How to check a RERA-licensed agent

Why verification matters

Dubai regulates real estate brokerage through the Dubai Land Department and its regulatory arm, RERA. Licensed brokers are registered individually and work through a licensed brokerage office. Using a licensed broker gives you a regulated counterparty and a route to complain if something goes wrong.

Most agents are legitimate. The checks below take a few minutes and protect you from the minority who are not, including fake listings, cloned adverts and requests for deposits to personal accounts.

Step one: check the individual broker

Ask the agent for their broker registration number, often printed on their broker card. Then look them up yourself using the Dubai REST app or the broker search on the DLD website. Confirm that:

• the name and photo match the person you are dealing with
• the registration is active, not expired
• the brokerage office shown matches the company they say they represent

Do not rely on a screenshot sent by the agent. Search it yourself.

Step two: check the brokerage office

The brokerage company should hold a valid office registration with DLD and a trade licence. Its details should appear in the same official search tools. Check that the company name on the advert, the email domain and the Form A or Form B agreement all match. Our licence and compliance page shows ours.

Step three: check the advert

Property adverts in Dubai need a DLD advertising permit issued through Trakheesi. Since April 2023, adverts have been required to show a Madmoun QR code. Scan it with your phone camera: it should open an official page confirming the permit, the broker and the property details.

If an advert has no QR code, if the QR code opens a different property, or if the broker named is not the person you are speaking to, ask questions before going further. A permit confirms the advert is registered; it does not confirm the price is fair.

Step four: check the paperwork and payments

Agency relationships in Dubai are documented on standard DLD forms. A seller signs Form A with their agent, a buyer signs Form B, and the parties sign the Form F memorandum of understanding; see our Form F MOU guide. Tenants usually deal with a tenancy contract registered through Ejari.

• Pay deposits and fees to the party named in the signed agreement.
• Ask for a receipt on company letterhead.
• Be cautious of any request to pay into a personal account or by cash.
• For off-plan purchases, payments go to the project's escrow account, as explained in our escrow guide.

If something looks wrong

Stop and do not pay. Report suspicious adverts or brokers to DLD through its official channels. Keep messages, adverts and receipts. Our guide to choosing a listing agent in Dubai covers what good practice looks like once you know an agent is licensed, and how to verify a developer on Dubai REST covers off-plan checks.