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About Dubai Land Department
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As the custodians of the city's real estate narrative, we, at the Dubai Land and Property Department (DLD), stand at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and excellence.

Our Genesis:

In the visionary spirit of HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a pioneer revered for his strategic foresight, Land Registry Department was founded in the 1960s. What started as a humble initiative has evolved into the cornerstone of the Middle East's most vibrant and globally impactful real estate sector empowering it to document and audit certificates while examining and mapping properties.

Under the Aegis of Excellence:

Nestled under the visionary leadership of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the DLD operates as the pulse of Dubai's ever-expanding urban landscape.

Established in January 1960, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) aims to position the real estate sector as a key player on both regional and international fronts. Committed to delivering exceptional services, DLD not only shapes the necessary legislation but also fosters the growth of Dubai's real estate industry. Through the organization and promotion of real estate investment, as well as the dissemination of industry knowledge, DLD actively seeks innovation in the global real estate landscape.

Our Commitment:

At the core of our mission lies an unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled real estate services. From meticulously documenting property transactions to championing investments, we foster a culture that goes beyond transactions – one that cultivates a well-trained, national cadre and spreads knowledge like seeds in fertile soil. To achieve sustainable development in the sector, DLD channels its efforts toward adopting and adapting international best practices to the unique characteristics of the emirate's property market. This involves effective collaboration among its diverse sectors and agencies, namely the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the Real Estate Development sector, the Real Estate Registration sector, and the Corporate Support Sector.

HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a seasoned individual renowned for his expertise and strategic acumen, inaugurated the Land and Property Department on January 23, 1960. This marked the inception of the most significant real estate sector in both the Middle East and the global arena.

Beyond Boundaries:

DLD is not merely a department; it's a visionary force propelling Dubai's real estate sector into uncharted territories. We aspire to not only meet but exceed the goals set by the Dubai Government, harmonizing our strategies with the latest global practices to create a future where our landscapes are a testament to sustainable development, innovation, and unmatched quality of life.

As you navigate our virtual realm, discover the stories, innovations, and possibilities that define Dubai's ever-evolving skyline. Join us as we script the next chapter of Dubai's real estate legacy!

Operating under the auspices of Dubai's Executive Council, led by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) endeavors to provide a spectrum of real estate services. Key among these services are the documentation of property transactions, issuance of real estate ownership documents, facilitation of investments, and the dissemination of knowledge and culture to cultivate a well-trained national cadre within the real estate sector. The department is committed to delivering superior services to its clients, fostering a culture of competitiveness and excellence, achieving sustainable urban development, and embracing the holistic concept of integrated quality of life as outlined in the Dubai 2040 | Urban Master Plan & Sustainable Development and the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031.

Sculpting the Future:

In 2013, under the directive of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we were officially entrusted with the responsibility through Law No. (7) 2013. This legal framework guides us in implementing international standards, ensuring a conducive environment for investment and catapulting the sector's growth in our local economy.

DLD is dedicated to realizing the objectives of the Dubai Government's strategy in the real estate sector, with a focus on improving land registration procedures in line with the latest international systems and practices. This commitment aligns with a framework of strategic objectives designed to plan and develop an integrated strategy for enhancing the emirate’s real estate industry. The strategy includes improving the sector's control and monitoring capabilities, overseeing and developing leasing regulations, and encouraging investments by establishing conducive environments that promote the role of real estate in Dubai’s comprehensive development plan.

DLD seeks to transform Dubai into the world leader in real estate investments. Pursuant to this ambitious vision, DLD is providing an innovative and sustainable global real estate model and an incubating environment for real estate innovation to make Dubai the happiest city in the world by enhancing the readiness and sustainability of the real estate sector, ensuring its effective governance, strengthening leadership in real estate attraction, and harnessing technology to develop real estate products, which would provide open access to investors anytime, anywhere. DLD also employs all financial, human, and professional resources to reach its strategic objectives, committing tangible achievements to the real estate sector thanks to the development, promulgation, and implementation of clear, transparent, and integrated real estate laws that help protect the rights of real estate investors and those of all related parties.

Vision: The World leader in Real Estate Investments

Mission: Enabling the real estate community by

  • Providing seamless real estate services.
  • Ensuring effective legislation and integrated data through partnerships.
  • Leading digital infrastructure.
  • Providing an empowered human capital.

The efforts deployed by DLD are not limited and are in line with the desire to achieve excellence in all its sectors and operations. This is reflected in the continuous upgrading of its application standards and in keeping up with the latest global developments in the real estate sector. To this end, DLD continuously signs agreements and corporate partnerships with prestigious international institutions and organisations.

In 2014, DLD won an award during the ‘Idea of the Year Competition’ in the technology category for the Ejari programme and in the productivity category for Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI). DLD also gained an award from The International Stevies, the silver category for ‘Best New Product or Service of the Year - Consumer Services’ (New Service Initial Resale Registration Process), and a Guinness World Record for the largest sticky notes mosaic for Autism.

In December 2015, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, DLD launched, in partnership with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Dubai Sustainable Cities Summit (DSCS). The summit is a leading global event, which was launched to discuss sustainability in the urban environment and the future of smart cities, in the presence of 30 international speakers and 500 dignitaries, government leaders, business executives, and industry professionals.

Two additional prestigious awards were won in 2015 from Ideas Arabia in the ‘Idea of the Year’ category for customer happiness for the Tanmia initiative, and the ‘Productivity’ category for Registration Trustees.

In 2016, Dubai hosted the 20th World Land Registration Congress, organised by the International Property Registries Association (IPRA-CINDER) and DLD. Dubai received the honour of hosting the event based on three main criteria: transparency, investor confidence, and legal protection of investors’ rights. The event garnered 500 guests, representing more than 50 countries, and 50 expert speakers who shared their insights on 18 of the most trending topics in the real estate industry.

