Doha offers a couple of housing options; there are individual villas, compounds and apartments available to rent. The majority of properties can be rented fully furnished. Most apartment blocks have security and maintenance. However, there are not that many good apartment blocks and those that are available tend to be expensive. Many do not have facilities such as a pool or gym. There are plenty of compounds all over Doha, but the good ones tend to have long waiting lists. Certain companies rent a number of houses in various compounds, so you may be lucky enough to get into a reasonable compound. Most compounds are equipped with facilities such as a swimming pool and gym, and the larger ones may have tennis courts, children's play areas, clubhouses and even small supermarkets. Individual houses are also available in different areas around Doha and some are stunning, with lovely finishes. There are many newly built villas and plenty still under construction. Various property developments, that will be available for purchase by expats, are already being built.

Most internationally recruited staff have their accommodation paid for by their employers. Some companies give employees an allowance to find their own house and others will have a number of villas already rented for you to choose from, which means you can bypass the long waiting lists on popular compounds. Most people stay in Doha, although there are a few large compounds in AI Khor, which is about a one-hour drive from Doha. Low-rental, government-owned properties are not available for rental to expats. Most newcomers tend to use real estate agents to help find a place to live. Going it alone might mean driving around in circles for ages, and when you do find somewhere suitable you may not be able to find out who to contact, or find yourself negotiating with someone with very little English. Agents will know which houses are available and whether or not the price is right. The landlord usually pays the agent a commission of one month's rent.

Renting directly from a landlord can reduce the rent, but it may be more of a hassle than it is worth in the long run. Getting any maintenance work done may be very difficult, so make sure you have a contact number for someone to do the maintenance in case you cannot contact your landlord.

Rent is paid for the period of your contract, usually in the form of postdated cheques. Most rental contracts are for one year, but you can request a longer lease, which will prevent your rent from increasing after one year. It is possible to negotiate the rental price with the landlord, especially if you pay for the entire year's rental with one cheque. However, don't be surprised if, after you have negotiated a price, the landlord changes his mind and increases it again; even after the contract has been signed!

If you are looking for shared accommodation, look out for ads on noticeboards in supermarkets or in the classified section of the local newspapers. Neither electricity nor water is included in any of the contracts, and you will receive a monthly bill.

Always check that air conditioning units are included in the rent when looking for a villa, as some landlords do not install them and it can be an expensive item for you to buy. Some apartment blocks have a no-pet rule and it is best to check with your landlord beforehand if you wish to have animals in the apartment. Landlords of individual villas may stipulate that dogs are not allowed, but this is not common.

You can rent accommodation through any of the estate agents in Doha. Word of mouth is a good way of finding out which ones are best for helping you find what you are looking for.

Real Estate Agents
Adam Real Estate	4415144
Ahmed Hassan Bilal	4428877
Al Mana Real Estate;	4621222
Muftah Services	4328100
Appollo	4689522
Homes 2 Rent	4383807
Jumbo Real Estate	4357200
Manazil Real Estate	4355154
Moon Real Estate	4362719
The Specialists	4363990
The Wall Real Estate	4665002
XPO Real Estate	4426977

The lease should be in English, so insist on an English translation if one is not provided. Don't sign anything which is in Arabic, always have it translated. Most lease agreements will be signed by the company, unless you pay for your own rent. If your company signs the lease, they will attach a copy of the company's commercial registration and a copy of the sponsor's 10. If you sign your own contract, en you will need to attach a copy of your 10 and your sponsor's 10.

normal notice period is two months prior to expiry date on the contract.

To renew your lease, the landlord will issue a new contract to be signed and then payment will be made as agreed between both parties.

The most popular form of accommodation in Doha is a villa in a compound, but unfortunately the most popular compounds have long waiting lists. As a new resident you do have an advantage as you will be able to offer immediate occupancy, where as others on the waiting list may have an existing lease that requires a notice period. Larger compounds offer swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, children's play areas and small supermarkets. The majority of the larger compounds do not rent through real estate agents as they have waiting lists, so word of mouth is the best way of finding out about any villas that may be available. However, they won't be available for long! There are new compounds coming onto the market regularly but most do not offer the same ammenities as the large, older compounds. Many of the new compounds are much smaller and only offer a small communal swimming pool and little in the way of private gardens.

The alternative is an individual villa, and in general you will be able to get more house for your money. Some villas have a private swimming pool; check the lease to see who is responsible for the upkeep of the pool as this can get expensive.

Many expats are finding the rent increases to villas are taking them out of their price range, leaving apartments as the alternative. Again though, rental prices for apartments are increasing at the same rate if not faster than villas.

With the spiraling rents, don't be surprised if you find a property only to be told that the asking price has been increased. Accommodation is not exclusive to each real estate agency and it is not uncommon for someone to offer more than the original asking price. When scouring the accommodation advertisements, these are some of the common abbreviations you may come across:

D/S - Double storey, F/F - Fully Furnished, S/F - Semi Furnished (with a/c and perhaps kitchen appliances), SIP - Swimming pool, Split A/C - air conditioning units on wall, U/F - Unfurnished

As with other cities around the world, the price of accommodation depends as much on the location as on the age or state of the property.

