Rental and deposit fraud
Cloned listings, fake landlords and “holding fees”. In the Gulf there are official ways to verify a property and its owner before you pay anything.
What it looks like
Scammers copy real listings from property sites, sometimes swapping the photos for AI-generated ones, and re-advertise at a lower price. Search the address and the photos online before you enquire — if the same flat appears under different names or prices, it is a scam.
Dubai: verify with Dubai REST
In Dubai, the Dubai Land Department’s Dubai REST platform and its app let you verify a property, its owner and its rental status through the official “Property Status Enquiry” — it takes minutes and is the official way to confirm a listing is real before paying any deposit.
Abu Dhabi: Tawtheeq registration
In Abu Dhabi, tenancy contracts are registered through the official Tawtheeq system. If a landlord cannot or will not register the contract, treat it as a red flag. A registered contract is your legal protection if anything goes wrong.
Saudi Arabia: the registered contract
In Saudi Arabia, tenancy contracts are registered through the official national e-rental platform, and the registered contract is what gives the tenancy its official standing. Deal only with a licensed broker, and complete registration through the official app or website that you opened yourself — never through a link sent to you by the person advertising the property. If you are asked to pay before anything is registered, stop and check first.
Doha and other Gulf cities
The same rules apply everywhere: deal only with licensed brokers, verify the owner through official channels where they exist, never pay a stranger “to hold” a property, and insist on a written registered contract before any transfer. When in doubt, walk away.
- Verify the property and its owner through the official system in your emirate or country before paying anything.
- Meet the landlord or a licensed broker in person and view the property.
- Compare the price with similar listings in the same area.
- Insist on a written tenancy contract registered through the official channel.
- Pay only after signing, using a traceable payment method — never a transfer to a stranger to “hold” the property.
- Keep every message, listing screenshot and receipt.