A Dubai brokerage CRM requirements document should describe the tasks agents and managers must complete, the data each task needs, and how the buyer will verify it. Separate launch requirements from optional features, and compare vendors against the same acceptance tests instead of feature names alone.
1. Compliance and record-keeping basics
Dubai brokerages operate under the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA). A CRM that cannot hold the data your transactions depend on will force your agents back into spreadsheets and file folders. Ask every vendor how their system handles the records below, and test the fields in a demo.
What RERA records should a Dubai CRM hold?
The CRM should retain the applicable client and transaction records. DLD’s smart-contract framework distinguishes Contract A (seller–broker marketing), Contract B (buyer–broker) and Contract F (seller–buyer sale). Do not substitute an internal fee record for one of those contracts. See DLD’s brokerage practice guide and our practical Contract A/B guide.
Your checklist for compliance fields:
- Applicable contract data: represented party, property, broker details, agreed fee, approval status and current document reference.
- DLD transaction references: space for contract numbers, Oqood registration and registration dates.
- Trakheesi permits: a field to record the permit number for every advertised listing.
- AML and DNCR flags: notes for anti-money-laundering checks and Do Not Call Registry status.
- Audit trail: timestamps and user IDs on every change to a compliance field.
Not every CRM will have all of these out of the box. Many generic CRMs can be customised to hold the fields, but you then own the burden of keeping them aligned with RERA template changes. A system built for Dubai will already have those fields and the validation around them. WIYO's Dubai real estate CRM is built for Dubai brokerages; check it against this checklist to confirm exactly which fields and validations are included.
2. Portal lead capture and response SLAs
Bayut, Property Finder and Dubizzle are where most Dubai buyer enquiries start. If your CRM cannot receive a portal lead automatically, deduplicate it and assign it to an agent within minutes, you will lose deals to faster brokerages. A 15-minute response target is the practical benchmark; our lead response guide explains why speed beats script.
What should the portal lead workflow look like?
The minimum viable flow is five steps:
- Lead arrives from the portal via API or email parsing.
- CRM deduplicates the lead against existing contacts.
- CRM assigns the lead to an available agent based on round-robin, property match or territory.
- First response is logged with a timestamp.
- Unanswered leads are re-pooled after a set time and reassigned.
Ask the vendor to show you this flow live, not in a screenshot. Then check the table below for what to insist on.
| Requirement | Must-have | Nice-to-have |
|---|---|---|
| Portal lead intake | Automatic API capture from Bayut, Property Finder and Dubizzle | Capture from Facebook and Google Ads into the same pool |
| Deduplication | Match on phone, email or reference number before assignment | Fuzzy matching on similar names |
| Assignment | Round-robin or rule-based routing | AI-based routing on property match |
| Response tracking | Timestamp for first response, SLA alerts | Automatic escalation to manager after 15 minutes |
| Re-pooling | Reassign unanswered leads after a configurable window | Automatic re-engagement messages |
WIYO's portal lead workflow page covers intake, assignment, deduplication and response in one workspace. If you are comparing systems, treat these five as table stakes.
3. Off-plan inventory and payment plans
Off-plan sales are a large share of Dubai transactions, and they carry a specific data model: projects, developers, units, payment plans, reservation forms and Oqood registration. A CRM that treats an off-plan unit like a generic product will frustrate your team and produce errors in payment follow-up.
What off-plan data must a CRM track?
Your checklist:
- Project and developer: project name, developer, location, completion date.
- Unit details: unit type, area, price, floor, availability status.
- Payment plan: booking amount, construction instalments, handover payment, post-handover schedule.
- Oqood registration: status and reference once registered with DLD.
- Buyer requirements: budget, preferred area, unit type, payment plan flexibility.
- Reservation progress: EOI submitted, SPA signed, instalments paid.