This section gives brief details of some of the main residential areas in Doha. In addition to the areas listed, apartments are available in the Najma, Mumtaza and Al Mansour areas, with Najma probably being the cheapest.

Probably the least popular area as it is the most densely populated. It is also the least convenient for those commuting into town, and access to the majority of schools is not as easy as from other areas. The monthly rent for an unfurnished apartment with two bedrooms would be around QR 4,000, with three bedrooms costing QR 4,500. A

furnished apartment with two bedrooms would be QR 5,000 and three bedrooms QR 6,000. Unfurnished villas with three bedrooms go for around QR 9,000, and four bedrooms for QR 11,000. Furnished villas cost QR 12,000 for three bedrooms and QR 13,000 for four.

This area is considered to be the most desirable in Doha, with some virtual palaces available and QR 35,000 a month price tags to go with them! Access to DESS and downtown Doha is convenient but the trip to Doha College and the American School could be 30 minutes.

Unfurnished apartments with two bedrooms go for QR 5,000, and three bedrooms QR 5,600. For furnished apartments you could add up to QR 2,000 per month to that figure. Unfurnished villas with three bedrooms are in the region of QR 11,500, four bedrooms QR 16,000; and furnished villas with three bedrooms QR 15,000 and four bedrooms QR 19,000.

Doha continues to expand and the natural direction is along Salwa Road. Both individual and compound villas are under construction, some of the most desirable large compounds are also located in this area. Local ammenities are good and access to Doha College and the American School is convenient. Access to DESS and downtown Doha is less convinient during rush hour with commutes of up to 30 minutes - a long commute for a Doha resident! Rents are just a little less than those in West Bay, but obviously depend a great deal on the individual property.

The above prices are approximate and of course depend on a variety of factors including available facilities. Also, as rents seem to be constantly increasing you may find them to be significantly more expensive when you go house hunting.

Most companies pay for accommodation, which means they usually pay the deposits required for various utilities. The deposit for electricity and water is QR 2,000. Security deposits for rented accommodation are one month's rent. Qtel charges a monthly line rental of QR 100, which they charge three months in advance.

Commissions for real estate agents are paid by the landlord; usually one month's rent.

Maintenance is usually taken care of by the landlord. If you live in an apartment or on a compound it is easier to get maintenance work done. If you live in an individual villa, it may be more difficult. If you rent directly from the landlord, you can expect to wait a considerable time for maintenance work to be carried out, if it ever gets done! Try to get the landlord to commit to a company that can carry out routine maintenance work. This way, if he is unavailable, you have a contact number for someone to help.

The garden, if you have one, is the tenant's responsibility. The water charges are not that expensive in Qatar, so it doesn't cost a fortune for the upkeep of a garden. Qataris don't seem that keen on gardens, so the majority of the properties have either interlocking bricks or tiles instead of grass. Most landlords will allow you to lift the tiles and plant greenery if you wish, but this can work out to be rather pricey, especially if you have a large outside area.

Buying a property in a foreign country always carries an element of risk. If you are serious about buying a property in Qatar, it is important to do your research. It is also advisable to consult a lawyer with regard to the contract before signing anything. Remember that only Qatari nationals may buy undeveloped land to build on.

The Pearl is the largest real estate project in Qatar that offers freehold properties to non-nationals and it should be ready for the first investors to take up residency by early 2007. More development projects are currently in the planning stages.

If you are interested in purchasing a property on the Pearl, you should contact United Development Company (4463444). Their office is on the second floor of Al Fardan Centre on Grand Hamad Street. The sales team will be happy to give you a presentation on the project and answer any queries that you may have. With the purchase of a property on the Pearl, the buyer will be given a residence visa for himself and his dependants until the resale of the property. For resale, UDC have first refusal, and if they opt not to buy it back from you you can sell the property yourself or advertise through a real estate company. There is a 2.5% management fee if you choose to resell the property.

Once you have purchased the property, you may rent it out if you wish.

When buying a house on the Pearl (currently the only project in Qatar where non-nationals may purchase property), Qatar National Bank (4407407) and the Commercial Bank of Qatar (449 0000) can arrange mortgages for you. Either bank will assist you in getting a mortgage suitable to your needs and will be able to assist you with any queries once you have chosen your property. It's likely that other banks will also offer mortgages in the future.

Be sure to check for other (hidden) costs when purchasing a property in Qatar. There is a maintenance fee, which is QR65 per square metre and is paid on an annual basis.

Buying property for expats is a new venture for both the developer and the investor. United Development Company is planning to open a division to deal with all queries regarding legal proceedings when buying a property. More advice is available on their website - www.thepearlqatar.com.

It would be advisable to have a will written, if you haven't already got one, when you purchase a house. The houses on the Pearl are freehold leases, so a valid will would ensure that, should anything happen to you, your property is allocated according to your wishes.