Sales and leasing brokerage
Identify whether the company will arrange sales, lettings or both. Match the commercial activities, DLD requirements and staff roles to that scope.
← Knowledge HubVantablack practical guide · Dubai real estate
Real Estate Brokerage in Dubai
Plan the company, qualify the team and establish the controls required to market property and support transactions.
VANTABLACK / THE CONNECTED ROUTE
Follow the numbered routeA brokerage ready for its first instruction.
Select a checkpoint for detail
01Define the brokerage scopeView checkpoint
Business facts and scope to clarify
02Confirm company & premisesView checkpoint
Sources, evidence and open questions
03Register the practice rolesView checkpoint
Required records and responsibilities
04Verify listing permissionsView checkpoint
Evidence, review and unresolved gaps
05Apply transaction controlsView checkpoint
Written scope and acceptance
06Keep compliance currentView checkpoint
Activity, conditions and issued record
Overview of the guide below. Confirm the requirements for your exact scope; an overview is not an approval.
Read the steps
- Define the brokerage scope — Business facts and scope to clarify
- Confirm company & premises — Sources, evidence and open questions
- Register the practice roles — Required records and responsibilities
- Verify listing permissions — Evidence, review and unresolved gaps
- Apply transaction controls — Written scope and acceptance
- Keep compliance current — Activity, conditions and issued record
Three requirements. Separate responsibilities.
- Company licence
The legal business and its approved activities.
- Professional authorisation
The people permitted to carry out brokerage work.
- Property marketing permission
The authorisation and permit for the specific listing or campaign.
This guide concerns Dubai property brokerage.
Buying property for your own account, managing properties, developing projects and operating holiday homes are separate business models.
A generic company registration does not settle the permissions for all of them.
Define the service before selecting the licence
Property management
Managing someone else’s property is different from introducing a buyer or tenant. Assess the management activity, client-money responsibilities and any separate requirements.
Development and own-account investment
Building a project or buying assets for the company’s own investment is not the same as acting as a broker for a client.
Review these objectives separately.
Location and ownership
Confirm the proposed licensing route, ownership, management and office requirements before committing to premises.
A free-zone registration does not automatically establish permission for the intended Dubai activity.
A practical setup sequence
- Define the operating model
Activities, owners, premises, team and intended property market.
- Complete company licensing
Coordinate the licensing authority and DLD requirements, including the Trakheesi record.
- Authorise the team
Complete the applicable eligibility, examination and professional-card process.
- Prepare for operations
Confirm listing authority, contracts, advertising permissions and compliance controls.
The sequence can overlap. DLD’s current licensing service refers to applications through DET and Trakheesi, with additional NOC requirements for free-zone licences. Confirm the route for the exact activity rather than assuming every application follows the same process.
Professional practice cards: plan for each role
Eligibility and examination
DLD’s practice-card service lists good-conduct and examination conditions for brokers, with specified exemptions.
Confirm the current conditions and any required training for the applicant; do not assume an exemption applies.
Documents and company association
Prepare the documents requested for the selected card and ensure the individual’s details are correctly associated with the brokerage.
Avoid applying requirements for valuers or other professions to every broker.
Registration references
The office registration number (ORN) identifies the brokerage.
The broker registration number (BRN) identifies the individual broker.
Check both against the current DLD records rather than relying on a business card or advertisement.
A rating or classification does not replace authorisation.
Renewals and changes
The card’s validity is linked to the trade licence. Track licence renewal, professional-card renewal and applicable examination requirements. Update records when people or company details change; a licence renewal alone is not a complete staff-compliance check.
Forms A, B and F: understand the relationship
These agreements serve different parties. Record the appointment, service scope, commission, payment responsibilities and conditions clearly before a transaction progresses.
Seller ↔ Brokerage
The seller appoints the brokerage for the property-marketing relationship.
Buyer ↔ Brokerage
The buyer’s appointment sets out the brokerage relationship for the purchase search.
Seller ↔ Buyer
The sale agreement records the terms between seller and buyer. It is not the completed ownership registration.
Use the current DLD electronic contract process for the transaction. Confirm the agreed commission and when it becomes payable; do not present a market convention as a universal legal rate. Obtain appropriate advice before changing contract terms, retaining a deposit or asserting a right to cancel.
A listing should pass four checks before publication
- Authority to market
Confirm the owner or authorised representative and the written marketing appointment.
- Accurate property information
Verify the property, price, availability and material details.
- Permit and QR code
Obtain the applicable Trakheesi advertising permit and follow Madmoun requirements.
- Ongoing monitoring
Track permit validity and correct or withdraw inaccurate or unavailable listings.
Advertising requirements extend beyond property portals to other relevant media and promotional formats. Owner consent, a trade licence and an advertising permit are different checks.
