Form A

Form A is the contract by which an owner appoints a licensed broker to market a property in Dubai. It is one of RERA's unified brokerage forms and records the property details, the asking price, whether the listing is exclusive or open, how long it runs, the commission and who pays it. It also discloses matters a buyer will ask about, such as an existing mortgage, a tenancy and the annual service charges.

Its practical importance is that a broker cannot obtain a Trakheesi advertising permit for a resale listing without a signed Form A and proof of ownership. An advert with no permit number usually means there is no Form A behind it, and possibly no instruction from the owner at all.

Buyers rarely see the form, but they benefit from it. If an agent cannot tell you whether they hold the listing directly from the owner, ask; negotiating through a chain of agents who have never met the seller is slow and unreliable.

For owners, the points to check before signing are the exclusivity period, the commission rate and whether it is payable if you find a buyer yourself. When you come to sell, expect to sign one. Form A has no role in an off-plan purchase from a developer, where the agent is appointed and paid by the developer. The buyer-side equivalent is Form B, and the sale itself is recorded in Form F.