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How to Start a Real Estate Services Trustee Business in Dubai
A real estate services trustee is an authorised centre that delivers a range of official property services on behalf of the land authority, beyond core registration: processing applications, issuing approvals and handling the administrative steps that surround property transactions. In Dubai these centres extend the reach of the land authority's services across the market.
The activity they support runs at record levels. Dubai recorded 2.78 million real estate procedures in 2024, the highest in its history and 17 per cent up on the previous year, spanning transactions, rentals and services. 1
The sector turned over AED 761 billion across roughly 226,000 transactions in the same year. 2 That breadth of procedures is precisely what services trustee centres are set up to handle.
For operators, this volume of property-related services makes a services trustee centre a well-supported activity to hold under a Meydan Free Zone business license, subject to the approval noted below.
Dubai Trade License from AED 12,500
Get Your LicenseExtending Official Property Services
Beyond core registration, a wide range of official property services flows through authorised trustee centres. The figures below show the scale of that activity.
Sources: Dubai Land Department; Dubai Media Office
Who Is This Activity For?
7490.97 – Real Estate Services Trustee
Activity 7490.97 sits within the broader Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities class, which covers specialised professional services delivered to clients. Within that class, this activity is the services trustee function: delivering official property services on behalf of the land authority, alongside and beyond core registration.
The activity is authorised service delivery. It does not extend to brokering property sales, valuing property, or providing legal representation, each of which is a separate licensed activity, as the exclusions below set out.
| Excluded Activity | Why It Is Separate |
|---|---|
| Brokering property sales | A separate licensed activity in its own right |
| Valuing property | Licensed under its own activity |
| Providing legal advice and representation | Licensed under its own activity |
It is important to note what a services trustee does not cover. Delivering authorised official services is distinct from brokering the sale of property, which is a separate licensed activity. It also does not extend to valuing property or to providing legal advice and representation, both of which are licensed under their own activities.
In short: if you are delivering official property services as an authorised trustee, you are in. If you are brokering sales, valuing property, or giving legal advice, those are separate activities.
THIRD-PARTY APPROVAL
This activity requires pre-approval from the Dubai Land Department (DLD) before a business license can be issued by Meydan Free Zone.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
This business activity is not subject to AML compliance requirements.
| Compliance Requirement | Status |
|---|---|
| Pre-approval from Dubai Land Department (DLD) | Required before license is issued |
| AML compliance | Not required |
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