Real Estate Commission in Dubai: Rules, Ethics and Worked Scenarios

In Dubai a broker’s commission is set by agreement; only without an agreement is it decided by prevailing practice, and no DLD law, form or circular we read sets a rate. Bylaw No. (85) of 2006, Article (27): “The Real Estate Broker’s remuneration will be determined by agreement, and in absence of agreement, remuneration will be determined according to prevailing practice.” What the law does fix is when commission is earned (a sale: on signing the sale contract and registering it with the Department, unless the brokerage agreement says otherwise), when it is forfeited (for breaching duties to the client by acting in the other party’s interest or accepting its promise of a benefit, inconsistently with good faith or professional ethics), and how it is split among several brokers. We use original scenarios to practise these rules, alongside RERA’s ten ethics, the cold-calling rules and anti-money laundering duties. This page sets out each rule with the article behind it, then walks through scenarios of our own. Commission and anti-money laundering are one of the eight areas of our RERA exam practice.

Bylaw No. (85) of 2006; RERA Practice Guide 2024; DLD Circular (02-2026); UAE FIU goAML guide; read 28 October 2026.

Two further articles shape every commission question. Article (26) requires the brokerage agreement to be in writing, stating the parties, the property and the brokerage terms. And Article (21) makes the broker a trustee of any amounts, securities or other items delivered for safekeeping or for the other party, bound by the trusteeship rules. On DLD’s lease brokerage forms the commission line reads “To be Paid by Owner : Amount ( AED )______ or % _______” with the same line for the tenant: the parties fill it in, and the form chooses no figure.

Dubai’s Bylaw does not forbid one broker acting for both sides; it sets what follows. Article (33): if the broker is appointed by both parties, “each party will be severally liable to pay his own share of the remuneration even if they agree that one of them will incur the Real Estate Broker’s remuneration in full.” Article (19): even though a broker represents one party, he “must faithfully disclose the transaction details and conditions he is aware of”, and is responsible for any fraud or mistake. Article (17) requires disclosure to the client of all negotiation details and the stages of the process, and to the other party of all substantial matters needed to avoid uncertainty. Article (25): if several people engage one broker for the same transaction, they are jointly responsible for the engagement unless agreed otherwise.

RERA’s 2024 Practice Guide says all licensed brokers “must adhere to the ethics of practicing the profession, including” ten points. Bylaw No. (85) of 2006 makes the code binding (Article 14) and cancels registration for breaching it (Article 40).

DLD’s 2025 Dubai Real Estate Valuation Guide prints a longer “Code of Ethics for Practicing Real Estate Professions” as a pledge by licensed real estate companies, in eleven points. It covers the same ground and adds further professional obligations: a pledge “not to allow any individuals who are not registered or authorised to work through our office, nor to misuse the office name or license”, and, under respect for DLD’s procedures, a pledge not to establish special relationships with Department employees for personal gain and to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

The 2024 guide describes the green list in the Dubai REST app, which gives brokers the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of registered owners: “Brokers are not allowed to contact owners not registered as part of the green list”, and a broker who does gets a violation, with operations suspended on a complaint or report by an investor or client. DLD Circular (02-2026), dated 26 February 2026, goes further. All brokerage offices are “strictly prohibited from obtaining any data or information related to property owners or investors from any source through unlawful means”, and direct contact by phone or other channels to offer, market or buy property is also prohibited. The exception is “clients who have duly documented prior transactions with the office”, provided the office keeps an approved record of the relationship and gives it to the Authority on request. The circular does not mention the green list, so do not treat green-list inclusion alone as an exception.

DLD lists Federal Decree by Law No. (10) of 2025 under the “Anti-Money Laundering (AML)” heading of its rules and regulations page. The Decree places its duties on financial institutions and on designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs), whose activities are specified in its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025, which repealed Cabinet Resolution No. (10) of 2019. Article 3(2) of the Resolution names brokers directly: “Real estate brokers and agents, when concluding transactions or settlements on behalf of their customers in relation to the purchase or sale of real estate”. No value threshold is attached to brokers there. So the duties below apply to a broker doing that work.

These are our own examples, written to show how the rules above decide an answer. They are not exam questions.

One of the 4 free questions you can try is on ethics and broker conduct, printed as our practice set shows it.

Scenarios like the ones above are a good way to practise these rules. The Dubai RERA Broker Exam Complete Pass Pack has its own 14-day practice plan, about 75 minutes a day on average (days 12 and 13 are each a separate 70-question full mock with a 120-minute limit), 6 timed practice mocks of 70 questions with a 120-minute limit (our practice format, not a confirmed official one), 8 topic drills and 6 scenario drills, Revise fast answer cards whose explanations cite the law, bylaw or official DLD/RERA guidance behind them, a plain-English revision kit PDF and the Annual Renewal Refresher, with no expiry. You can try 4 free questions first. RERA Circular 31/2014 sets the pass mark at 85% on the initial licensing exam and the annual renewal exam. For the contracts that carry the commission clause, see our guide to Forms A, B and F, Oqood and Ejari; for the route to the card itself, how to become a real estate agent in Dubai; and for the exam’s fee, the exam format guide.

For scenario practice across eight law areas, the Dubai RERA Broker Exam Complete Pass Pack sets out its own 14-day practice plan, about 75 minutes a day on average (days 12 and 13 are each a separate 70-question full mock with a 120-minute limit); try 4 free questions to see how each answer is explained.