RERA, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department, has issued an official notice to the city’s real estate brokers to request they desist from direct telemarketing.
The warning comes after RERA received numerous complaints from property owners and developers who have been contacted by third parties promoting their marketing services, despite the properties often not being displayed for sale.
The instruction came in the form of an official letter written by RERA’s Real Estate Inspection division, which was sent to all registered property brokers in Dubai.
It informed them that the practice of direct telemarketing violates the agency’s rules and regulations. It also made clear that any real estate broker not adhering to these mandatory stipulations would be fined.
“RERA has made contact with all real estate offices in Dubai asking them to refrain from such annoying tactics as direct telemarketing, as they do not provide any benefits for the sector,” said Yousef Al Hashmi, Senior Director, Licensing Department, RERA.
“We have reiterated that all real estate brokers and agents should abide by the clear set of governing rules and legislation for the promotion and marketing of real estate properties by using existing methods that have been established by the agency,” he added.
The official request to exercise restraint and abide by RERA’s terms and conditions, which outlaw unsolicited approaches to property owners and developers, is registered in the Dubai Land Department’s records in accordance with RERA’s regulation No. 85, as laid down in 2006.
Sultan Al Suwaidi, Head of Permits and Inspections at RERA, explained, “He has received numerous complaints from property owners and developers relating to the direct telemarketing malpractice. He explained that contacting property owners directly in order to offer sales and marketing services is not only a breach of the guidelines from RERA, it goes against the whole ethos of the profession.”
Al Suwaidi continued, “Real estate brokers are allowed to place advertisements promoting their own services and can also promote projects that have been pre-approved with the developer, owner or landlord. When advertising their services on-line, every real estate office is required to include their unique registration number, which must be placed on all communication documents. He added that RERA is working towards creating a professional real estate environment for Dubai’s property sector operators that is governed by clear and transparent laws and regulations for all.”
