Dubai Land Department starts issuing fines for property ads placed without landlord approval

Dubai: The Dubai Land Department did not wait long to crack down on estate agents fluting the new requirements on placing property listing ads. One broker has been fined Dh50,000 after promoting a property via an online ad but without the approval of the owner.

This comes after the Land Department tightened the rules on how to go about placing ads, mostly on digital and social media channels. All brokers and dedicated property portals have get permits on each before they can list. This applies to ready properties that are either being sold or rented.

“The bottom-line – nothing gets done without the landlord’s consent,” said the CEO of a leading brokerage house. “The Dubai Land Department had not made any mention of specific penalties that would be imposed in case brokers missed out on any steps they need to take.

“The announcement that Dh50,000 fine has been imposed on an individual means DLD is in no mood to be lenient. A Dh50,000 hit can burn a hole in the broker’s income.”

Make sure to have the permit

Brokers wanting to list any property must get the ad permit issued from the DLD. And part of the new changes dictate that they also need the go-ahead of the property owner. Miss out on even one of these steps will put them in the line of fire from the regulators. (Filling ‘Form A’ is a must for all resale and leasing transactions.)

“A lot of landlords/property owners are still unaware they need to update their info with the Land Department, through the REST app,” said another broker. “What landlords should realise is these tightening on property ads is being done to safeguard their interests too. All the more reason why landlords should not waste any time in updating all details.”