Off-plan marketing requires additional verification
Project and developer
Verify the project’s registration and current status, the developer and the brokerage’s marketing appointment before promotion.
An attractive sales brochure is not evidence of project authorisation.
Project escrow and payments
Confirm the designated project escrow account and verify payment instructions through a reliable channel. Off-plan purchase instalments belong in the appropriate project account; do not treat the brokerage’s ordinary account as a substitute. Separate purchase funds from the brokerage’s agreed fees.
Build professional controls into daily operations
Client care and records
Provide accurate information, disclose relevant conflicts, protect confidential information and retain the signed instructions and transaction history. Give clients a clear contact and escalation route.
Owner contact and marketing
Use authorised contact channels and respect privacy and communication preferences. Check current Dubai REST Green List conditions where relevant. Telemarketing also has separate approval, company-number and Do Not Call Registry requirements; access to contact data is not blanket permission to call.
Anti-money-laundering controls
Real estate agents and brokers within the applicable AML framework need risk-based customer checks, beneficial-owner verification, screening, records, staff training and a reporting process. Establish the compliance responsibility and applicable goAML registration. Escalate unusual funding, unexplained ownership or third-party payments rather than bypassing checks to complete a sale.
Complaints and disputes
Keep the signed agreements, approvals, receipts and correspondence. Assess the appropriate DLD complaint, settlement or legal channel for the issue. Do not promise that a complaint automatically cancels a sale agreement or guarantees a refund.
The current AML framework and 2026 sector guidance must be considered alongside the older brokerage handbook. Confirm applicable reporting, sanctions and record-retention obligations with a qualified compliance adviser.
Budget for the operation, not only the licence
Company and premises
Registration, activity-related authority charges, premises, required documents and Vantablack’s agreed service scope.
People and professional permissions
Applicable training, examination, practice-card, immigration and employment costs for the actual team.
Marketing and transactions
Advertising permits, campaign or event permissions, systems and the costs applicable to each transaction.
Recurring responsibilities
Renewals, accounting, tax, compliance, professional support and ongoing operating expenses. Confirm current fees before agreeing the budget.
Before the first listing: your launch checklist
- Confirm the licensed activities and the DLD company record.
- Verify the office arrangements and permitted operating location.
- Confirm the appropriate authorisation for every brokerage role.
- Set up the current electronic contract and approval process.
- Document the property owner’s authority and marketing appointment.
- Verify property details, advertising permission and the QR-code requirements.
- For off-plan work, check the project, developer, marketing appointment and escrow details.
- Assign responsibility for client checks, reporting, renewals, records and complaints.
Common brokerage questions
Is a company trade licence enough to begin brokerage?
No.
The company’s licensing and DLD records, the relevant professional practice cards and property-specific marketing permissions must all be in place for the work being performed.
Does every member of the sales team need a broker card?
Personnel carrying out regulated brokerage work must hold the appropriate authorisation.
Do not assume that a colleague’s card covers the whole team.
Confirm the requirements for each role with DLD.
Can I advertise as soon as the owner agrees?
Owner authorisation is one requirement. Verify the property information, obtain the applicable advertising permit and follow the current Madmoun QR-code requirements before publishing.
Does Form F transfer the property to the buyer?
No.
Form F records the sale agreement between buyer and seller.
The applicable DLD registration process must still be completed; signing a sale agreement and registering ownership are different steps.
Can brokerage, property management and development share one approval?
These are different activities. The correct scope and approvals depend on the services the company will actually provide. Do not assume that a brokerage approval permits property management or development.
Can you give one fixed total for opening a brokerage?
A dependable total needs the activity scope, ownership, premises, team and planned marketing channels.
Request an itemised quotation that separates setup, recurring costs, broker-related costs and advertising permits.
Plan the brokerage around its intended services.
Prepare your proposed activities, ownership, premises, team size and target market. Vantablack can assess the setup requirements and coordinate the agreed process. This guide is general planning information, not an individual approval or legal opinion.
Apply this to your business
What must be ready before the brokerage markets property?
Why this matters
Company licensing, professional authorisation, property marketing and compliance are separate requirements.
What could change the answer?
Moving from holding an asset to brokerage, short-stay operation or a residency application creates a different evidence and approval question.
Check these details first
- The exact brokerage activities and company record
- The authorisation required for each team member
- Owner instructions, contracts and advertising permissions
- Client checks, off-plan checks and ongoing responsibilities
Choose your next step
Review the brokerage use case ↗See why company formation and the RERA operating requirements must be planned together.Understand total setup costs ↗Budget for company, staff, marketing and recurring obligations.Prepare a brokerage brief ↗Describe the proposed business without uploading identity documents.
Current DLD licensing and practice references
DLD: Real Estate Licensing Application - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
DLD: real estate professional practice card - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.
DLD: Madmoun advertisement permits and QR codes - checked 20 October 2026. Read the official publication.