Buyer's check · Dubai property · Updated 5 October 2026
Check the company, not only the person
Every party in a Dubai property deal sits on a public register: the agent, the brokerage, the advert, the developer, the project and the escrow account. Most buyers check one of them. Below are all six, in the order you meet them, each with the official place to check it. The brokerage you can check right here.
Check a brokerage now
Type the company name, its DLD office number or its licence number.
Searches all DLD-licensed brokerage offices in the Dubindex register.
- The agent: ask for the BRN
- The brokerage: check the company behind the card
- The advert: find the permit number
- The developer and the project: use the number, not the brochure
- The money: escrow, never a person
- The paperwork: see it in your own name
What the registers show
Dubindex analysis of the DLD registers of brokerage offices (22 Sep 2026) and brokers (2 Oct 2026).
The six checks
First call or viewing
The agent: ask for the BRN
Every broker who is allowed to deal in Dubai holds a DLD broker card with a Broker Registration Number (BRN). Ask for it in writing before you share documents or money.
Look the number up in the DLD list of licensed brokers. The card must be valid today, and it must name the same brokerage the person says they work for.
Before you sign anything
The brokerage: check the company behind the card
The agent changes jobs; the company holds your deposit, your contract and the liability. Check four things: the licence is valid today, how long the company has been licensed, its DLD rating, and how many agents hold a valid card there.
A company with no carded agents, a licence end date in the past, or a free email address as its only official contact deserves a second question before it gets your money.
Check it above, or browse the full indexDLD · Licensed brokerage companies ↗
Every listing you are shown
The advert: find the permit number
Property adverts in Dubai need a DLD advertising permit (Trakheesi). The permit number belongs on the listing itself, whether it is on a portal, social media or WhatsApp.
Verify the permit through DLD's licence and permit check. No permit number, or one that belongs to a different property, is a reason to stop.
Off-plan and new launches
The developer and the project: use the number, not the brochure
Marketing names change; the DLD project number does not. Ask for it, then search it in DLD's Project Status Enquiry and confirm the developer name and status match what you were told.
A project that cannot be found by its number is not yet a project you can safely pay into.
Dubindex · 2026 projects: status and escrowDLD · Project Status Enquiry ↗Dubai REST app ↗
Booking fee and instalments
The money: escrow, never a person
Off-plan sales in Dubai run through a project escrow account under Law No. 8 of 2007; DLD opens it when the developer registers the project. Your payment instructions should name that account.
Do not pay into an agent's personal account, and do not pay before the paperwork names the project, the unit and the account.
Law No. 8 of 2007 (escrow) ↗DLD · Register Project and escrow ↗
After you pay
The paperwork: see it in your own name
An off-plan purchase is registered with DLD (Oqood); a ready property moves by title deed. Both should appear in Dubai REST under your own name. Check that they do, and keep the registration numbers with your contract.
Stop and ask again if
- the agent will not give a BRN, or the BRN belongs to another company
- the brokerage licence end date has passed, or the company has no carded agents
- the only official contact is a free email address
- the advert has no permit number
- nobody can give you the DLD project number
- you are asked to pay a person, or to pay before the paperwork names the escrow account
If something is wrong
DLD takes complaints against real estate companies and brokers online. Keep the BRN, the licence number, the permit number and every payment receipt.
Questions
Is Dubindex an official DLD service?
No. Dubindex is an independent index published by VSN. It is built from DLD's public registers and links to the official DLD tool for every check. Where Dubindex and DLD differ, DLD is right.
How do I check whether a Dubai brokerage is licensed?
Search the company name, office number or licence number in the box on this page, or in the DLD list of licensed brokerage companies. Check that the licence end date has not passed.
How do I check a broker's BRN?
Ask the agent for the Broker Registration Number and look it up in DLD's list of licensed real estate brokers. The card must be valid and name the brokerage the agent claims to represent.
What do Gold, Silver and Bronze mean?
They are the ratings DLD gives brokerage companies, as published in its register. Dubindex shows them unchanged: 4 offices are Gold, 107 Silver and 628 Bronze; all others are unrated.
How current is this data?
Brokerage offices: DLD register retrieved 22 September 2026. Brokers and agent counts: DLD register retrieved 18 October 2026. Always confirm a deal-critical fact with DLD on the day.
Official sources
Dubindex is an independent index published by VSN. It is not a government publication and is not affiliated with Dubai Land Department. Register data: DLD registers of brokerage offices (retrieved 22 September 2026) and brokers (retrieved 18 October 2026).