. Besides, you can also unwind in your private outdoor space, with no traffic noises ruining your alone time.
Get-togethers
More Space
You have more space in all aspects of your residential needs. This means you can devote certain areas to certain hobbies. Add more furniture to decorate your home. Each family member has more privacy and freedom to personalise their area.
Cons of Living in Villas
While living in villas has several benefits, they also have disadvantages. For instance, they have higher buying and renting costs compared to apartments. Moreover, the villa communities have fewer amenities nearby, such as supermarkets and shopping malls.
Apparent Costs
Let’s get the most expected disadvantage of living in villas out of the way. Yes, most villas are more expensive than apartments. Even with a mortgage, be prepared for a significantly more serious financial commitment compared to getting an apartment.
If upfront costs are keeping you from choosing a villa, research more. You can find some of the top affordable villa communities in Dubai.
Living in villas, you can use your backyard to hold social gatherings for family and friends. Relish barbecues with the family or host a bonfire night, which grants you additional freedom. This freedom might seem minor, but this control over your living space is priceless.
Hidden Costs
Owning or renting villas comes with a hidden cost similar to apartments. While the UAE doesn’t have any property taxes, you must pay a transfer fee of 4% of the villa value when you buy a villa. This fee is applicable to apartments as well. That said, villas have higher prices, and the fees are higher as well.
Additionally, there is a municipality fee for apartments and villas. For instance, if you own or rent a villa in Dubai, there is a 5% fee on the average rent in the area. Since the rent of villas is more than the apartments, the fee also becomes higher,
However, the hidden costs do not end there. There is also a service fee you have to pay to your villa community for general upkeep and security.
That’s not all; villas are generally way bigger than apartments and have additional front and back space. This not only adds to the service fee but also to the additional expenses for general maintenance, which include fees for:
- Landscaping
- Plumbing
- Handyman Service
- AC Cleaning
- Home Cleaning
- Pool Maintenance
- Pest Control
Distant Communities
The communities are almost always car-dependent. Since they are situated far from the centre, public transport options are highly limited. The residents living in villas need their car to get to work or anywhere else.
Lack of Options
Villas are more private and generally situated on the outskirts of the city. The community has all the necessities within closed walls, including supermarkets, clinics, and more. This results in longer commutes to regular events happening at every corner of a vibrant city like Dubai.
Summing Up Pros and Cons of Villas
| Pros | Cons |
| Family-Friendly Environment | Apparent Costs |
| Sense of Community | Hidden Costs |
| Potential for Investment | Car Dependence |
| Peace | Lack of Options |
| Get-togethers | Lifestyle Change |
| More Space |
FAQs
A villa is a spacious and stand-alone house, often detached and featuring amenities like a garden and private pool. Generally, villas are situated inside gated communities with shared amenities, such as parks and supermarkets.
Villas can be single-story. Also, some designs come with two floors for additional living space.
Some of the significant advantages of living in a Dubai villa are:
Family-Friendly Environment
These are all the pros and cons of living in villas. However, all these depend upon personal preferences. One can choose the type of villa, research, and explore the neighborhood.
You can find more about living in different types of properties on the Property Finder blogs.
