Cold Calls to Dubai Property Owners Are Banned: AED 50,000 Fine
“We have a buyer for your apartment” — the regulator reminded agencies that such outreach without an existing client relationship is illegal. Penalties: a three-month suspension, an AED 50,000 fine, and deregistration for repeat offenders.
Every property owner in Dubai knows the call: someone claiming to have a ready buyer for their apartment. The market regulator has specifically reminded agencies that this kind of outreach isn't in a grey area — it's directly restricted by the rules, and in most cases simply prohibited.
What brokers are specifically barred from doing
- Illegally obtaining the contact details of property owners and investors.
- Reaching out by any method — phone, SMS, messaging apps, anything — to offer to sell, buy or manage a property.
- Pestering owners with unsolicited cold outreach.
The one exception
An agency may contact you in exactly one case: when you're already its client, backed by documentation — a completed transaction or an active agreement. Outside of that, it's a violation.
Penalties
- A three-month suspension of activity.
- A fine of AED 50,000.
- Repeat violations lead to permanent deregistration of the broker.
What this means for an owner
Above all, it means the call has a source — and that source is illegal. Your number and details about your property reached the caller through a database they had no right to obtain. That alone is reason enough to be wary of the conversation, however convincing "we already have a buyer" sounds.
Talk to a licensed broker: 📲 +971 50 120 32 64 on WhatsApp, @dubai_oleg on Telegram
In practice: these calls can be ignored without worrying about a missed opportunity. A real buyer for a specific property comes through a published listing or through an agency you already have a relationship with — not through a cold call sourced from a stolen database.
Based on the Dubai real estate regulator's clarification on the rules governing broker outreach to owners, 2026.
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