The Codein 10 Rules
The agency’s code of ethics is not a thick rulebook but ten rules that protect the client, the team and your own reputation. Here they are on one page: what is fine, what is not, and where to go when you are unsure.
Most ethical situations in our work do not come up in the director’s office but in a messenger chat, at a viewing or in a conversation with a developer. You have to decide quickly, and in that moment it helps to remember a few simple rules.
Below are the ten rules of our code. The full text is attached at the end of the article, and the situations are worked through in the “Corporate Ethics” module.
1. Reputation is the main asset
The agency’s reputation and your own are what every next deal rests on. One complaint travels faster than ten good deals.
2. No guaranteed returns
We do not guarantee returns, rental yield, price growth or a Golden Visa. Visa decisions are made by the government authorities: we can explain the publicly stated criteria and refer the client to official sources, but we never promise an outcome.
3. Figures only with a source and a date
We quote ROI, yields and prices only with a source and a date: developer documents, official statistics, published market reports. And we always say it is not a forecast.
4. Commission: openly and up front
Before the client commits, tell them who pays the commission and how much. For off-plan from a developer, the developer pays the agency’s commission — that is why our service is free for the buyer. It is not a secret and not “free because we are nice”. On a resale deal the commission terms are in the signed agreement with the client — state them in writing.
5. Leads belong to the company
The company pays for the portals, the website and the signs, so every contact goes to the CRM first. No deals around the company: no private arrangements with the company’s clients or owners, no taking a client “to another agency”, no side payments. Commission can be shared with other brokers only agency to agency, under a written co-broking agreement signed by management — never personally and never in cash.
6. The team lead decides on a commission discount
Only the team lead can approve a discount from the commission, and it is recorded in the CRM. A broker never promises one on their own — not even “so as not to lose the client”.
7. Gifts and relatives: transparently
Small courtesy gifts worth up to AED 500 may be accepted. Anything above that, and any cash, vouchers, transfers or “personal bonuses” from developers and owners — we refuse. Every gift, even under the limit, goes into the gift register in the CRM within one working day; developer incentive payments go to the company, never to the broker personally.
If the buyer, seller or tenant is a relative or friend, or you are buying or renting a property for yourself or your family, tell your team lead in writing before you act, and let the other party know.
8. Client data lives only in the CRM
We follow Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL): we collect only what the deal needs, with the client’s consent, and keep it secure. Passports, Emirates ID and title deeds are uploaded only to the client card in the CRM — never to personal WhatsApp, Telegram, photos or email. If a client sends a passport to your personal messenger, upload it to the CRM and delete it from the chat and from your phone’s gallery. No personal spreadsheets, no exporting contacts; when someone leaves, all data and chats stay with the company.
9. Team and social media
A client who is already in the CRM with a colleague stays with that colleague: you hand over, you don’t intercept. Disputes over leads and commission splits go through the team lead — never in front of clients or in group chats. Business dress, and modest clothing for viewings and meetings; we arrive 15 minutes early and confirm the viewing the day before. During Ramadan, out of respect, we do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours.
Any property advertising, including personal Instagram, TikTok and Stories, only with the advertising permit of your market and from the company’s listing (see the module “Licence and advertising rules”). Nothing about clients without their written consent and nothing negative about competitors: Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes makes publishing someone’s photos or data without consent, defamation and false information offences.
10. If you see a breach, report it
- Record the facts: what, when, who, screenshots.
- Don’t discuss it with colleagues or with the person involved.
- Tell your team lead; if the team lead is involved — the director, or ethics@demo-realty.example (read only by the director).
- Keep it confidential.
- Cooperate with the review.
The reporter’s name is known only to whoever handles the report. Nobody is punished for a report made in good faith, and retaliation is itself a breach.
People usually come to me not with breaches but with the question “is this OK?”. That is the best case: five minutes of conversation save months of rebuilding a client’s trust.
What next
Ten rules are easy to read, but what matters is recognising them in real situations: a developer offers a “bonus”, a client asks for a discount from your commission, a passport lands in your personal chat. Take the “Corporate Ethics” module — these cases are worked through there, with a short test at the end. The full text of the code is attached below.
A must-read — mark it when you’re done.