Spreadsheets break when a developer changes a payment plan or a unit goes under reservation. Your CRM must recalculate schedules automatically and show each buyer exactly what remains payable. Our off-plan payment plan tracking guide walks through the fields and a worked example.
WIYO's off-plan CRM includes live inventory, every Dubai developer, payment plan schedules and an AI match that proposes units against buyer requirements. If a vendor says they support off-plan, ask them to show a payment plan split across project milestones, not just a note field.
4. WhatsApp and conversation history
Most Dubai property conversations happen on WhatsApp. If your CRM cannot capture those conversations with consent and in compliance with Meta's rules, you are either losing history or risking account bans. The only compliant way is the WhatsApp Business Platform, not personal WhatsApp or unauthorised scraping. Our WhatsApp guide for Dubai brokerages explains the rules, template categories and per-message billing.
Can you keep WhatsApp history in a CRM legally?
Yes, if the CRM connects via the official WhatsApp Business Platform. That requires opt-in from the buyer and template messages for any conversation outside the 24-hour customer service window. Messages are billed per message by Meta, in AED for UAE numbers. Your CRM should show those conversations next to the lead record and offer AI-assisted drafts that your agent reviews and sends.
Checklist for WhatsApp integration:
- Official WhatsApp Business Platform connection, not a grey-market bridge.
- Shared team inbox per brokerage number, with assignment to individual agents.
- Full conversation history attached to the lead, including past templates.
- Template management for follow-ups, viewing confirmations and payment reminders.
- AI drafting as a starting point, with human review before sending.
WIYO's WhatsApp CRM for Dubai runs on Meta's official platform with shared conversations, lead context and AI-assisted drafts. One WhatsApp Pro Account is included with WIYO's plan.
5. Team, role and branch reporting
A CRM that works for one agent may fail for a 20-agent brokerage with two branches. Owners need role-based permissions, agent-level activity tracking, pipeline coverage and commission reports. Without those, you cannot manage performance or audit a deal.
What reports should a Dubai brokerage CRM generate?
Your checklist:
- Lead source performance: cost per lead and conversion by Bayut, Property Finder, Dubizzle, Facebook, Google.
- Response times: first response by agent, hour of day and source.
- Pipeline by stage: leads, viewings, offers, SPA, closed; with days in stage.
- Agent productivity: calls, messages, viewings, listings published, deals closed.
- Commission owed: split calculations with VAT and co-broker shares.
- Branch comparison: same metrics per branch or per team.
Ask for a demo report for a 10-agent, two-branch brokerage. If the vendor cannot produce it without building a custom report, their reporting is not fit for growth. WIYO's UAE real estate CRM is built for multi-emirate teams and includes the management visibility above.
6. Pricing and total cost
Real estate CRM pricing in the UAE is not just a seat price. You must account for setup fees, minimum user counts, annual commitments, portal integration charges, WhatsApp API fees and data migration. The cheapest headline price often hides the most expensive total cost.
What does a Dubai real estate CRM actually cost?
Per-user monthly fees vary widely depending on features and term. Always ask:
- Setup or implementation fee.
- Minimum number of users.
- Annual vs monthly billing discount.
- Portal integration fee (Bayut, Property Finder, Dubizzle).
- WhatsApp Business Platform message fees (billed by Meta, not the CRM).
- Data migration from your current system.
- Training and onboarding cost.
WIYO's pricing is transparent: the complete plan is USD 99 per user per month, with a 30% discount on annual billing and 35% on two-year billing. One WhatsApp Pro Account is included. For a broader comparison, our UAE real estate CRM pricing index re-checks nine vendors' published prices in October 2026.
Who this checklist is for
This checklist is for brokerage owners and operations leads in Dubai who are replacing a spreadsheet or a generic CRM, and who need a system that speaks UAE property. If you are a solo agent with a handful of leads, a simple shared inbox and a portal account may be enough; the compliance and reporting requirements above become non-negotiable as soon as you hire your second or third agent.
