RERA — Dubai's broker + developer regulator.
The regulatory arm of Dubai Land Department for real estate. AED 300,000 paid-up capital for brokerages. Trakheesi platform for broker cards. Off-plan escrow oversight. Established 2007.
What RERA is, in one paragraph.
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is the regulatory department within the Dubai Land Department (DLD), established under Dubai Law No. 16 of 2007 and operating under DLD's umbrella. RERA's scope: real estate brokerage licensing (with the AED 300,000 paid-up capital requirement and the AED 1M professional-indemnity insurance floor), individual broker certification via the Trakheesi platform (training + exam + per-broker cards), off-plan developer registration and project escrow account oversight (developers must hold buyer payments in DLD-approved escrow accounts), the broker code of conduct, and dispute mediation. From a YABS-client perspective, every Dubai real estate brokerage interacts with RERA at every stage — licensing, broker cards, listing compliance on Property Finder + Bayut + dubizzle.
Core scope.
- Brokerage licensing: AED 300,000 paid-up + RERA-approved code of conduct compliance.
- Trakheesi broker cards: per-individual broker registration, training, exam, annual renewal.
- Off-plan developer registration: escrow account compliance, project completion bonding.
- Project oversight: off-plan delivery monitoring, payment-milestone enforcement.
- PI insurance enforcement: minimum AED 1M brokerage indemnity insurance.
- Broker dispute mediation: commission disputes + listing-rights conflicts.
Where RERA comes up.
Connected concepts.
UAE business administration is a graph of overlapping authorities. Each term below intersects with the one you're reading.
Dubai DED
Dubai's mainland trade-licensing authority.
DLD
Dubai Land Department — real estate authority + RERA + Ejari.
GDRFA
Dubai residency authority — entry permits + visa stamping.
ICP
UAE federal identity authority — Emirates ID + non-Dubai residency.
MOHRE
UAE federal labour ministry — work permits + employment contracts.
DHA
Dubai Health Authority — clinics, pharmacies, fitness, salons.
KHDA
Dubai education regulator — schools, universities, training institutes.
FTA
UAE Federal Tax Authority — Corporate Tax + VAT.
MoFAIC
UAE Foreign Affairs ministry — foreign-document attestation.
Tasheel
MOHRE labour-services delivery network.
Ejari
Dubai Land Department's tenancy registration system.
Amer
GDRFA Dubai residency-services delivery channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is RERA?
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is the regulatory department within Dubai Land Department (DLD) responsible for real estate brokerage, developer registration, off-plan project oversight, and broker certification. Established under Dubai Law No. 16 of 2007. Operates the Trakheesi licensing platform for individual brokers and the off-plan escrow framework for developers.
Is RERA the same as DLD?
RERA is a department within DLD, not a separate authority. Most public-facing real-estate functions split between the two: RERA handles broker + developer regulation; DLD handles the broader title registry, Ejari, and transaction recording. From a brokerage business perspective, you'll deal with RERA for licensing and Trakheesi cards, and with DLD for transaction registrations.
What does it cost to open a RERA-licensed brokerage?
Setup typically AED 35,000 fully delivered (RERA brokerage licence + Trakheesi onboarding + AED 1M PI insurance + DED commercial). Plus AED 300,000 working-capital paid-up requirement (operationally usable, not frozen). Per-broker Trakheesi card AED 5,000 initial + AED 2,500 annual. Most brokerages launch with 2–4 brokers.
Set up a RERA brokerage
From AED 35,000 fully delivered + AED 300,000 paid-up capital. Trakheesi onboarding + PI insurance + DED commercial — all coordinated.
This page was last reviewed by the YABS compliance team in Q2 2026 and reflects current Dubai DED, Dubai Municipality, DHA, MOHRE, FTA, and DLD requirements.