There is a massive variety of people who operate in Dubai as real estate agents, reflecting the general diversity of the population. These differing people work to different ethics and standards, and you will have to find someone you trust and are comfortable working with.

The main source of properties in Dubai is a website called Dubizzle.com. Most agents in Dubai will put their properties on there on a daily basis. In Dubai there is no sole agency system. A landlord can as will give his property to many different agents. This leads to problems when trying to arrange viewings, as it is not uncommon to view the same property with different agents. It is also fairly common for an agent to send a client directly to a property without going to meet them. This leads to further issues such as doors being locked, or walking in on people who have just moved in. In order to avoid these occurrences there are a few steps you can take

1. Booking viewings a day in advance, and reconfirming an hour before you go. Ask who you are going to be meeting, and where. Try to confirm which apartment/villa you are going to see and check you haven’t seen it already. If you find an apartment you like, only put the offer through the agent who showed you it. By shopping for a better price through a different agent, the landlord will think that there are several interested parties and will be firmer on his price. Also try to only see properties that an agent has direct, as if there are more agents involved they will try to charge more commission to make it worthwhile.
2. The agent is responsible for arranging all the paperwork, and drawing contracts. Before handing over any money you should see all the ownership documents, and also make sure that the agent is registered with RERA, as it is illegal to deal with an unauthorised freelance agent. Try to do the paperwork in their office and NEVER make rent cheques payable to an agent unless they have a valid POA. Check the POA with the court if the agent is claiming to be the POA.