Market & Registration
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.
Laws and legislation7 min read7 sections
'Who does what' questions are short but easy to lose: the options are all real bodies or real systems, and only one holds the function asked about. The best defence is a clear map of the DLD, its affiliated entities and the systems brokers use.
| Body | Legal basis | Key functions |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Land Department | Law No. 7 of 2013 | Registers property and leases; regulates landlord-tenant relations; licenses and supervises activities; valuation services; land surveys and maps; training programmes; central database; assesses affiliated entities (Art. 6) |
| RERA | Law No. 4 of 2019 (superseded Law No. 16 of 2007) | Escrow oversight and approval of escrow banks; rules for brokerage, valuation and jointly owned property; licensing and monitoring; registers and ID cards; complaints; project approval and completion monitoring; ad content approval incl. DIFC; code of conduct (Arts. 4-5) |
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| Rent Disputes Settlement Centre |
| Decree No. 26 of 2013 |
| Exclusive jurisdiction over rent disputes in Dubai and in free zones without their own tribunals; head office in the DLD (Arts. 5-6) |
| Dubai Real Estate Institute | Law No. 5 of 2020 (superseded Law No. 13 of 2012) | Training and qualification of practitioners; RERA coordinates awareness programmes with it (Law No. 4 of 2019, Art. 5(13)) |
| Office | Appointed by | Main role |
|---|---|---|
| DLD Chairman | Decree of the Ruler | Approves DLD policy, plans, structure, budget and fees (Law No. 7 of 2013, Art. 7) |
| DLD Director General | Decree of the Ruler | Runs the DLD, represents it before third parties, proposes policy and budget (Art. 8) |
| RERA CEO | Resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council | Prepares RERA's plans and structure for the Director General's approval (Law No. 4 of 2019, Art. 7) |
| Centre chairman | Decree of the Ruler (a judge) | Supervises the Centre's judicial sector (Decree No. 26 of 2013, Art. 8) |
| Centre secretary general | Resolution of the DLD Director General | Runs the Centre's administrative sector (Art. 9) |
Under Law No. 4 of 2019 RERA opens branches only within the Emirate, by resolution of the Director General (Art. 3), and is funded by support in the DLD's budget plus resources the Director General approves (Art. 8). Supply and demand policies go to the Director General and then the Executive Council for final approval (Art. 5(14)). The 2007 law, by contrast, allowed branches outside the Emirate and sent RERA's plans to the Executive Council.
