How do I check that a broker is licensed by RERA?

Open the Dubai REST app and use the Validate E-Card service. Select the card type, enter the card number (BRN), and the result appears straight away. It is available to everyone, whatever your residency status.

What does the Madmoun QR code on a listing show?

It opens the advertising permit on the DLD website, with the company details, the advert details, the status and the property value. Compare those with what the listing says.

Is a listing without a QR code always a scam?

Not always, but it breaks the advertising rules. DLD tells the public not to engage with property ads it has not approved. Ask for the permit number and QR code before you book a viewing.

Can an unlicensed broker claim a commission?

According to DLD's guidance, a broker may lose the right to a commission if they turn out not to be licensed by RERA. Checking the card protects your money and your position if there is ever a dispute.

How to Verify a Dubai Broker and Listing: BRN and Madmoun QR

Checking a broker and a listing in Dubai is free and takes about five minutes. You check the broker by their BRN in the Dubai REST app. You check the listing by scanning its Madmoun QR code, which opens the advertising permit on the Dubai Land Department website. Below I walk through both, and what I'd look at before sending anyone a passport copy or a deposit.

I'm Viktoriia Burmakina, a RERA-licensed broker with BRN 78108. My card can be checked the same way, and I ask clients to do it. Nobody should take that as an insult. It's ordinary good practice.

Why check before the first viewing

The Dubai market is open and moves quickly, and some people take advantage of that. Listings get copied, prices are set below market so the phone rings, and strangers message you claiming to be brokers. The regulator is well aware of this. In July 2024, DLD reported fines against 256 brokers ↗ for breaking advertising rules over six months, and asked the public not to engage with any property ad it had not approved.

Five minutes of checking tells you:

whether this person really is a licensed broker;
whether the listing has an advertising permit, and whether it describes the property you're being shown;
which company you would actually be signing with.

Step 1. Check the broker's BRN

BRN stands for Broker Registration Number. It's printed on the broker's RERA card, and most brokers also put it in their email signature, on their business card and in their listings.

Here is how to check it in Dubai REST ↗:

Download Dubai REST from the App Store or Google Play and log in.
Open Validate E-Card.
Choose the card type and enter the number.
The result shows on screen immediately.

DLD lists the service as app-only and open to all residency categories, with an instant result. I couldn't find any fee mentioned on the service page.

When the result comes up, compare:

the name on the card with the person messaging you;
the validity of the card;
the company on the card with the company named on the paperwork you receive.

Dubai REST also has a directory. According to DLD's description ↗, it covers brokers and their performance levels, real estate offices and their classifications, and certified developers, valuers, management and consultancy companies.

When an "assistant" handles the chat

Sometimes one person does the messaging and a different person's card turns up. Ask who is running the deal and whose name will be on the contract. An agency having a licence doesn't make everyone who writes on its behalf a licensed broker, so check the card of the person you're really dealing with.

Step 2. Check the listing with the Madmoun QR code

DLD made Madmoun ↗ a requirement from 24 April 2023. Every advertising permit issued through the Trakheesi system gets a QR code, and companies have to show it on print and audiovisual ads.

Using it is simple:

Point your phone camera at the QR code.
The permit page opens on the DLD website.
Compare what it says with the listing.

According to DLD ↗, the code shows company information, advert information, status, details and the property value. Madmoun will also tell you if a property has already been sold or rented.

Compare	Where	Red flag
Company	Madmoun page vs broker card	The permit names a different company
Property	Madmoun page vs listing	Different project, size or unit type
Price	Madmoun page vs listing	Listing price far below the permit
Status	Madmoun page	Already sold or rented
The code	The listing	Missing, unreadable, or not opening dubailand.gov.ae

Look at the address bar too. A genuine code opens the official dubailand.gov.ae site, and one that points anywhere else is not Madmoun.

Where the permit comes from

Ad permits are issued through Trakheesi on the DLD website. The service page ↗ says that for most permit types the broker has to provide a marketing contract with the property owner. So if a permit exists, the broker has a basis for advertising that property. On resale the contract is usually Form A, which I explain in Forms A, B and F.

Step 3. Check what you're actually shown

The QR code can be perfect and you can still be looking at the wrong unit. These are the things I check:

The layout, floor and view at the viewing should match the listing and the permit.
The seller's broker should confirm ownership before you sign anything. Please don't sign on trust.
With an off-plan project, check the project and the developer separately: completion percentage, escrow account, date of the last inspection. I go through this in how to check a Dubai developer.
According to DLD, your brokerage contract should state the parties, the property, the agreed amount, the commission rate and the registration date.

When I would stop and think

The broker won't give a BRN, or changes the subject.
The card doesn't verify, or shows a different name.
There's no QR code on the listing, and asking for the permit is met with silence.
The price is well below market, "today only".
You're asked to send a deposit to a personal account, a crypto wallet or "a partner company" before any contract is signed.
Someone keeps pushing on timing and discourages you from checking.

Any one of these can have an innocent explanation. If you see several at once, I'd pause.

What to do if a check fails

There's no need to assume fraud straight away. A card may be in the middle of renewal, or the broker may have moved agencies before the records caught up. Still, I wouldn't carry on as if nothing happened.

This is the order I'd follow:

Ask in writing: "Your card doesn't verify in Dubai REST. Could you send your current number?" A genuine broker replies quickly and won't be offended.
Hold off on any deposit or signature until it's sorted out.
Check the listing on its own. If it has a valid permit and QR, see which company Madmoun names and contact that company directly, using the details on its official website.
Keep screenshots of the listing and the messages, and note the phone number. You'll need them if you ever raise the matter with DLD.

If a listing has no permit, or carries someone else's QR code, keep in mind that DLD publicly asks people not to engage with ads it hasn't approved. I'd simply walk away.

How to check me

My BRN is 78108. Open Dubai REST → Validate E-Card and enter it. There's a photo of my RERA card on my about page. If anyone contacts you in my name with a different number, it isn't me.

Commission and licensing under DLD rules

DLD's FAQ ↗ covers a few things a buyer should know:

the commission is set by the brokerage agreement;
unless the agreement says otherwise, it becomes payable after the sale contract is concluded and registered with DLD;
a broker may lose the right to commission if they act against the interests of the party they represent, or if they turn out not to be licensed by RERA.

So work with someone whose card you've checked, and get the commission written into the agreement.

From my practice. A family buying an apartment at Address Residences in Dubai Creek Harbour wanted to wire money straight to the seller before the transfer. I talked them out of it. The funds went through a conveyancing company, which issued manager's cheques in the seller's name. Checking the broker and the listing protects you at the start. After that, what matters is how the money moves, and I cover that in safe payment with manager's cheques.

My own terms

Since this article is about transparency, here are my terms:

off-plan from the developer is free for the buyer;
resale up to AED 1,000,000 costs AED 21,000, VAT included;
resale from AED 1,000,000 is 2% + VAT.

All of this goes into the agreement before any work starts. You can read more about how I work on my about page.

Quick checklist

Ask for the BRN and check it in Dubai REST → Validate E-Card.
Match the name and company on the card to the chat and the contract.
Scan the Madmoun QR and make sure it opens dubailand.gov.ae.
Compare company, property, price and status on the permit with the listing.
For off-plan, check the project in Dubai REST.
Don't send money before the contracts are signed, and never to a personal account.

I've collected the official DLD tools on my resources page.

If you've found a property and would like me to look it over, send me the link on WhatsApp. I'll check the listing and the permit and suggest what to ask the seller.