3.2 Real Estate Advertising Regulations, Trakheesi Permits & QR Code Mandate
Key Takeaways
Every property advertisement in Dubai, including social media posts, must carry a valid Trakheesi permit issued to a licensed company.
DLD made the Madmoun QR code mandatory on printed and audiovisual real estate ads from 24 April 2023.
Scanning a Madmoun code shows DLD's record of the advertising company, advert status, property details and value.
In Trakheesi practice, no more than three brokerages may advertise the same resale unit at the same time.
DLD has described advertising fines as a progressive AED 50,000 per violation, which can lead to licence cancellation.
3.2 Real Estate Advertising Regulations, Trakheesi Permits & QR Code Mandate
Real estate marketing in the Emirate of Dubai is subject to one of the most comprehensive digital regulatory frameworks globally. Historically, unmonitored property advertising led to duplicate listings, ghost inventory, conflicting asking prices, and unauthorized marketing by unlicensed individuals. To eliminate these malpractices, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) and the Dubai Land Department (DLD) established an integrated electronic permitting framework anchored by the Trakheesi system and the mandatory dynamic QR code verification mandate.
Every real estate professional must master the compliance obligations surrounding property promotions. Advertising without statutory permits is treated as an intentional regulatory infraction carrying substantial financial and administrative liabilities.
The Scope of RERA Advertising Regulations
RERA's advertising directives apply universally across all marketing channels. A common misconception among novice brokers is that regulatory permits are required only for major property portals. In law, any public communication offering real estate for sale, lease, or investment falls under RERA's regulatory jurisdiction.
Regulated Advertising Mediums
- Digital Real Estate Portals: Property Finder, Bayut, Dubizzle, Houza, and brokerage corporate websites.
- Social Media Platforms: Instagram (feed posts, reels, stories), TikTok, Facebook, YouTube video tours, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter).
- Direct Digital Communications: Mass SMS broadcasts, WhatsApp broadcast lists, and promotional email marketing campaigns.
- Print & Outdoor Media: Newspaper advertisements, luxury magazines, promotional brochures, flyers, exhibition roll-ups, roadside hoardings, and outdoor billboards.
- Signboards: Physical "For Sale" or "For Lease" boards affixed to villas, commercial buildings, or plots.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ UNIVERSAL SCOPE OF RERA ADVERTISING RULES │
├─────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────┤
│ Digital Portals │ Social Media Channels │ Physical & Direct │
├─────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ • Property Finder │ • Instagram Reels/Posts │ • Billboards/Hoardings│
│ • Bayut / Dubizzle │ • TikTok Video Tours │ • Property Signboards │
│ • Broker Websites │ • YouTube Walkthroughs │ • SMS / WhatsApp Mass │
│ • Classified Sites │ • Facebook / LinkedIn │ • Print Flyers/Magazines│
└─────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘
▼ ▼ ▼
ALL REQUIRE A VALID DLD TRAKHEESI PERMIT + SCANNABLE DLD QR CODE
The Trakheesi System & Permit Issuance Architecture
The Trakheesi system is DLD's enterprise electronic licensing and permitting portal. Through Trakheesi, licensed brokerage firms apply for, manage, and renew commercial activity permits, individual broker cards, and property marketing authorizations.
Mandatory Pre-Requisites for an Advertising Permit
Before Trakheesi issues an advertising permit for a resale property, the brokerage needs:
- Active Brokerage Office Registration (ORN): The applicant entity must possess an unexpired real estate brokerage trade license and active RERA ORN.
- Licensed Listing Broker (BRN): The specific agent assigned to the listing must hold an active Broker Registration Number.
- Verified Title Deed / Oqood Registration: The property's official Title Deed (for completed properties) or Oqood Certificate (for off-plan properties) must be entered and authenticated against the DLD real-time land registry database.
- Fully Executed Form A (Listing Agreement): A formal, countersigned Form A must be completed between the property owner and the brokerage. Form A can be generated electronically and signed digitally by the owner (for example with UAE PASS).
- Owner Identification / Legal Capacity: A valid Emirates ID or passport of the registered owner. If an agent or family member signs on the owner's behalf, a legally notarized Power of Attorney (POA) specifically authorizing the sale or leasing of the property must be submitted and validated.
Note
A general power of attorney that does not explicitly confer the power to sell, dispose of, or lease real property is legally insufficient to authorize a broker to list a property or execute Form A under UAE law.
The Three-Broker Limit and Keeping Listings Current
How the limit works
Trakheesi ties each advertising permit to a specific property and Form A. In practice a single resale unit cannot be advertised by more than three brokerages at the same time: once three active permits exist for a unit, a further permit application for that unit is not issued until one lapses or is cancelled. The limit pushes sellers to choose a small number of agencies and reduces duplicate listings at conflicting prices.
Keeping permits valid
- Permits are issued for a limited period and must match the property, the broker and the owner's authorisation.
