Dubai is one of the busiest property markets in the world, and one of the most closely regulated. A broker here handles portal enquiries, WhatsApp chats, viewings across the city, advertising permits, smart contracts and a transfer at a trustee office, often for a buyer in another time zone. This guide explains how that system works, what a buyer pays on the day, and what to look for in a real estate CRM built for the UAE.
Dubai's property market in numbers
In 2025, Dubai recorded more than 270,000 real estate transactions worth AED 917 billion, up 20% on 2024.11 DLD also registered 1.38 million tenancy contracts that year.12
Two things follow. First, more than four in ten investors lived outside the UAE. Second, the country is home to more than 200 nationalities.13 Your clients write in different languages, keep different hours and prefer different channels, and your CRM has to keep all of that straight for every agent.
The rules every Dubai broker works within
Dubai's Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is part of DLD. It licenses brokers, approves advertising and sets the contracts brokers must use, mostly through the Trakheesi system and the Dubai REST app.1
Licence and broker card
A brokerage first gets a real estate licence, registers it in Trakheesi, and then applies there for each broker's card.1 DLD lists the conditions as a good conduct certificate from Dubai Police and a pass in the annual broker exam. The fees are AED 500 for the card and AED 700 for the exam, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. The card stays valid as long as the trade licence does.2
Advertising permits and the QR code
Every property advert needs a Trakheesi permit, and the permit number must appear on the ad. That covers newspaper, SMS, outdoor, print, electronic and classified ads, open days and real estate promotion platforms.1 A broker applying needs a copy of the marketing contract with the owner. DLD lists the fee as AED 1,000 for most permits, plus a AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee, with one working day to process.3
Since 24 April 2023, the Madmoun service issues a QR code for each permit. Companies must show it on their ads, so a buyer can scan it and see that RERA approved the ad.4 DLD also checks ads with software: by April 2025 its AI platform had monitored more than 279,000 ads on the main portals, and 29% of the listings it checked were changed automatically.5
The Green List and registered phone numbers
The Green List in the Dubai REST app shows owners who have registered to be contacted. Brokers must not contact owners who are not on it; after a complaint, a violation is issued and the broker's operations can be suspended.1 A 2023 circular also made it mandatory to use phone numbers registered in the brokers registry.16
Smart contracts: Forms A, B and F
- Form A is the agreement between the seller and the brokerage to market a property. Advertising permits are linked to it.16
- Form B is the agreement between a buyer and the broker.1
- Form F is the sale agreement between seller and buyer. The parties may add terms that do not conflict with the standard ones.7
Rentals and Ejari
Dubai's tenancy law requires lease contracts to be registered, and courts and government bodies will not act on an unregistered lease.9 Registration happens in Ejari. DLD lists the total fee as AED 177.75 through the website or the Dubai REST app, and AED 220 at a trustee centre.8 To end a lease at expiry or change its terms, either side must give at least 90 days' notice before the end date, unless they agree otherwise.9
Key forms, permits and registrations at a glance
Here is the paperwork in the order you usually meet it. Each item belongs on a record in your CRM: the property, the client or the deal.
| Item | What it is | When you need it | Where it is done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence and broker card | The brokerage's licence and each broker's practice card | Before any broker works | Trakheesi2 |
| Form A | Seller and brokerage agree to market the property | Before you advertise it | Smart contract1 |
| Advertising permit and QR code | Approval for each ad, with a number and a code shown on it | Before any ad goes live, in print or online | Trakheesi and Madmoun34 |
| Form B | Buyer and broker agree to work together | When a buyer starts with you | Smart contract1 |
| Form F | The sale agreement between seller and buyer | When the price is agreed | Smart contract7 |
| Developer NOC | Confirms the seller has paid service charges | Before transfer, for freehold property | The developer67 |
| Sale registration | Transfer of ownership and a new title deed | Within 60 days of signing the sale contract | A registration trustee office67 |
| Escrow account | Where off-plan buyers' payments must go | Before marketing an off-plan project | An accredited bank, opened by the developer10 |
| Ejari | Registration of a tenancy contract | For every lease in Dubai | DLD website, Dubai REST app or trustee centre8 |
From first enquiry to transfer: the Dubai deal flow
A ready-property sale follows a clear path. Each step has an owner, a document and a deadline, which is exactly what a CRM should track.
