The UAE-based sustainable and technology-driven home maintenance specialist Hitches & Glitches (H&G), part of the Farnek Group, has witnessed an unprecedented increase in demand for home maintenance in Dubai’s luxury residential property sector.
Hitches & Glitches
H&G has been appointed to maintain numerous luxury properties in prime residential communities such as Emirates Hills, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Hills Estate.
One notable contract H&G has acquired is for a luxury villa in Jumeirah Bay Island, often referred to as “Billionaires Row,” which has a built-up area (BUA) of over 7,200 square metres, equivalent to the size of Manchester City’s football pitch.
H&G provides a fulltime housekeeper, maid, chef, driver, service butler, a technician and a watchman. H&G maintains gym equipment, a jacuzzi, home automation, laundry and kitchen appliances, a swimming pool and water features, extensive landscaping and manages pest control and 24-hour security.
“According to propertyfinder.ae, a 2,237 square metre plot of land in Jumeirah Bay Island is currently valued at Dhs 155 – 160 million. That obviously doesn’t even include the cost of building a villa. So, having made that level of investment, these discerning owners recognise that they require regular high-quality management and planned preventative maintenance, particularly if they are away from their home for any extended period,” commented Zohaib Azhar, director of operations at Hitches & Glitches.
Branded apartments
In addition, H&G was recently appointed to manage 900 premium branded apartments and five-star hotel residences in Dubai Downtown, Dubai Creek Harbor and Dubai Marina neighborhood. Presently H&G’s home maintenance division has more than 1,500 active Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC), valued at over Dhs 22 million, serviced by 210 qualified technicians.
Knight Frank report
According to research by property consultant Knight Frank, Dubai is currently one of the fastest-growing luxury residential markets in the world.
As such, the value of properties in Dubai’s prime residential developments continue to grow exponentially.
Over one hundred residential properties were sold for more than $10 million during the first quarter of this year alone, a 19 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2023. More than a third of those transactions were for homes on Palm Jumeirah, with investors from the UK, China and India, making up approximately 37% of total transactions.
“We initially recognised this trend over two years ago when it became apparent that increasing numbers of wealthy overseas investors were buying luxury properties in Dubai. So, we formed a specialist unit of highly trained technicians to compete in this niche market with a tailored offering, providing a convenient one-stop shop for MEP, civil, carpentry, smart home automation, white goods, special renovation projects and fit out works,” said Azhar.
H&G’s smart technology platform, which was developed in-house by Farnek’s smart FM solutions company HITEK, is also enhancing the company’s competitive advantage, especially for luxury property owners based overseas. It’s home maintenance app enables owners and property managers, to follow the progress of their planned maintenance and other service requests from initial reporting to completion and allows customers to approve and pay for any materials that maybe required to complete the job.
“Demand is also soaring for smart home gadgets, as improved technology has made devices easier to use and more effective, particularly those with remote options for international investors,” said Ahzar.
To consolidate its security offering, H&G teamed up with smart home security company Ring, which has a number of award-winning products, including motion-activated security cameras with two-way talk, built in floodlights with alarms, as well as their renowned Video Doorbell. This allows owners or managers to answer the door from anywhere in the world, via a two-way voice call and one-way live streaming of any visitor, through their smartphone app or laptop.
“Customers can buy smart product bundles direct from the H&G online store with the added convenience of installation, ongoing maintenance, relocation and add-ons, providing a seamless experience,” added Azhar.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
