Dubai cold calling clampdown: Rera warning to 20 firms

Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera), the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department (DLD), has, once again, warned real estate brokers from making cold calls with at least 20 real estate brokerage firms getting warning letters.

The move follows repeated complaints from customers who have been disturbed by unsolicited calls from brokers.

Emirates 24|7 reported in February that Rera was encouraging people to register complaints against real estate agencies making cold calls.

Read: Dubai cold calling crackdown: Rera urges complaints against brokers

"We investigated this issue through the real estate inspection department and after looking at the complaints in detail, sent a further warning letter to 20 real estate offices in Dubai,” said Yousif Al Hashimi, Deputy CEO, Rera.

“This action was taken because the offices in question were clearly violating the instructions issued by Rera, especially in systems relating to the marketing of services and the non-renewal of brokers’ cards, which are a mandatory requirement for their activities.”

Rera’s Real Estate Inspection Department recently sent out letters to all registered property brokers, which informs the recipients that the practice of direct telemarketing violates Rera’s rules and regulations.

The letter states that the calls cause annoyance and are particularly distressing for those who have not advertised their property for sale. It stipulates that brokers were not allowed to cause inconvenience to property owners by using such unprofessional tactics and warned them that they would face sanctions if they didn’t desist from the practice.

The first circular in this matter was issued in August 2013, which informed real estate brokers that they were not allowed to make either telemarketing phone calls or send telemarketing SMS messages to property owners who have not registered their properties for sale or rent in the real estate offices using the official templates.

Meanwhile, fines of Dh50,000 were imposed against three companies for repeated violations such as using brokers who were not registered with Rera and not supplying brokers’ names and other compulsory information in real estate transactions and correspondence.

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