From now on, Dubai’s property portals must begin to pay closer attention to how they advertise units in the secondary market.
The “unit numbers,” which provided information on the transaction history and other details of that specific property, should no longer be identified by the properties being marketed for sale.
According to the data, the ownership of those properties was also becoming publicly known. By the UAE’s “Personal Data Protection Law,” property portals will no longer be able to use the unit numbers.
Unit numbers must no longer appear in real estate advertisements; instead, the building, the property’s larger location, etc., must be mentioned. And, of course, the asking prices.
This comes after the Dubai Land Department, which has recently been picky about how real estate is promoted and advertised in the city, issued a new directive. Recent rules, for example, limit the number of estate agents who can market a specific property at a time and mandate that brokers obtain pre-approvals before listing properties for sale.
The goal of eliminating unit numbers from secondary market sales promotions is to protect the privacy of personal information.
“We welcome the changes by Dubai Land Department with regards to the privacy of the property owner, such that the influence of bad actors is nullified,” said Hanishka Gehani, Director of Zabadani Real Estate.
“At the end of the day, investors trust us with their confidential data. It is our responsibility to live up to that, especially in a data-driven world.
“Plus, customers are increasingly aware of their rights. The onus is on all stakeholders from brokers to developers to outside agencies to ensure these practices are strictly complied with.”
How ‘unit number’ details were misused
According to industry sources, any brokerage firm or other real estate entity could obtain the ownership details from the Land Department records once the unit numbers are displayed.
“So, you had multiple agents calling up the property owner wishing to sell a unit to sign up with them,” said an industry source. “Even if the property owner had already assigned another agent to sell the unit.
“With the removal of unit numbers from ads, a lot of that cold calling will disappear.”