- When the property is sold or let, or the Form A expires or is cancelled (Form U), the advertisement must come down and the permit should be cancelled.
- DLD lists using expired permits and manipulating permit numbers as advertising violations, alongside advertising with no permit at all.
The Madmoun QR Code (Mandatory since 24 April 2023)
On 18 April 2023 DLD announced, through a RERA circular, the Madmoun service: a QR code generated through Trakheesi for every real estate advertising permit. From 24 April 2023 all real estate companies must show the code on their printed and audiovisual advertisements.
What scanning the code shows
Scanning a Madmoun code opens DLD's own page for that permit, where a customer can compare the advert with DLD's data: the advertising company, the advertisement details and status, the property details and the property value. The link is secured so the data cannot be edited by the advertiser. DLD reported in December 2023 that more than 411,000 permits had been issued with a QR code and advises customers to deal only with adverts that carry one.
Required Information Displayed in Advertisements
In addition to the QR code, an advertisement should show clearly:
- The Brokerage Office Registered Trade Name and ORN.
- The Listing Broker's Name and BRN.
- The Trakheesi Permit Number.
- The exact, authorized Gross Asking Price.
- Property Location, Type, and DLD-registered specifications.
Prohibited Advertising Practices & Misleading Marketing
RERA strictly prohibits deceptive marketing practices. The following conduct constitutes direct grounds for regulatory prosecution:
- Misleading prices: The advertised details, including the price, must match the permit and the owner's authorisation. Advertising an artificially low "teaser" price to attract leads is misleading and exposes the broker to action.
- Unapproved Off-Plan Advertising: Under Article 5 of Law No. 8 of 2007 a developer may not advertise off-plan units or join exhibitions without DLD's written authorisation, and a broker may market a project only under a marketing agreement with the developer registered with DLD (Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010, Article 10).
- Deceptive ROI claims: Presenting projected returns as guaranteed, or gross yields as net, misleads buyers. Any guarantee must be one the developer has actually given in writing and the advert must describe it accurately.
- Stock or Misleading Images: Using rendered images that misrepresent the actual state, views, or finishes of a secondary market property without explicitly labelling them as "Illustrative Renders" is prohibited.
| Advertising Element | Compliant Standard | Prohibited Violation |
|---|---|---|
| Permit Display | Madmoun QR code + Trakheesi permit number | Omitting the QR code or using another listing's permit |
| Pricing | Price consistent with the permit and Form A | Teaser prices or figures that differ from the permit |
| Owner Consent | Form A signed via UAE PASS / Trakheesi | Marketing based on verbal permission or informal WhatsApp |
| Number of agencies | No more than 3 brokerages advertising a resale unit at once | A fourth agency advertising without its own valid permit |
| Sold Properties | Removed once sold, let or the mandate ends | Keeping sold units live or using an expired permit |
Enforcement of Advertising Rules
DLD enforces advertising through inspection campaigns and its Real Estate Violations System (RVS), where the public can report adverts without a permit.
- Violation types named by DLD: advertising without a permit, manipulating permit numbers, and using expired permits.
- Fines: in October 2020 DLD announced fines on ten companies and warnings to thirty, describing each fine as a progressive AED 50,000 that may reach cancellation of the company's licence. Later rounds of inspections have produced further fines.
- Who is liable: permits are issued to licensed companies, so the brokerage is answerable for its agents' adverts; the individual agent also risks disciplinary action under Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 (notice, warning, suspension, blacklisting).
- Portals: the major portals integrate with DLD data and remove listings that lack a valid permit.
Important
Social media posts by a licensed agent are advertisements too. A personal Instagram or TikTok video showing a property for sale or rent needs the company's permit and its QR code.
A licensed agent posts a video tour of a Palm Jumeirah penthouse with its asking price on a personal Instagram account, without a Trakheesi permit, believing personal social media is exempt. What is the correct position?
The post is compliant if it shows the agent's phone number and BRN
The post is compliant if the video is shorter than 90 seconds
The post is non-compliant but carries no possible fine
The post is an advertisement that needs a Trakheesi permit and Madmoun QR code; publishing it without one is an advertising violation for which DLD has imposed progressive AED 50,000 fines
An owner signs Form A with four brokerages for the same Downtown apartment. Three of them already hold active advertising permits. What happens when the fourth brokerage applies?
Trakheesi does not issue a fourth permit for the unit, because a single resale unit may be advertised by no more than three brokerages at the same time
The permit is issued but the fourth listing's price is cut by 5%
A provisional 7-day permit is issued pending manual review
The first brokerage's permit is cancelled automatically to make room
A buyer scans the Madmoun QR code on a villa advert and DLD's page shows a different advertising company and a different price from the advert. What should the buyer conclude?
The advert does not match its permit, so the buyer should not deal on it and can report it to DLD
The listing is fine; QR data is updated only once a year
The buyer must pay DLD a fee to see the correct details
The title deed has been converted from freehold to leasehold
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.