In October 2017, following the October 2016 launch of the Dubai Blockchain Strategy by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation, led by Smart Dubai, DLD achieved another technical milestone by becoming the world’s first government entity to adopt blockchain technology.

In 2018, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Land Department recorded a new achievement when the emirate hosted the 69th FIABCI World Congress, organised for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, under the theme ‘Happy Cities.’

DLD received many recognitions, most prominent of which was the recent winning in the technology category of the ‘Ideas Arabia 2018’ award, which is a subsidiary of the Dubai Quality Group (DQG). It also represents a key enabler to achieving the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to enhance a culture of creativity and innovation through the launch of corporate ideas.

In 2018, DLD won three awards in the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP): the Distinguished New Employee award in the medium-sized government entities category, the Dubai Excellence Medal for the best supervisory employee, and the Dubai Excellence Medal for the best service centre director.

DLD also won the silver category from Investors in People, making the department one of the first government entities to receive such an acclaimed certificate. It was also the recipient of two awards for the categories of ‘Innovative Leader’ and ‘Creative Idea’ from the DGEP, in addition to the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Smart Government under the category of ‘Best New Government Service’ for e-Mart. DLD also collected two major accolades from the e-Government Excellence Awards in recognition of its advanced customer and electronic and social media services for customers.

DLD also received the Dubai Award for Excellence in Government Performance under the category of The Best Government Department and first place in Customer Satisfaction for four consecutive years, along with Employee Satisfaction for the dedication of the team and the diligence of its members in providing superior service to customers, earning DLD reputation locally and regionally.

In 2021, DLD through the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), won the silver category at the 2021 edition of Stevie Awards in recognition of its electronic Mollak system. The system outperformed its competition in technical innovation in customer service due to its unique technical advantages in this field.

In 2021, DLD won the Gold Category in Innovation in Government Services at the 2022 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards for its smart valuation initiative.

DLD also achieved top rankings in the following indexes and reports:

  • The first in the region in real estate transparency index for 2018.
  • The 7th globally and 1st regionally in real estate registration, according to the Doing Business Index for 2019 issued by the World Bank.

DLD is the first department in the Gulf region to become a member of many worldwide organisations. The department has added several achievements, including:

  1. ISO 9001:2015 - Quality management systems
  2. ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental management systems
  3. OHSAS 18001:2007 Health & safety management system
  4. CEN/TS 16555-1:2013 - Innovation management system
  5. ISO 10002:2014 - Quality management — Customer satisfaction
  6. ISO 31000 - Risk management
  7. ISO 22301 - Business continuity
  8. ISO/IEC 27001 - Information security management
  9. ISO 20000-1:2011 - IT service management systems
  10. ‘WELL Health-Safety Rating’ certificate issued by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)
  11. ISO (31000: 2018) - Risk management system
  12. ISO (18295-1: 2017) - Call Center Management System

Real Estate Development Sector : The real estate development sector works on studying, evaluating and proposing policies and legislations, Developing and managing the real estate transformation and innovation system, including research and development, And supervising the attraction and incubation of leading and emerging institutions in the fields of real estate innovation, ensuring the availability of a distinguished and unified level of services, managing, designing, developing and modernising the department’s customers’ trips, and managing the main call center, management of complaints and suggestions, and evaluation of data collection and storage mechanisms, defining standards and needs for data analysis, managing and governance of sector data, analysing big data and publishing results, studies, periodic and proactive reports, and others.

Real Estate Registration Sector: The real estate registration sector is concerned with developing and updating the department’s systems and procedures, ensuring accurate documentation of all real estate transactions, auditing all completed real estate transactions and managing the real estate valuation system, in addition to its role in developing and updating the department’s systems and procedures with regard to rental affairs (Ejari system), And ensuring the documentation of all rental transactions, and other tasks

Real Estate Regulatory Agency: The Real Estate Regulatory Agency is specialised in managing the real estate licensing system, the real estate training system, spreading real estate knowledge, organising and managing the tasks of real estate development escrow accounts, and controlling and supervising them, setting the standards, principles and conditions regulating the owners’ associations and the jointly owned property management companies and ensuring the preparation of the private register of joint properties. In addition to auditing owners’ association operations, addressing investors’ inquiries and grievances related to the owners’ committees or related institutions, taking the necessary measures, developing and managing the real estate control system, and others.

Corporate Support sector: The Corporate Support sector includes all supporting activities, such as talent acquisition, development and training, job performance management, contract and asset management, administrative support and assistance, preparing financial budgets, developing marketing and communication strategies, developing corporate identity, preparing a digital transformation strategy, providing a safe infrastructure as well as technical support.

Dubai Rental Disputes Center:

RDC is a specialised judicial system to deal with rental disputes and conciliation procedures to ensure social and economic stability while also supporting the sustainable growth of the emirate.

Emirates Real Estate Solutions: Emirates Real Estate Solutions (ERES) works to find solutions to the e-real estate market based on real estate expertise in the registration at DLD and RERA and has made more than 300 transactions of best organisation practices in real estate regulation and registration. It was established in 2008 as part of a government initiative from Emaratech Group companies to assist and facilitate the real estate business community.

 

Proficient Team: We work as a team with the highest levels of skills and professional principles to master everything we do and exceed expectations.

 People-centric: We work to serve people and facilitate their lives, and we seize every opportunity to ensure everyone’s happiness.

Justice: We are committed to the principle of justice and equality in all our services, and we pledge to act impartially and guarantee the rights of all.

Passion: Everything we do stems from our true passion for our work, which provides us with a strong motivation to succeed.

Boldness: We challenge traditional methods and strive to achieve what has not been achieved before.