Bahrain residential rental property market is driven by the expatriate work force drawn to Bahrain.  Expat’s on the island make up approximately 40% of the population and until recently were unable to solely purchase property, therefore the demand for rental property has been high and rental prices a reflection of this.  Of this group the American Military’s presence here has spurred enormous growth and development to provide the demand, in a particular location and style of housing to suit.  This niche has proven to be very lucrative for the budding and well established landlord’s who have introduced a new standard of style, fully furnished, all-inclusive, serviced with facilities, a kind of package deal and all for fairly high rents.  The military budget is high, ranging from approximately BD500 to BD850 for a two bedroom and the top end allowances up to BD1500.  Juffair is the vortex, full and forever expanding with high-rise (average 10 floor) apartment buildings.  Of any of these buildings only 25% can be occupied by military personal, hence the remaining will be rented out to civilians, normally at a reduced rent, often hundreds of Dinar less.  Most of these buildings in Juffair are new and the standards high, all with 24 hr security, some with Internet provided, most provide DVD and full audio equipment, car cleaning or transportation.   

Stepping slightly out of Juffair, venturing into older, more established territory you will find Exhibition Road.  Full of apartments with a mixture of old and new, semi furnished or fully furnished and ranging in price.  Many of the new buildings along the front of the Marina Parade are of impeccable standard, commanding high rents and taking in the sea views.  This area is prestigious being close to the Diplomatic Area, the center of Manama and still very much in close range of the NSA base.  It is popular with the Military and members of the finance, banking industry and other big budget executives.  

Scanning the rest of Manama, you will find a mixture of properties, apartments, villas and inner city compounds, prices ranging from BD200 to BD2000.  You get what you pay for, if you want the extras then up goes the rent but there are still standard properties at basic rents.  As a rough idea fully furnished, inclusive apartments in town, 2BR will go for around BD500 for a pleasing standard and unfurnished 3BR-4BR villas in town, again for a reasonable standard will be around the BD700 exclusive mark.  But this is just a generalization and some availability on the market can be surprising.

Popularly, a lot of the villas and compounds, especially out from Juffair and town are semi furnished, this means, carpets, curtains and air conditioners.  They tend to be rented exclusively which means that the 10% (of the monthly rent) municipality tax, the electricity and a small water charge has to be paid by the tenant via a monthly municipality bill sent to the residential address.  Who pays this is dependant on the arrangement with the Landlord, for the monthly budget they just may well include these charges in the rent, they may also name an electricity cap for the average of the year and if the cost exceeds the agreed amount then the tenant pays the difference at the end of the year.  Electricity charges are a consideration if you do rent exclusively and the costs can considerably differ from winter to summer.  Most of the cost is driven by the air conditioners and with temps soaring over the 40c in summer charges can be up to BD30 per month for a small flat and to BD100 or more for a large villa, also depending on whether the property has window, split or central air conditioners.  The telephone account is supplied by the local telecommunications monopoly, a company called Batelco.   

The further from town and towards the infamous Saar and Budaiya you will find the compound dwellers.  Families all enjoying the 'more for less' theory.  Great for families, with a lot of the older compounds ranging from BD500 per month and up to the luxurious, with ornate gardens and fantasy playgrounds for the kids but prices soar over BD900.  Most compounds have a pool; private and communal gardens of sorts, maid accommodations, kids play and some have tennis court, squash, sauna and steam, gym, golf or sea views.  This area is close to St Christopher’s school, excellent expatriate supermarkets, clubs, cinemas and around 20 minutes into town.  Over the rest of the island you will find a mixture of villages, residential complexes for Bahrainis - old and new, scattered compounds, luxurious areas and new developments for the well to do and those connected with the ruling family.

 First thing to do is to think carefully about your requirements, primarily keeping in mind the budget, including any extra expenses (you don’t have to consider petrol which is a nice change).  Think about the location, do you want to live close to work, schools or friends?  Think about the number of bedrooms required, style of property, facilities you would like and what is most important to you and the family.  Write a dream list but keep in mind the constraints of your budget.  If you liaise with us we can help you narrow down the search, even before you get here and we can start talking options.  There are a number of good registered estate agencies on the island offering placement services such as ours.  The fee is paid by the landlord and is negotiated as a percentage of one months rent.  You should not have to pay any fees direct to the company and if you feel they are not sincere, we suggest you look for a reputable registered company that will assist in your relocation honestly and with your best interests at heart.

The more information we (or your chosen) can get a head of time gives us time to ring around for availability and organize viewing appointments.  At a suitable time one of our agents will take you around the island viewing the best properties, it can take anything from up to two hours plus.  After the decision has been made it is then a good time to meet with the landlord or just with the agent to go around the property and make a list of requirements to be negotiated along with the price.  If all is agreed and everyone happy the agent will then organize the contract on your behalf and finalize the deal.  Full details have to be given at this stage and depending on the landlord’s requirements, copy of passports or CPR or a company letter may be required.  Three months in advance and then quarterly or monthly in advance thereafter is standard but can be negotiated.  Good company contracts are looked at rather favorably compared to a personal contracts and the standard terms are one or two years, again this will be negotiated for you.  We write into all our contracts a diplomatic clause, which exempts the tenant or company from contract fulfillment in the case that the tenant is permanently withdrawn from Bahrain, in the case that the tenant is forced or chooses to leave the island suddenly.  It is a good safe guard.  Then hopefully everything is organized, we follow up and give any help we can in the future, and next time you shift we are there to do it all again.