Dubai property broker fined Dh50,000 for cold calling

Nine agents have also been suspended by the Dubai Land Department

Transactions in Dubai's property market have reached record levels in recent months. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera) at the Dubai Land Department has fined a property broker Dh50,000 for making cold calls and practising direct telemarketing.

The agency also suspended nine agents who are part of the property broker for three months. The broker was not named.

Concerned companies have been warned in the past to desist from harassing customers by contacting them to promote properties.

Rera said on Friday it would take all legal measures against any company that failed to comply with this warning.

The rental regulatory also said that it is “keen on providing a safe real estate environment for investors and customers without the inconvenience of spam or malicious calls made by real estate brokerage offices to market or promote their services".

Rera has unveiled a “Green List” service on the Dubai REST application through which malicious calls can be reported.

“This contributes to eliminating unwanted communication from real estate brokers and ensuring effective communication only when required,” the agency said.

Transactions have picked up in recent months in the Dubai property market as it recovers from the coronavirus-induced slowdown.

Dubai registered 25,972 property transactions in the first quarter of this year, the highest number of quarterly deals since 2010, according to Mo’asher, the emirate’s official sales price index issued by the Dubai Land Department in partnership with Property Finder.

Some tenants have reported being given notices of rental increases of up to 50 per cent to renew their contracts — several times the legal limit set by the authorities — by rogue landlords.

However, Rera has clear rules for landlords and tenants.

A Rera rental increase calculator gives an average price indication for tenants of what they should expect to pay and by much landlords can increase rent.

Rental increases are capped at 20 per cent a year, depending on market price changes in a given area.