To check a Dubai real estate agent, ask for their registration number, the BRN, and their agency’s, the ORN, and look them up in the Dubai REST app or the DLD licence check. In Dubai no one can act as a property broker without a licence and an entry on the DLD brokers register, and every registered agent has a card with their name and number. Then look at the ad: it must carry its Trakheesi permit and a QR code that opens the details approved by the DLD. And always pay into the project’s escrow account, never to the agent. Everything can be checked online, from any country.
In this guide10 sections
- What the law requires of a Dubai real estate agent
- ORN, BRN and Trakheesi: what each number is
- How to check a Dubai real estate agent, step by step
- How to check an ad: Trakheesi permit and QR code
- The contracts a licensed agent signs
- Warning signs
- Checking a Dubai agent from the UK or the US
- What to do if something does not add up
- Things to keep in mind
- Frequently asked questions
| What you check | Where |
|---|---|
| The agent: their BRN | Dubai REST or the DLD licence check |
| The agency: its ORN | Dubai REST or the DLD licence check |
| The ad: Trakheesi permit | The ad’s QR code |
| The project: registration and escrow | Dubai REST |
| Where you pay | Only into the project’s escrow account |
What the law requires of a Dubai real estate agent
In Dubai, property brokerage is a regulated profession. Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 says no one may practise it without a licence from the authorities and an entry on the DLD brokers register, run by RERA. To get on the register, the agency needs a trade licence and an office, and whoever runs it a good conduct certificate. On top of that, the DLD-accredited training courses and the DLD exam must be passed.
Every registered broker gets a card with their name and registration number, which must appear on everything they sign or send. Registration is renewed every year, so it is not enough that the agent was registered once: they must be registered today.
The law protects you from the other side too. An off-plan developer may only deal with registered brokers, and a broker marketing off-plan must check the project is registered, with its escrow account, and tell buyers to pay only into that account.
ORN, BRN and Trakheesi: what each number is
They are three different numbers and it pays not to mix them up. One identifies the person, one the company and one each ad:
| Number | Whose it is | Where you see it | How to check it |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRN | The agent’s, it is personal | On their broker card, signature and ads | Looking it up in Dubai REST |
| ORN | The agency’s | On its website, contracts and ads | Looking it up in Dubai REST |
| Trakheesi permit | Each ad’s | On the ad itself, next to the QR | Scanning the QR or on the DLD website |
| Madmoun QR code | Each ad’s | On print, video and online ads | Scanning it with your phone |
The BRN is the agent’s registration number. The ORN is their agency’s. An agency with a valid ORN can still have someone presenting themselves in its name without a BRN, so check both. Trakheesi is the DLD system that issues licences, broker cards and ad permits.
How to check a Dubai real estate agent, step by step
There are six checks and none takes more than a few minutes:
- Ask for both numbers. A licensed agent gives you their BRN and the agency’s ORN without fuss. If they do not, or stall, you already have your answer.
- Look them up. The Dubai REST app holds agent and agency details. You can also use the DLD service to verify licences and permits, which gives the result instantly.
- Compare. The name and photo must be those of the person writing to you, and the agency the one they claim. Check the card is still valid too.
- Scan the ad’s QR code. It tells you which agency holds the permit and which home is advertised.
- Check the project. If it is off-plan, that it is registered and has its escrow. How to do it is in the guide to checking an off-plan project is safe.
- Pay only into escrow. Instalments go into the project’s account, in the project’s name. Never into a personal account or the agency’s.
How to check an ad: Trakheesi permit and QR code
In Dubai, every property ad needs a DLD permit, and the permit number must be visible on the ad. That covers everything: newspapers, SMS, billboards, online ads, portals, campaigns, open days, exhibitions and project launches.
Since 24 April 2023, every permit also comes with a Madmoun QR code, which must appear on print and video ads. Scanning it opens the DLD website with the approved details: the advertising agency, the condition of the home, its specification and whether it has already been sold or let. The DLD itself advises dealing only with ads that carry the QR code.
If the agency on the QR is not the agent’s own, ask why before going further. And if an ad has neither a permit nor a QR code, it is not a good starting point.
