---
title: "RERA"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rera
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/rera.md
type: glossary-term
description: "RERA is the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department: it licenses brokers and developers and oversees escrow accounts, service charges and tenancy rules."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# RERA

> RERA is the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department: it licenses brokers and developers and oversees escrow accounts, service charges and tenancy rules.

Also known as: Real Estate Regulatory Agency.

## What RERA means for a buyer

The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) was created by Dubai Law No. 16 of 2007 and sits within the [Dubai Land Department](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld). The DLD registers ownership; RERA regulates the people and companies in the market.

In practice RERA does five things a buyer should know about:

- licenses estate agencies and individual brokers, each of whom carries a broker card and number
- registers [developers](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/developer) and off-plan projects, and supervises each project's [escrow account](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/escrow-account)
- issues advertising permits through [Trakheesi](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trakheesi)
- approves [service charge](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges) budgets before owners can be invoiced
- approves the [rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index) that caps rent increases, and receives tenancy registrations through [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari)

RERA also publishes the standard brokerage contracts used on resales: [Form A](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/form-a), [Form B](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/form-b) and [Form F](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mou-form-f).

Two practical points. First, check a broker's card on the [Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest) app before sending documents or money; an unlicensed intermediary gives you no regulatory recourse. Second, RERA is a Dubai body only. People use "RERA-registered" loosely across the UAE, but in Abu Dhabi the equivalent functions belong to [ADREC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/adrec).

## Related terms

- [DLD](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld): The Dubai Land Department is the government body that registers every property sale, mortgage and long lease in Dubai and issues title deeds.
- [Trakheesi](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trakheesi): Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department system that issues the permit every property advert in Dubai must carry, shown as a permit number and QR code.
- [Escrow account](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/escrow-account): An escrow account is a regulated, project-specific bank account into which off-plan buyers' payments must go, released to the developer only as building progresses.
- [Form A](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/form-a): Form A is RERA's standard listing agreement between a property seller and a Dubai broker, and the document a broker needs before advertising the property.
- [Rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index): The rental index is the Dubai Land Department's official benchmark of market rents, used to decide whether and by how much a landlord may raise rent at renewal.
- [Broker card (BRN)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/broker-card): A broker card is the registration RERA issues to each individual estate agent in Dubai; listings often show its number as the BRN, and it can be checked free with the Land Department.

## In depth

- [How to buy property in Dubai as a foreigner: the step-by-step guide](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-property-in-dubai)


---

Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rera. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.