A Moroccan real estate agent in Dubai.

In short

In Dubai, every real estate agent must be licensed by RERA, the regulator attached to the Dubai Land Department (DLD), and work for a brokerage that is itself licensed. This information is public and can be checked online, on the DLD website or in the official Dubai REST app.

A Moroccan agent adds three useful things on top of that: your language, knowledge of both sides of the payment (in Morocco, or in your country of residence if you live abroad) and a shared understanding of what a family expects from a property.

• Find the agent in the official list of licensed brokers
• Check their RERA card and the brokerage they work for
• Check the permit of every listing (Trakheesi)
• Pay only into the accounts set by the procedure, never a personal account
• Get the fees, the payment plan and the project documents in writing

What the rules require of every agent in Dubai

Real estate brokerage is a regulated activity in Dubai. A professional must obtain a licence from RERA before practising, and the brokerage employing them must be registered as such. Each agent holds a professional card with a number, an issue date and an expiry date.

Listings are regulated too: a property offered for sale or rent must be published with a permit issued by the Dubai Land Department through the Trakheesi system. This framework protects the buyer and makes checking simple, whatever the agent's nationality or language.

The checks to run, in a few minutes

You can run these checks from Casablanca, Paris or Brussels, without any intermediary. I invite you to run them on me too: it is a good habit, and it builds trust from the first conversation.

• Search the agent's name in the list of RERA-licensed brokers
• Check their card number with the official RERA card verification service
• Find their brokerage in the list of licensed brokerage companies
• Check a listing permit with the licence and permit verification service
• For an off-plan project, check the project registration and its escrow account, as explained in how to check a developer in Dubai

Where your money goes

This is the simplest rule to remember. Off-plan, your payments go into the project's escrow account, required by Law No. 8 of 2007 and supervised by RERA; its details are in the sale contract. For a ready property, payment follows the Dubai Land Department transfer procedure at an approved trustee office. No agent needs to receive the price of your property on a personal account.

If you live in Morocco, the first question is the transfer of funds, which falls under the rules of the Office des Changes. If you live in Europe or Canada, your bank will ask about the source of funds. I cover both cases in paying for a Dubai property from abroad.

What a Moroccan adviser changes

First, language. A property purchase is discussed as a family, often with parents or siblings. Being able to explain a payment plan or a contract clause in Darija, French or Arabic avoids misunderstandings and saves everyone time.

Second, the order of the steps. A resident of Morocco and a Moroccan living in Lyon or Brussels do not start from the same place when it comes to paying. I always start there, before talking about projects: that is the logic of my guide investing in Dubai from Morocco.

Third, a view of both countries. Many families invest in Dubai and in Morocco. On the Moroccan side, new developments are marketed by Abraj, and I compare the two markets in Dubai or Morocco: where to invest. If you are buying as a family, read buying with others in Dubai.

What you should receive in writing

Serious guidance shows in its documents. Before any commitment, you should have in front of you the same information that will appear in the contract.

• The agency's fees, confirmed before the reservation
• The developer's payment plan, instalment by instalment
• The official project documents or the seller's title deed
• The sale and purchase agreement (SPA), or the RERA memorandum of understanding for a resale
• Confirmation of DLD registration: Oqood off-plan, title deed for a ready property

How I work

I was born in Morocco. I spent more than twenty years in finance before real estate, and today I lead Cevitas Real Estate, a RERA-licensed brokerage in Dubai. With my team, we have placed more than AED 200 million for private investors. I work in Darija, French, Arabic and English.

My method is the same for everyone: clarify the goal and the payment flow, present a short selection of checked properties, then guide you to the keys and to letting if you wish. My services are on the services page, and everything for Moroccans abroad is on Moroccans abroad.

The simplest start is a free 30-minute call: you describe your situation, and I tell you plainly what is possible and in what order. Book your call or ask for your roadmap.