WIYO is built for exactly these workflows, but it is not for everyone. If you need deep custom development, an entirely offline setup, or a system that also runs your accounting and HR, you may be better served by a generic platform plus a developer, or by a suite like Zoho. Use this checklist to test any vendor, including WIYO.
Write each requirement as a testable sentence
A phrase such as “portal integration” is too broad for a contract. State the direction of data flow, the required fields, who owns failures and what a successful test looks like.
| Check | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Lead intake | A test portal enquiry retains source, timestamp, listing reference and assigned owner. |
| Inventory | A reserved unit is clearly identified before an agent prepares a shortlist. |
| Communication | A permitted reply is associated with the right contact and visible to the authorized team. |
| Portability | Export sample contacts, deals and document references in an agreed usable format. |
Next: 30-minute demo scorecard · Contract negotiation guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a UAE-specific CRM or will Salesforce or HubSpot work?
Generic CRMs can be customised to hold RERA fields and portal APIs, but you will own that configuration and maintenance. UAE-native systems come with RERA forms, DLD references, portal integrations and off-plan payment plans out of the box. For a brokerage with limited IT resources, the native option usually wins on time-to-value.
How fast should we respond to Bayut or Property Finder leads?
A 15-minute response target is the practical benchmark in Dubai; speed matters more than script quality. Your CRM must timestamp the first response and alert a manager when the SLA is missed. Set your re-pooling window at 15–30 minutes for unassigned or unanswered leads.
Can WhatsApp messages be stored in a real estate CRM legally?
Yes, but only through the official WhatsApp Business Platform. That requires buyer opt-in and template messages outside the 24-hour customer service window. Messages are billed by Meta, in AED for UAE numbers. Personal WhatsApp or third-party scraping violates Meta's terms and risks account bans; avoid vendors that offer it.
What is the minimum off-plan tracking a CRM must have?
At minimum: project, developer, unit type, price, payment plan milestones, Oqood registration status, and buyer requirements. The CRM must recalculate instalment schedules when a developer changes a plan and show each buyer what remains payable. Spreadsheet-based tracking breaks at exactly that point.
How do I evaluate CRM pricing for a Dubai brokerage?
Compare total cost for your actual team size, including setup fees, portal integrations, WhatsApp API charges and annual discounts. A seat price alone is misleading. Ask for a written quote covering 12 months for 10 users, and verify what is included. WIYO's plan is USD 99 per user per month with term discounts; other vendors vary widely.
Should a CRM replace my WhatsApp Business app or my portal accounts?
No, it should sit alongside them. The CRM receives leads from the portals via API and connects to WhatsApp via the official Business Platform. You keep your portal accounts for listing publishing and your WhatsApp Business number for messaging; the CRM unifies the context, assignment and history across both.
Sources
- RERA-Aware CRM for Dubai Real Estate — RERA Forms A, B and I are part of Dubai property transactions and must be recorded; brokers operate under DLD and RERA rules.
- The 15-Minute Rule in Dubai Real Estate — Responding to property portal leads within 15 minutes is a practical benchmark for Dubai brokerages.
- Off-Plan Payment Plans Tracking — Off-plan payment plans in Dubai include booking amount, construction instalments, handover and post-handover payments, and a CRM must track each milestone and Oqood registration.
- WhatsApp for Dubai Brokerages — WhatsApp Business Platform requires opt-in, template messages outside the 24-hour customer service window, and messages are billed per message by Meta.
- Bayut & Property Finder CRM Integration Guide — Bayut, Property Finder and Dubizzle leads can be captured via API, automatically deduplicated and assigned to agents.
- UAE Real Estate CRM Pricing Index 2026 — Published prices for nine UAE CRMs re-checked October 2026; seat costs vary widely across vendors.
Written by
Shaffay Bajwa
Founder & CTO at WIYO · Software engineer, 5 years building in the UAE real estate market.
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