Liverpudlian needing accommodation help

Hey Stephen,

I moved to Riyadh from London last year and I hope my advice is of some use. Although my company provided me with accomadation, I managed to.find my own

I think you'll be able to find decent accomodation in many places and it definitely doesn't have to be in a compound. Riyadh is a very safe place to live in, just obey the local customs and you'll be fine.

Your company should help you settle, but I'm guessing you are posting here because they're not exactly helping! In any case the best alternative I would therefore suggest is book in at a hotel for a few days and use this time to look for a furnished apartment (check out booking.com for good cheap hotels) There are plenty of these types of buildings available. They're usually called shiqah mafrooshah - Furnished apartments. There is a famous chain of these apartments called Boudl and I'm confident a taxi driver will be aware of this. If not, just ask for the Arabic term I mentioned and he'll promptly take you there.

In terms of price for these furnished aprtments, I remember paying around 1800 riyaals for a month but I'm not exactly sure.

Hope this helps!

Hello; and many thanks for your email.

The company are providing me with accommodation for th first 2-3 months until I find somewhere suitable but I'd rather get the ball rolling and find somewhere to call my own (evn if I'm sharing).

For what you said that you were paying it is well within my budget - I was looking at budgeting for much more on that but I guess that would depend on the building, location and how furnished.

Do you know if they have an email address or contact details and I can get the ball rolling?

In terms of life outside - do you find many expats in the same position as adventurous as yourself living with the locals and is there any position in Riyadh that most expats reside?

Hello there and welcome to the desert (almost). 

There are quite a few expats who live outside of a compound.  I think it is just a matter of choice really.  You can find a nice one bedroom outside of a compound for around SAR30K a year.

T_H's post about maybe staying at a hotel/furnished apartment before finding a more permanent place is a very good advice.  I live 7 blocks from my office in the center of the city.  Yes, it is a compound but I like the idea of just walking all over the place - makes things a lot easier for me since I do not have a car.

Just like anything else in a major city - it is all about the location.  A lot of times you just get lucky and happen upon a flat that is becoming available.  Other times you can wait for months before finding suitable accomodations.

Either way, best of luck on your move.  There are a lot of resources on this forum and certainly there are a lot of expats who are more than willing to assit you with your move.

Cheers for the help!

It's really starting to put my mind at ease - if I live outside the compounds do the majority of buildings have pool and gym facilities, internet and secure : also with the expat communities do they live in a particular part of Riyadh and where would you recommend to live?

I'm coming across as an area manager for a retail company so my stores will be scattered across Riyadh so I'm not looking for a particular location but wouldn't mind residing somewhere were I can meet a lot of Brits and watch a match from time to time

The apartments outside of a compound (that I know of) DO NOT have any other facilities other than the apartment itself and MAYBE parking.  They do not have pools nor gym facilities.  Certainly there are public pools and gyms that you can access for a nominal fee.

Most compounds will have a pool and a gym.  Some have additional facilities like a small grocery store, laundry/dry cleaning facilities, restaurant, bar (some even serve alcohol - there I said it!!  Haha)

Apart from a general statement that you find a lot of expats living in a compound, there is not really a specific part of town where they live.  Keeping in mind that quite a few of the compounds are kinda in the outskirts of the city center. 

For internet - if you live outside of a compound you can get internet access by subscribing to one of many telecom companies in town.  In my compound I pay SAR500 every 3 months for internet access.  Speed is not too too bad - I do not do much downloading of movies although I download songs.

As far as which area of town to live - well I can tell you my personal preference (which may or may not be in line with yours).  Even back home I like living in or near the city center.  I like the idea of having easy access to things without having to drive and sit in traffic.  That is the reason why I chose to live in the center of town.  My compound is literally between the Kingdom Tower (to the north) and the Faisaliah Tower (to the south).  There are restaurants and coffee shops, shopping within a 2 block radius of my place.  Yes there is a lot of traffic - but then again there is traffic ALL over the place in Riyadh!!

I am sure there are sports bars (or close to it) in town - I just have not found them.  You will find an occasional coffee shop or restaurant showing football but I have not found a place where there are multiple screens showing different games.  I am sure some of the more seasoned expats know where and if such a place exists.

There is one compound that I know of where a lot of Brits live - Palm Court.  I do, believe, however that it is a bit difficult to get in and the folks I know who live there went through their employer to get them their unit.  Otherwise, you can always be "guested" in to the compound once you get to meet the other Brits.

In terms of security, Riyadh (and Saudi Arabia) in general has a very low crime rate.  I am not saying that it does  not happen but it certainly is not to the extent of the crime that you read about back home.  Having said that I am sure there are parts of town that are more desirable than others.  I am sure some of the expats who have been here longer can tell you the areas to avoid.  I can say though that there are a few car breaks ins that have been reported.  A couple of my friends just had their cars broken into 3 nights ago (they live outside of a compound).  They live in the south part of town.

I hope the info helps.