How enforceable is a non-exclusive Form A? I am overseas and have listed my property for sale with a well-known agent, but they do not seem to be doing anything other than having it listed on various portals with similarly priced properties. It seems agents only work with buyer clients of that agency and not others. I am also trying to sell it myself with referrals to people I know. My first question is, if I am able to sell the property privately (or via a different agent) can the first agent come after me for a commission because he has the property under form A? What if he becomes belligerent and complains to the police, claiming he was responsible for the sale? I also receive unsolicited emails from agents who claim to have ready buyers. I have often emailed them back with the property listing I have on propertyfinder.ae, but they either never respond, nor contact my agent (to the best of my knowledge). In one case, an agent sent me a Form A for his representation before he would ‘show’ his clients. What are your thoughts on this? Lastly, is the commission amount on the Form A the only commission payable or does the buyer also pay the agent (or buyers’ agent)? I received a conditional offer but it was for X amount, with a provision that I have to pay the ‘full’ commission. Also, the commission amount was almost double the 1 per cent that is listed on Form A. AK, Dubai
Last year, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department issued a statement to Dubai property owners to sign the Form A with their broker/agent otherwise the property cannot be advertised. Form A is the agreement between seller and agent and it outlines the terms of the engagement between the parties, such as the listed price, the length or duration of the appointment and fees (if any).
Although Form A has been required for several years, it is now strictly enforced due to Rera regulations requiring that all property advertisements be approved and given a permit number. Part of the requirement to obtain a permit is for the seller to sign the Form A. The required forms/documents needed to list your property is the Form A, your passport copy and a copy of the title deed. With these three documents, any broker can apply for the advertising permit and commence marketing of your property.
If you have a non-exclusive agreement with your current agency, this gives you the right to also market your property with other companies as well. Dubai real estate regulations do not limit the number of brokers that can list a single property but the only word of caution is to avoid giving it to many as the whole process can be very frustrating and you may experience unethical behaviour from some brokers due to the intense competition. Some sellers think that having more brokers leads to more exposure, a quicker sale and a higher price but this is not usually the case. What tends to happen is that the same buyer will return to the property with various brokers; the buyer will then only deal with the broker advertising the lowest price.
Just as you can list with other agencies, you can also sell a property yourself without any restrictions. Your present agent cannot come after you for a fee unless he can prove he showed the property to the eventual buyer or was instrumental in selling the property. Just having a Form A in place is not enough unless it was an exclusive appointment.
While some buyer agents will work with others to close sales, this is rare as they do not like to share the buyer's fee.
In your case, however, as you have signed the form confirming a fee will be paid by you to your agent - this ensures that other agents will collaborate with your present agent. Any, or all, of the other listing agents will send you the Form A to sign as they cannot market your property without this. Remember, it is your choice as to how many agents you allow to market your property.
Form A is the marketing contract between seller and agent and any reference to fees here is between these two parties. In Dubai, the normal practice is for the buyer to pay the commission but it is becoming more and more common that sellers pay too. In fact, this is how it should be because it is the seller that requires the services of the agent to sell the property and for this there ought to be a fee. Rera states that the sales commission can be any amount that is agreed between the parties. The norm is 2 per cent from the buyer and 2 per cent from the seller. It is not illegal for an agent to charge both buyer and seller, as long as there is transparency and full disclosure with the consent of all the parties.
For ease and success of marketing, I suggest all sellers pay their chosen agent when the property is sold, this way the seller agent will have a greater chance of selling success given buyer agents will then contact them in order to close the deal.
__________
Read more:
Homefront: 'Should I pay a fee directly to an agent rather than the company?'
Homefront: 'My landlord's property has been seized by the bank. Where do I stand?'
Homefront: Landlord insists tenants pay for repairs following break-in
Homefront: 'With just a year left in the UAE, should I move to secure lower rent?'
__________
Mario Volpi is the sales and leasing manager at Engel & Volkers. He has worked in the property sector for 34 years in London and Dubai.
The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario.volpi@engelvoelkers.com
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Read more about the coronavirus
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Mountain%20Boy
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Honeymoonish
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The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