The contracts a licensed agent signs
A registered agent works with RERA’s official contracts, which are electronic and mandatory:
- Form A: between the seller and the agency marketing the home.
- Form B: between the buyer and the agency finding them a home.
- Form F: the sale agreement between seller and buyer in a resale.
When you buy off-plan from the developer, the sale contract is the SPA, which you sign with the developer, not with the agent. It is explained in the guide to the Dubai SPA clause by clause. The agency, for its part, must have a contract with the developer to market the project.
The bylaw also sets what the agent owes you: telling you every detail of the negotiation, keeping the documents of the deal and giving you a copy if you ask. If they receive money or documents to pass to another party, they hold them in trust, and they are liable for damage if they act deceitfully or break the rules.
Warning signs
- They will not give their BRN or the agency’s ORN, or these do not appear in Dubai REST.
- The name or photo on the register is not the person writing to you.
- The broker card has expired.
- The ad has no permit or QR code, or the QR belongs to another agency or another home.
- They ask you to pay the booking or an instalment into a personal or agency account instead of the project’s escrow.
- The project is not in Dubai REST or has no escrow account.
- They push you to pay today without letting you check anything.
None of these checks depends on trusting anyone. That is why they work. The other checks before booking are in the guide to off-plan property risks.
Checking a Dubai agent from the UK or the US
All of the above is done online, so it does not matter where you buy from. Dubai REST and the DLD website work from any country, and the QR code scans with any phone.
If the person offering you the home is an agent or adviser in your own country, ask which Dubai-registered agency they work with and ask for its ORN and the BRN of whoever handles the deal there. In Dubai only those on the DLD register may act as brokers, and those are the numbers that must appear on the contracts.
Mind the time difference when dealing with the agency: Dubai is 4 hours ahead of the UK in winter and 3 in summer, and New York and Miami are 9 hours behind in winter and 8 in summer.
What to do if something does not add up
If the agent is not on the register, pay nothing and do not share your documents. If you have already signed something, keep every message, contract and payment receipt.
RERA can penalise agents who break the bylaw. Disputes over a brokerage agreement can go to a DLD council if both parties agree in writing, and for Form F there is a settlement service in Trakheesi. Failing agreement, the route is the courts. The DLD call centre is on 8004488, or +971 8004488 from abroad.
Things to keep in mind
- In Dubai no one can be a property agent without a licence and an entry on the DLD register.
- The BRN belongs to the agent and the ORN to the agency: ask for and check both.
- Registration is renewed every year, so check it is current.
- Every ad needs a Trakheesi permit and, since April 2023, a QR code.
- Off-plan, you pay only into the project’s escrow account.
- Everything can be checked online, from any country.
Our numbers are in the footer of every page: ORN 61312 and BRN 97444. Check them just as you would any other agent’s. If you want to buy, we stay with you from choosing the project to registering the purchase.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a Dubai real estate agent is licensed?
Ask for their BRN and the agency’s ORN and look them up in the Dubai REST app or the DLD licence check. The name, photo and agency must match, and the card must be valid.
What is a BRN in Dubai?
The agent’s broker registration number with the DLD. It is personal and appears on their card, which is renewed every year.
What is an ORN?
The real estate agency’s registration number with the DLD. It identifies the company, not the person.
What is Trakheesi?
The DLD system that issues agency licences, broker cards and the permit for each ad.
What is the QR code on a Dubai property ad for?
It opens the DLD website with the ad’s approved details: the agency, the condition and specification of the home, and whether it has already been sold or let.
Can I pay the booking to the agent?
Off-plan, instalments go into the project’s escrow account, and the agent must tell you to pay only there. If they ask for another account, check with the developer first.
Can an agent in my country sell me a Dubai home?
In Dubai only those on the DLD register may act as brokers. Ask which registered agency they work with and for its ORN and the BRN of whoever handles the deal.
Where do I complain about a Dubai agent?
To RERA, which can penalise agents. Disputes over the agreement can go to DLD conciliation if both parties agree and, failing that, to the courts.
