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The rules, periods and numbers the exam leans on, on one page. Our practice exam is 50 questions in 1 hour, drawn by our blueprint: Laws and legislation 31%, Brokerage practice, ethics and compliance 34%, Sales and transactions 7%, Leasing 15%, Real estate mathematics and valuation 13%. Figures are as at 12 Oct 2026; DLD and RERA can change fees and procedures by circular, so check the source when a figure matters to you.
RERA Prep is an independent study service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) or the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI). "RERA" is used only to describe the exam. All practice questions are original; they are not real or past exam questions. A revision aid, not legal advice or the DREI course.
Know the numbers? Now apply them.
Many questions put these rules into a deal with dates, amounts and percentages.
| Rule | What to remember | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RERA exam (reported) | Default practice exam 50 questions in 1 hour; 75% the pass mark most reported (70% and 85% also reported) | See /syllabus for every source |
| Area conversion | 1 sq m = 10.764 sq ft | RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (Nov 2024) |
| DLD sale registration fee | 4% of the sale value; shared equally by seller and buyer unless agreed otherwise | ECR No. 30 of 2013, Art. 3(1) and fee table item 1 |
| Mortgage registration | 0.25% of the mortgage (debt) value; discharge AED 1,000 | ECR No. 30 of 2013, fee table items 10 and 13 |
| Off-plan default: over 80% complete | Keep the contract and claim the balance, ask DLD to auction, or terminate and keep up to 40% of the contract value | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11 (as replaced by Law No. 19 of 2017) |
| Off-plan default: 60-80% complete | Terminate and keep up to 40% of the contract value | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11 (Law No. 19 of 2017) |
| Off-plan default: under 60%, work started | Terminate and keep up to 25% of the contract value | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11 (Law No. 19 of 2017) |
| Off-plan default: work not started (no fault) | Terminate and keep up to 30% of amounts paid; refund within 60 days | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11 (Law No. 19 of 2017) |
| DLD notice to a defaulting buyer | 30 days, before any Art. 11 remedy | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11(a)(2) |
| Refund after termination (tiers above) | Within 1 year of termination or 60 days of resale, whichever is earlier | Law No. 13 of 2008, Art. 11 |
| Escrow retention | 5% of the account held after completion; released 1 year after units are registered to buyers | Law No. 8 of 2007, Art. 14 |
| Changing lease terms or not renewing | Notify at least 90 days before the lease expires | Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 14 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008) |
| Eviction on expiry (sale, own use, demolition, major repair) | 12 months' notice of the reasons, by notary public or registered post | Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 25(2) (Law No. 33 of 2008) |
| Eviction during the lease for unpaid rent | Rent unpaid 30 days after a notice to pay | Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 25(1)(a) (Law No. 33 of 2008) |
| Re-letting after own-use eviction | Not before 2 years (residential) or 3 years (non-residential) | Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 26 (Law No. 33 of 2008) |
| Rent increase caps on renewal | 0% if rent is up to 10% below the index average; 5% at 11-20%; 10% at 21-30%; 15% at 31-40%; 20% if more than 40% below | Decree No. 43 of 2013, Art. 1 |
| Cold calling owners | Banned unless a documented prior transaction; 3-month suspension, AED 50,000 fine, revocation if repeated | RERA Circular 02-2026 (26 Feb 2026) |
Source: RERA Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, 2nd edition (Nov 2024).
The exam expects you to know who does what in Dubai real estate: the Dubai Land Department under Law No. 7 of 2013, RERA under Law No. 4 of 2019, the Rent Disputes Settlement Centre, DREI and the trustee offices, plus which system handles which task. Many questions hinge on the 2019 changes to RERA's role.
Law No. 7 of 2006, as amended by Law No. 7 of 2019, makes the DLD's Property Register the single source of truth for real property rights in Dubai: who may own, what must be registered, and what a title deed proves. The exam tests ownership eligibility, the effect of registration, easements and mortgages on division or merger, and the DLD fee table in ECR No. 30 of 2013.
Law No. 13 of 2008 makes every off-plan sale count only once it is entered in DLD's Interim Property Register (Oqood), sets what a developer must have before selling, and, in Article 11 as replaced by Law No. 19 of 2017, fixes what a developer may keep when a buyer defaults. The exam tests the 2017 completion tiers, so the 2008 and 2009 texts make the best distractors.
Law No. 8 of 2007 ring-fences off-plan buyers' money: every project selling off-plan has its own escrow account with an accredited bank, used only to build that project and closed to the developer's creditors. The exam tests who holds the money, what it can be used for, the 5% retention after completion, refunds when RERA cancels a project, and the criminal penalties.
Law No. 6 of 2019 replaced the owners association system of Law No. 27 of 2007 with management entities, RERA-appointed owners committees and RERA-approved service charges. The exam tests who manages which kind of project, how service charges are calculated, approved, banked and collected, the developer's defect liability, and the rules carried over or changed from the repealed law.
Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 is the brokers' own rulebook: who may broker, how to get on the Register, the duties that come with it, when commission is earned, and how brokers are disciplined. The exam tests its short deadlines and its commission rules by scenario, so learn the article numbers alongside the periods.
Ethics on the RERA exam is law, not opinion: Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 sets disclosure, trust and loyalty duties with real consequences, the Practice Guide lists ten principles and the green list, and Circular 02-2026 bans cold calling. Expect scenarios where a broker must choose the compliant action.
Every resale a broker handles runs on RERA's three smart contracts and on the remuneration rules in Chapter Four of Bylaw No. 85 of 2006. The exam asks which contract fits which relationship, where disputes go, when commission is earned, who pays it, and how to calculate fees and splits.
In Dubai no property may be advertised or marketed without a Trakheesi permit, and off-plan projects may be marketed only once they are registered, have an escrow account and a registered marketing agreement. The exam tests which activities need a permit, what the permit and Madmoun QR code involve, the off-plan conditions, and the 2026 rules on contacting owners.
A broker who handles sales for clients is a designated non-financial business (DNFBP) under the UAE's anti-money laundering law. The exam tests the 2025 regime that replaced the 2018 law, the three Real Estate Activity Report triggers, beneficial owners, PEPs, suspicious transaction reports, tipping off, five-year record keeping and sanctions freezes.
A Dubai resale ends at a real estate registration trustee office, where the DLD fee is paid, any mortgage is cleared and the title deed is issued. The exam tests who pays which fee by law and by agreement, the fee table in ECR No. 30 of 2013, fee evasion, and how mortgages are created, ranked and enforced under Law No. 14 of 2008.
Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, governs every Dubai lease a broker handles: what the lease must say, renewal and notice, who repairs what, and the closed lists of eviction grounds. The exam tests the amended text, so the 2007 rules make the best distractors.
Three rule sets a leasing broker uses every week: the Decree No. 43 of 2013 caps on renewal increases, Ejari registration of every lease, and the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre under Decree No. 26 of 2013. Expect band calculations and questions on jurisdiction, appeals and deadlines.
The exam's Real Estate Mathematics domain sets short calculations on Dubai rules: area conversions at 1 sq m = 10.764 sq ft, DLD fees, commission with VAT, rent increase caps, service charges, yields, mortgage limits and off-plan refunds. Most marks are lost on the wrong base, the wrong unit or the wrong tier, not on the arithmetic.
Executive Council Resolution No. 37 of 2015 makes valuation a regulated profession in Dubai: only valuers on RERA's Roll, working through authorised Firms, banks or financial institutions, may value property. The exam tests who may value, registration and its periods, report contents, duties and fines, and simple comparison, income and cost arithmetic.
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