- EnquiryPortal, WhatsApp, a call or your own listings page
- QualifyBudget, cash or mortgage, areas, ready or off-plan
- Form B and viewingsBuyer agreement signed, viewings booked and logged
- Offer and Form FPrice agreed and sale contract signed
- NOC and checksDeveloper NOC, ownership and mortgage checks
- TransferFees paid at a trustee office, new title deed issued
- CommissionInvoice raised, split between agents, file closed
Qualify and view. Record what the buyer wants, their budget, areas and how they will pay; a mortgage buyer has a longer path than a cash buyer. Book viewings against the property and the buyer, so nobody is double-booked and the feedback is kept.
Offer and checks. Record each offer and counter-offer with its date. Once the price is agreed and Form F is signed, DLD's investor guide tells buyers to confirm the seller owns the property and that it is free of mortgages or other charges, and to get the developer's no objection certificate.7
Transfer. The sale is registered at a trustee office acting for DLD, within 60 days of signing, or a fine applies on top of the fees.7 DLD lists the processing time as 20 minutes once the documents are in order.6 Then the commission is invoiced and split between the agents involved, including any co-broker from another firm.
Off-plan, ready and rental deals compared
The same lead can turn into three very different files.
Ready property
Form A with the owner, an advertising permit, Form B with the buyer, Form F for the sale, a developer NOC where needed, then transfer at a trustee office and a new title deed.17
Under Law No. 8 of 2007, each off-plan project has its own escrow account, used only to build that project, and the developer's creditors cannot seize the payments in it.10 You can check that a project is licensed and registered in the Dubai REST app.1
What a buyer pays upfront: a Dubai transfer cost calculator
Buyers, especially those buying from abroad, want the full number early. These are the main fees on a ready-property sale, as DLD lists them today.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DLD sale registration | 4% of the price | Paid in equal parts by seller and buyer unless they agree otherwise7; DLD's service page lists 2% each6 |
| Trustee office fee | AED 4,000 + VAT, or AED 2,000 + VAT | The higher fee applies at a sale value of AED 500,000 or more6 |
| Title deed certificate | AED 250 | Plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees6 |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the loan | Only when there is a mortgage7 |
| Developer NOC | Set by the developer | DLD's investor guide gives AED 500 as an example7 |
| Agency fee | As agreed with the broker | VAT at the standard UAE rate of 5%15 |
Who pays which fee is set in the contract, so choose the buyer's share of the DLD fee. The calculator assumes the buyer pays the trustee and title deed fees.
Buyer's upfront costs on a ready property in Dubai
An estimate only. The agency fee is whatever you agree with the brokerage, so type your own figure. Check DLD's current fees before you rely on the total.
Speed and language: winning the lead in a global market
Speed decides a lot. Research published in Harvard Business Review found that firms which tried to contact a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited longer, and far more likely than those that waited a day or more.14
In Dubai, speed has a second side. A buyer in London is three or four hours behind you; a buyer in Sydney is six or seven hours ahead. So you need:
- Clear ownership: every new lead has one agent and a next action with a time.
- Visible deadlines: overdue follow-ups stand out, so nobody has to remember them.
- The client's language and channel: note whether they prefer WhatsApp, a call or email, and in which language.
- A full history: a colleague who picks up the lead can read every call, message and viewing first.
Speed must not break the rules. Before calling an owner about a listing, check the Green List, and use your registered business numbers.116
Portal enquiries, WhatsApp and your own listings page
Real estate agent leads reach a Dubai brokerage through many doors: property portals, WhatsApp, calls, walk-ins, referrals and your website. The risk is that each door ends somewhere different: one agent's phone, a shared inbox, a portal dashboard nobody checks on Friday.
Bring every enquiry into one list with its source recorded. After a few months you can see which sources bring buyers who actually transfer, not just enquiries, and spend your marketing budget there.
