Dubai Land Department (DLD) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during GITEX Technology Week (GITEX) 2018, which is being held till 18th October at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The MoU aims to regulate real estate advertisements by setting an operational framework in the control departments, thus reducing misleading real estate advertisements.

HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of the TRA, said: "The Authority greatly values the efforts of the DLD and its role in serving the national economy through the efficient management of the real estate sector, which is a vital segment of the national economy. We also appreciate the department’s other activities in the development of laws and regulations relating to real estate advertisements on the internet and its work to preserve the interests of all involved parties.”

HE Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, commented: "We are pleased to sign this MoU with TRA in response to the directives of our wise leadership to encourage cooperation between governmental entities in order to integrate and easily provide services to all customers. Through this cooperation, we look forward to unifying and regulating the advertisement procedure for real estate companies and their use of text messaging and communications services to avoid public inconvenience. It will assist us in eliminating unlicensed advertisements on social media and websites that promote real estate or leasing, both inside and outside the country.”

Bin Mejren stressed that the MoU includes the regulation of electronic advertising, especially for websites that offer real estate; the exchange of information; coordination on unauthorised advertisements that are in violation of laws and regulations; and the mechanism of blocking these websites should they not modify the violating advertisements or comply with the laws set in place. Through the cooperation between the two parties, TRA ensures the implementation of laws and regulations for the amending of real estate advertisements and DLD will provide the Authority with all the data, information, contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and links to all violating companies by specifying the violation text and its legal reference.

Due to the efficiency of the two parties, the TRA ensures the implementation of laws and regulations relating to the organisation of real estate advertisements, while the DLD provides them with all data, information, contact numbers, e-mail addresses and links to the parties that display noncompliant real estate advertisements, specifying the text of the offense and the legal reference.

DLD, through the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), constantly issues official circulars addressed to all real estate companies and institutions operating in Dubai. Through these memos, RERA requests all real estate companies and institutions wishing to advertise any property located within and outside the Emirate to apply for a permit through Trakheesi system on DLD’s website.