Real estate brokerage setup cost, line by line
A US investor brought back a quote half of ours. It was cheaper because it priced a simpler company.
Real estate brokerage setup cost in Dubai depends on what the quote covers. A client's cheaper quote, about half of ours, priced a standard activity with the licence and establishment card. It left out the brokerage activity, RERA office registration, broker cards, goAML and corporate tax registration. After one call, line by line, he signed, and his brokerage now employs 20 people.
A client we already knew
We had helped him earlier with his UAE retirement visa through a property investment. So when he decided to open a real estate brokerage in Dubai, he came back to us. We went through his business model and how his team would be structured, then sent a quote for the full route.
The cheaper quote
Then he came back, because another firm had quoted almost 50% less. He wanted to work with us, and half the price was hard to ignore.
We asked what the cheaper quote included. He couldn't say. So we asked to see it, and offered to match it if it covered the same work.
It priced a standard activity, the kind an IT company would use, with the licence and the establishment card. There was no brokerage activity and no fee for it, and no RERA office registration, which a brokerage cannot trade without. That was before anti-money laundering or corporate tax came into it.
He had a second offer too. Because he already held a residence visa, another firm had pitched him a zero-visa free zone company, 70 to 80% cheaper than ours, licensed for commercial brokerage or project management. Neither activity lets a company broker Dubai property. That one surprised us.
What did the cheaper quote leave out?
Everything a brokerage needs to trade, apart from the licence itself. goAML is the UAE register for AML reporting.
| Item | Cheaper quote | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Licence and establishment card | Included | The base of any company |
| Brokerage activity and its fee | Priced as a standard activity | Regulated, with its own annual Dubai Land Department fee |
| RERA office registration | Missing | Mandatory before the brokerage can trade |
| Broker cards | Missing | Each broker needs one to deal |
| goAML registration and AML policy | Missing | Brokers fall under AML rules; banks usually ask for both |
| Corporate tax registration | Missing | Due with the FTA within three months of incorporation |
| Bookkeeping | Missing | Keeps the books ready for every tax filing |
One hour, line by line
We went through both quotes with him on a one-hour call, then answered his follow-up questions. He told us afterwards what he had been thinking: that we were stacking up services he didn't need, to make more money from him.
Once every line had a reason he could check for himself, that doubt went. He signed with us.
Where he is now
The brokerage was licensed, registered with RERA and trading soon after. He owns the brokerage, and it now employs 20 people. We have managed his company since, and he hasn't come back confused, or holding another quote to compare.
- Registered with RERA and trading
- 20 people employed today
Why we price the hard parts first
Dubai has firms that advertise a low headline price, and the price is often real. It usually covers a standard company. For a regulated business, what the quote leaves out tends to arrive after signing, as a penalty, a delay or a second bill to put things right.
We would rather explain the full route on day one and lose a sale than have a client find those costs on his own.
Real estate brokerage setup cost questions
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Ask on WhatsAppWhy do real estate brokerage licence quotes in Dubai differ so much?
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Brokerage setup in Dubai with DM Consultancy
We quote the whole route on the first call: the brokerage activity, RERA office registration, broker cards, goAML and tax registration. You know what the company needs before you commit.
