A growing number of tenants are opting to hunt for a new home online rather than face to face, as authorities encourage the public to observe social distancing or stay home to avoid contracting coronavirus.

Urban, an app for rentals, has seen an 87 percent jump in daily active users across its platforms over a period of 10 days starting March 8, and a 60 percent surge in daily active users from March 8 to March 21.

It also recorded a 92 percent rise in the number of offers submitted for listed properties on its app in the week to March 19.

The UAE has urged the public to adhere to social distancing guidelines and take precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which has now infected nearly 400,000 people worldwide.

“As authorities in the UAE admirably continue to combat COVID-19, landlords and renters are being forced to adapt to this new reality. People are looking to rent, but rightly concerned that viewing properties will mean contravening social distancing guidelines. Landlords are worried that the virus will dampen rental demand,” Rashid Al Ghurair, CEO and founder of Urban said.

Urban said  they are encouraging landlords to list their properties online, as many tenants in the UAE will still need to search for a new home when their tenancy contract expires despite the “cautious environment.”

(Writing by Gerard Aoun; editing by Cleofe Maceda)

( Gerard.Aoun@refinitiv.com )

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