Property in Dubai
The rules here are not Abu Dhabi's, and the differences cost money · 5 of 5 answers confirmedHala's decision for you
Hala is reading the figures on this page…
What changes
| Dubai | Abu Dhabi | |
|---|---|---|
| Who regulates brokerage | Dubai Land Department · RERA | Department of Municipalities and Transport · ADREC |
| Advertising permit | Trakheesi | Madhmoun |
| Where the permit is filed | the RERA Trakheesi system | the ADREC Madhmoun system |
| Tenancy registration | Ejari | Tawtheeq |
| An owner may hold the permit themselves | Yes | No |
| Owner's authority to a brokerage | Form A | Not confirmed |
| The sale agreement | Form F | Not confirmed |
| The broker's own number | RERA Broker Number (BRN) | Not confirmed |
| A licence can be checked against a live register | Yes | No — the uploaded document is read and confirmed by a person |
| What a landlord may add at renewal | Increases are set by the rental index rather than by agreement: none is permitted while your rent is within 10% of the market rate for comparable homes, rising on a fixed scale to a maximum of 20% only where your rent is far below market. | Rent increases are currently FROZEN. Since 2 June 2026 the permitted annual increase has been 0% on residential, commercial and industrial property, replacing the 5% cap that had applied since 2016. Renewals must use the rent recorded on the most recent registered contract. The freeze is temporary, is not retrospective, and has no announced end date. |
Generated from the emirate record.
Who regulates real estate agents in Dubai?
Dubai Land Department · RERA regulates real-estate brokerage in Dubai.
Confirmed by PropDirectWhat is the property advertising permit in Dubai called?
It is called Trakheesi, filed through the RERA Trakheesi system. A listing advertised without one is the breach an agent is actually fined for.
Confirmed by PropDirectHow is a tenancy contract registered in Dubai?
Through Ejari. This happens AFTER the contract is signed and is not the same thing as an advertising permit — the two are routinely confused.
Confirmed by PropDirectCan a property owner advertise their own home in Dubai without a broker?
Yes. An owner can hold the permit themselves against their title deed and Emirates ID, without appointing a brokerage, through the RERA Trakheesi system.
Confirmed by PropDirectWhat document authorises a broker to sell a property in Dubai?
Form A — the owner's written authority to a brokerage. It is specific to Dubai; the same document has different names, or no name we have confirmed, in other emirates.
Confirmed by PropDirectRent at renewal, in Dubai
Corroborated
Increases are set by the rental index rather than by agreement: none is permitted while your rent is within 10% of the market rate for comparable homes, rising on a fixed scale to a maximum of 20% only where your rent is far below market.
Checked against published sources on 2026-09-07. Rent rules change - confirm anything you are about to act on.
Decree 43 of 2013 · Law 26 of 2007 as amended by Law 33 of 2008 · Notice to raise · 90 days before the contract ends, in writing · Disputes · the Rental Dispute Centre at the land department
Homes on the board — Every listing we hold, with its permit and its paperwork shown
The other six emirates — Same questions, answered separately for each one
How we check a listing — What is verified before a listing appears, and what is not
These answers come from the same emirate record the rest of PropDirect reads, so what a listing page tells an agent and what this page tells a reader cannot disagree. PropDirect is a software provider, not a brokerage — none of this is legal advice, and Dubai Land Department · RERA is the authority on its own rules.
What the specialists did on this page
2 ran · 0 stopped to ask · 0 did not run · each row opens its sources
Tenant Intelligencerental.tenantThe tenancy rules for Dubai, with their sourcesThe rent rule, corroborated; read 2026-09-072026-09-07
The tenant's side: their rights under the emirate's tenancy law, and coordinating the let.
- tamimi.com
Regulatory Intelligencetrust.regulatoryThe emirate record the listing flow uses5 of 5 answers confirmed for Dubai; the rest are marked not confirmed—
The rules of each emirate, retrieved and cited: tenancy law, short-stay rules, cross-border rules for NRI buyers - marked where we have not confirmed them.
- Dubai Land Department · RERA