Q: A real estate agency has signed an MOU stating that a 10% security deposit from the buyer and the seller will be kept in the real estate agency and will be released upon transferring the property. The transfer of the property was blocked due to the court order. According to my colleagues, the real estate agency is not a trustee and they are not allowed to have taken my security check in the first place, is this correct?

Q: I was working for a real estate company in Dubai. I was part of a big deal for selling a villa for 18.5M. The deal was signed while I was with the company, and I was still in the company a few months later until the owner terminated me under the reason “services no longer required”. The MOU was signed while I was with the company and the deal was meant to go through in September, I got terminated in August. I have a voice recording of the whole conversation on the day I was terminated in which the owner clearly states I was part of the deal and as I'm no longer part of the company he will need to consult with his partner whether I'm owed my commision. I have spoken to the buyer who has confirmed that the deal has gone through and they are the new owners of the villa. I have contacted the owner of the real estate company who is reading my messages and ignoring me. I am owed 50k commision. Where do I stand?

Q: Hi, I have a concern. We have signed a contract with a seller, but it's not an F contract. We signed an MOU, which is an A contract, and the seller has signed the same, which is a B (this comes from the real estate agency). The seller has specified the date of transfer and confirmed his availability to the agent, but the agent didn't inform us as a buyer. The seller raised a complaint in RERA mentioning that the buyer didn't show up to sign the NOC, knowing we, as a buyer, had sent many emails to the agent as follow-ups. However, it was ending up with the same answer from the agent that the seller was not answering his calls and he did not confirm the date to sign the NOC. We went to RERA, and they asked us to solve the issue between us. Now we are waiting for the seller to see if he would like to proceed with the sale. My question is, as a buyer, how to protect ourselves as we have given a deposit cheque to the agent and paid for the conveyance fees and valuation? What is the next step from our side?

By virtue of this Law, a public corporation named the “Real Estate Regulatory Agency” is established in the Emirate of Dubai. It is affiliated to Dubai Land Department. The objective of RERA is to regulate the real estate sector in the Emirate.

This Law establishes interim property register in which sale contracts, off-plan sales, and other off-plan legal dispositions of real property are registered prior to inclusion in the property register maintained by Dubai Land Department.

This Resolution approves the Implementing Bylaw of Law No. (13) of 2008 Regulating the Interim Property Register in the Emirate of Dubai.