WhatsApp is fast and personal, but chats stay on one phone. Log each important message against the client, or the history leaves when the agent does. And watch for duplicates: one agent saves +971 50 123 4567, another saves 050 123 4567, and two agents chase the same buyer.
Checklist: choosing a real estate CRM in the UAE
Real estate CRM software built for another market can miss things a UAE brokerage needs every day. Tick what the system you are looking at does well.
Real estate CRM checklist for UAE brokers
Then ask every vendor: does it connect to DLD, Trakheesi, Ejari or the portals, and how? Where is the data stored? Can you leave with all of it?
How Kelo fits a Dubai brokerage
Here is what Kelo for Real Estate does for a UAE company, and what it does not.
Set up for the UAE. A UAE company works in AED, on Dubai time, in square feet, with yearly rent and VAT on invoices. The words follow the country: Transfer date, Tenancy contract, Emirate and PO Box. The starting deal stages include MOU signed and Transfer booked, and you can rename them.
Leads to commission. Each lead records whether the client wants to buy, rent, sell or let out, with budget, bedrooms and areas, and shows up to 10 matching properties. Viewings warn you about double bookings and keep the client's interest score and feedback. Offers can be accepted, countered or rejected. Deals carry the agreed price, transfer date, reservations and commission, split between your agents or a co-broker outside the firm. Tenancy contracts can be paid by a set number of cheques a year.
What it does not do. Kelo does not issue Trakheesi permits, register Ejari contracts or send listings to the portals. Those stay in DLD's systems; Kelo keeps the records around them, with reminders. Its screens are in English, and a regional language can be added on request.
Your data. On a subscription, Kelo runs on our servers with nightly backups. With a Make It Yours licence, it runs on your own server under your own domain, so you decide where the data lives. Either way, the owner can download all of it at any time.
Questions people ask
What is the DLD fee when a property is sold in Dubai?
The Dubai Land Department charges 4% of the price to register a sale. Its investor guide says the seller and buyer pay it in equal parts unless they agree otherwise, so check what the sale contract says. Fees change, so confirm the current figure with DLD.
Can a CRM issue Trakheesi permits or register Ejari contracts?
Kelo does not. Advertising permits come from DLD's Trakheesi system and tenancy contracts are registered in Ejari. Kelo keeps the records around them: the property, the people, the documents and reminders before they expire.
Does Kelo work in AED with UAE terms?
Yes. A UAE company gets AED, Dubai time, square feet, VAT on invoices and UAE words such as Transfer date and Tenancy contract. Admins can rename other words in Administration.
Where is my brokerage's data kept?
On a subscription, Kelo runs on our servers with nightly backups. With a Make It Yours licence, it runs on your own server under your own domain. Either way the owner can download all the company's data at any time.
Can I try Kelo before paying?
Yes. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no card is needed.
See it working in your own office
Kelo for Real Estate brings listings, leads, viewings, deals, tenancies, rent and repairs into one place. Try every feature free for 14 days, no card needed.
Sources
- Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, second edition (2024) — Real Estate Regulatory Agency, Dubai Land Department
- Issuance of a real estate professional practice card — Dubai Land Department
- Real Estate Ad Permit — Dubai Land Department
- Dubai Land Department provides 'Madmoun' service to verify validity of real estate ads via QR codes — Dubai Land Department
- Dubai Land Department strengthens transparency with AI-enabled real estate advertising governance — Dubai Land Department
- Property Sale Registration — Dubai Land Department
- Know Your Rights: For Real Estate Investors in Dubai — Dubai Land Department
- Register / Renew Tenancy Contract (Ejari) — Dubai Land Department
- Law No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legal Portal
- Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legal Portal
- Dubai's real estate market records new historic milestone with transactions exceeding AED917 billion in 2025 — Government of Dubai Media Office
- Dubai's rental sector records strong growth in 2025 — Dubai Land Department
- Tolerance initiatives — The UAE Government portal (u.ae)
- The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (March 2011) — Harvard Business Review
- Value Added Tax (VAT) — UAE Ministry of Finance
- Rules and Regulations: real estate circulars — Dubai Land Department
Facts and figures were checked against the sources above on 5 November 2026. Rules and fees change, so check the current position before you act. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice.