Brokerage

Advertising Permits & Off-Plan Marketing

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.

Brokerage practice, ethics and compliance6 min read7 sections

Must-know for the exam

Brokerages must obtain a Trakheesi permit for any real estate advertisement or marketing material and display the permit number on the ad (RERA Practice Guide, Nov 2024).
14 permit types: newspaper, SMS, outdoor, vehicle, print, electronic, billboards, campaigns, open days, classifieds, exhibitions, project launches, promotion platforms and seminars.
A broker's permit application includes a copy of the marketing contract with the owner, Contract A for a resale (DLD Ad Permit service, as at 12 Oct 2026).
Fees: project launch AED 5,000; other permits AED 1,000; knowledge and innovation fee AED 20; service time one working day (as at 12 Oct 2026).
Exhibitions: documents at least one month ahead; 30-day gap between exhibitions from the same country; no sales, only preliminary reservations (as at 12 Oct 2026).
Madmoun: a QR code issued with every permit; mandatory on print and audiovisual ads from 24 April 2023; scanning shows approval and whether the unit is sold or let.
RERA approves real estate ad content across Dubai, including free zones such as DIFC (Law No. 4 of 2019, Art. 5(11)).
Off-plan marketing: project registered with RERA, escrow account, developer-brokerage marketing contract registered with the DLD; check on Dubai REST Mashrooi (Guide; ECR 6/2010 Art. 10).
Off-plan sales before approval and DLD registration are void; brokers pay all proceeds into escrow with no commission deducted (ECR 6/2010 Arts. 11-12).
Circular 02-2026: no unlawful data sourcing or cold contact except documented prior clients; on complaint, 3-month suspension and AED 50,000 fine; repeat means permanent revocation.

On this page · 7 sections

Traps that cost marks

Assuming a broker's personal social media account falls outside the permit rule.
Treating the developer's licence and plans as enough to start marketing off-plan units.
Deducting the broker's commission from the buyer's payment before it reaches escrow.
Thinking escrow payment makes an on-the-spot sale at an exhibition acceptable.
Confusing Madmoun with the green list or other DLD systems.
Assuming free-zone property ads escape RERA's approval of advertising content.
Thinking a broker can advertise a property on a tip without the owner's marketing contract.
Borrowing the Bylaw's six-month suspension or another regime's fine for cold calling.

Why it matters on the exam

Advertising is where brokers most often break the rules, and the DLD enforces it actively: in the first half of 2024 it fined 256 brokers for advertising breaches (DLD, 17 Jul 2024). Expect scenarios asking whether an activity needs a permit, what the developer and broker must check before marketing off-plan, and what happens when a broker contacts owners without consent.

•Default answer: if it promotes a property, it needs a Trakheesi permit, and the number goes on the ad.
•Off-plan marketing turns on three things: registration, escrow and a registered marketing agreement.
•Keep the green list (Dubai REST) and the Madmoun QR code (Trakheesi permit) separate.

The Trakheesi permit

The RERA Practice Guide (Nov 2024) requires brokerages to obtain a permit through Trakheesi for any real estate advertisement or marketing material and to display the permit number on the ad. Law No. 4 of 2019, Art. 5(11), makes RERA responsible for approving and monitoring ad content throughout the Emirate, including Special Development Zones and DIFC.

Item	Rule (as at 12 Oct 2026)
Covered	Newspaper, SMS, outdoor, vehicle, print, electronic (including social media), billboards, campaigns, open days, classifieds, exhibitions, project launches, promotion platforms, seminars
Broker documents	Copy of the marketing contract with the owner (Contract A for a resale)
Launch documents

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