Agent Terms of Use

1. Who may register

• 1.1 You must hold a valid real-estate broker licence for the emirate where each property is: in Dubai, a broker card (BRN) issued by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) / RERA, working for a brokerage with a valid office registration (ORN) and trade licence; in Abu Dhabi, an ADREC licence.
• 1.2 Your name, brokerage, BRN and contact details must be true and up to date. If your licence expires or is suspended or cancelled, stop using agent features at once and tell us within 7 days; report a change of brokerage within 7 days. We may verify your details with DLD, RERA or any other authority and suspend your account until they are confirmed.
• 1.3 One person, one account. Never share your login.

2. Your listings

• 2.1 List only property you are authorised to market: you must hold a signed listing agreement with the owner (in Dubai, DLD Form A) and a valid advertising permit (Trakheesi in Dubai, Madhmoun in Abu Dhabi, or the equivalent elsewhere). Show us both whenever we ask.
• 2.2 Listings must be true and current: the real price, size and status, and photos of the actual unit (for off-plan, the developer’s images, marked as such). No fake, “bait”, duplicate or already-sold listings. Update or remove a listing within 48 hours of it being sold, rented or withdrawn, or of your authority ending.
• 2.3 Follow all DLD/RERA laws, regulations and circulars, the brokers’ Code of Ethics, and the equivalent rules of other emirates.

3. Owners — strictly prohibited

“Owner” means the owner of a property advertised on distress.ae, or anyone acting for them. You may contact an owner only to present a genuine buyer or tenant you represent for that property. You must not:

• (a) approach an owner to win their listing — asking them to sign a listing or exclusive agreement with you or your agency, or to move their property elsewhere (“listing poaching”);
• (b) use an owner’s phone number, WhatsApp, email or other details obtained through distress.ae for anything else: no cold calls, unsolicited messages, broadcast lists or groups, marketing, or passing their details to anyone;
• (c) ignore an owner’s contact choice — if they chose “Ask me first”, use only a distress.ae enquiry until they reply (“Open to agents” allows presenting a buyer only) — or contact again an owner who has said no;
• (d) copy or re-post any listing, in whole or in part, to any portal, website, social media, group, channel or broadcast (including distress.ae), unless you hold the owner’s written approval, your own listing agreement and an advertising permit, none obtained in breach of (a). Sharing a distress.ae link, or a screenshot privately with one client, is allowed;
• (e) ask an owner for an upfront fee, deposit or “marketing” payment, or for commission unless the owner offered it in writing first; ask for original documents or personal data a lawful sale does not need; misstate who you are or whom you represent; or suggest that distress.ae employs, endorses or vouches for you;
• (f) get an owner’s details by posing as a buyer, while signed out, or through another person’s account.

Details you reveal on distress.ae count as obtained through it. If you or your brokerage list or advertise an owner’s property within 12 months of your getting their details through distress.ae, that is listing poaching unless you prove in writing that the owner approached you first or already had an agreement with your brokerage.

4. Spam and abuse

You must not send spam or bulk messages; create fake accounts, enquiries or reviews; use bots or scrapers; get around our limits or security; or harass, threaten or mislead anyone. Use buyers’ and tenants’ details only for their enquiry, and follow UAE telemarketing and data-protection law.

5. Zero tolerance: permanent ban

• 5.1 If we reasonably conclude that you broke Section 3 or 4, or acted fraudulently, we will remove your listings and permanently ban you, without advance notice. Any other breach may lead to listing removal, suspension or a ban. We may suspend your account while we check a complaint.
• 5.2 A ban covers you in every role. You may not return under a new account, directly or through anyone else, and we may block accounts linked to you (same person, phone, email or BRN).
• 5.3 You agree that we may give DLD/RERA, ADREC, the police, any other competent authority and your brokerage the facts of a suspected breach and the relevant evidence, and assist any investigation.
• 5.4 We will email you the reason for a suspension or ban; we need not name who complained. You may ask for one review within 14 days of that email; the decision stands meanwhile. Not acting on a breach is not a waiver.

6. Your responsibility

You alone are responsible for your listings, your dealings with users and your compliance with the law. You are also responsible for anyone who acts for you or with your help; their breaches count as yours. You will compensate us for any loss, fine, claim or legal cost we suffer because of a breach of these Agent Terms. distress.ae is an advertising portal, not a real-estate brokerage, and is not a party to any deal between you and an owner, buyer or tenant.

7. Records

We record your acceptance (date, time, version and IP address) and your activity on distress.ae, including each time you reveal an owner’s contact details, to enforce these Agent Terms. If we ban you, we keep your identifying details and the evidence while the ban lasts, even after account deletion. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle this data.

8. Changes and closing your account

We may update these Agent Terms on at least 7 days’ notice on distress.ae or by email; after a material change you must accept the new version before using agent features again. You may close your agent account at any time; Sections 3 to 7 and 9 still apply afterwards (Section 3(a) for 12 months).

9. Law and courts

UAE federal law and the laws of the Emirate of Dubai govern these Agent Terms; the courts of Dubai have exclusive jurisdiction. If a translation differs, the English version applies.