KHALEEJ TIMES, Wednesday October 21, 2020 / 4 , Rabi' al-awwal , 1442
DLD fines 10 realty companies, warns another 30 for not adhering to advertising requirements
Emirates:
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera), at Dubai Land Department (DLD),
has implemented inspection campaigns aimed at auditing advertising permits
and ensuring that various parties adhere to the circulars and laws enforced
in the emirate. During the aforementioned campaigns, Rera fined 10 real
estate companies and warned 30 others for not adhering to the advertising
requirements.
DLD clarified that each fine is valued at a progressive Dh50,000, stressing
that it may reach the stage of cancelling the licence of the violating real
estate company. The violations committed comprised three types: violations
by companies that did not obtain advertising permits, manipulation of the
use of advertising permit numbers, and the use of expired permits.
DLD's efforts are within the framework of its constant and continuous
endeavour to maintain a safe and legal investment environment for practising
real estate activities in the emirate, in line with the directives of the
wise leadership to enhance performance efficiency and advance this sector to
expanded levels.
Rera regularly launches circulars and campaigns that provide cautionary
counsel and guidance for when dealing with various forms of advertisements,
especially fake and unlicenced ads that are posted on electronic platforms
and social media channels. As part of its continuous efforts to confront
this phenomenon, Rera previously launched a real estate ad permits service
on the Trakheesi system on DLD's website.
Under the service, all real estate companies and establishments operating in
Dubai and wishing to publish any real estate advertisement in the emirate
are required to apply for a permit through the Trakheesi system on DLD's
official website. The advertiser will bear the consequences of the legal
procedures if the permit number is not placed in the advertisement.
Rera also called on customers and investors to verify all documents and
request data and information from brokers about the offered property.
Customers can now easily verify the licensed brokers, as well as the
validity of real estate property data, through the Dubai REST smart
application - Dubai Brokers page.
Ali Abdulla Al Ali, director of the Real Estate Licensing Department at DLD,
said: "Rera is keen to ensure that all companies adhere to real estate
permits and that customers are being provided with the best services. The
main objective of this campaign is not limited to violating companies; it
also seeks to preserve the rights of all parties, provide quality services,
and limit false advertisements. In doing so, we encourage brokers to adhere
to the rules and regulations, which will lead to a reduction in complaints
we receive. We are committed to providing information easily and
conveniently to customers, ensuring their happiness and helping them make
the right decisions."
Rera requires real estate companies to obtain permits before launching any
real estate marketing campaign and to include the permit number in all real
estate ads. In addition, companies must display their advertisements
according to the conditions approved in the permit as well as obtain final
approvals from other concerned authorities. As for the websites concerned
with real estate ads, they are to be associated with is a link to ensure
that the displayed ads adhere to the permit conditions.
Rera also urges its customers to familiarise themselves with all the
procedures, read contracts with extreme accuracy, and seek the assistance of
legal experts to verify the terms of the contracts before signing them. If
the project is off-plan, it must be ensured that it is licenced and that no
amounts are paid outside the escrow account. Rera encourages customers to
get in touch for any enquiries, especially as DLD is providing several
communication channels, including the call centre, instant chat on DLD's
website, social media channels, and Dubai REST application that would help
customers to make their decisions based on verified information that is
consistently being updated.
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