While I agree with most of what Contacted says, especially the part about not moving out of company accommodation unless you really, really know what you are doing, I have to clarify some of the figures.
I moved out of company accommodation 4 years ago. Best thing I ever did in Emirates (not sure I'd do the same now though!). My maintenance charge hasn't gone up by anything like 200%, more like 5-7% a year. Only one development suffered a 200% increase (Green Community, 2 years ago) and they were paying about a quarter of what the rest of Dubai was paying anyway, so the increase only brought it up to a realistic level.
My electricity and water bills haven't gone up
at all in 4 years. However, the monopolistic utilities company have recently revised their tariffs so no the more you use above a certain level, the more you pay. It is supposed to encourage people to use less, although it could just be a scam to make more money. Possibly.
The cost of water and electricity (especially in summer) is certainly something to look at very closely before you move out of company accommodation. My personal prediction is that before too much longer Emirates will be looking to people in company accommodation for a "contribution" towards their DEWA bills.
The property agents take 5% of your first year's rent as a fee for finding the place. So they will only be taking tens of thousands of Dirhams if your rent is more than 200,000 Dhs a year. Which let's face it, it probably will be if you are renting a villa rather than an apartment.