---
title: "How to get every party to sign before the client pays"
description: "A practical guide for Dubai agents on locking down split agreements, signatures, and payment sequencing before the client's money moves."
category: "negotiation-proof"
readingTime: 12
---
## The Moment Everything Goes Wrong

Picture the scene. You introduced the buyer. You showed the unit four times, negotiated the price gap down by AED 80,000, and sat in the developer's office while the booking form was signed. Three weeks later, the listing agent's brokerage transfers your share of the commission — or rather, they don't. They say the split was "discussed" but never confirmed. Your WhatsApp thread is long, but there is no signed document. You have nothing enforceable. You wait. You chase. You eventually take a reduced amount because the alternative is a fight that costs more than it recovers.

This is not a rare story. It plays out across Dubai's secondary and primary markets every week, and almost every time it happens, the root cause is the same: somebody moved the client's money before every party had agreed, in writing, to the exact terms of their own payment.

Getting every party to sign before the client pays is not a bureaucratic nicety. It is the only reliable way to get paid in full, on time, without dispute. This article breaks down why payment stalls, what the signing sequence actually looks like in a Dubai deal, and how to structure things so that no money moves until every signature is in place.

## Why Dubai Deals Have More Payment Risk Than They Appear

Dubai's market structure creates payment complexity that agents in other jurisdictions simply don't face. There is no universal exclusive mandate requirement. A single listing can appear under multiple agencies simultaneously. A buyer's agent and a listing agent may work for entirely different brokerages and have never met before the deal is agreed. In Dubai's cooperative brokerage ecosystem, multiple agencies often work together, but the framework for that cooperation is only as strong as the paperwork behind it.

Every RERA form, once signed, is legally binding — the terms, obligations, and commission agreements written into these documents are enforceable under Dubai law. An agent cannot fall back on verbal agreements or informal understandings once a deal is underway. And yet informal understandings are exactly what many agents still operate on, especially under the time pressure of a deal that seems to be moving quickly.

The commission itself compounds the complexity. Any commission arrangement must be agreed in writing on a RERA-approved form before services are rendered. If no written agreement exists and a dispute arises, the DLD arbitration system will default to the standard rate. That default position is cold comfort when you've spent weeks working a deal and the actual agreed split was different from the standard one.

Then there is the VAT dimension. VAT is a consideration that catches some buyers — and sometimes agents — unprepared. Agents registered for VAT, which is required once annual earnings exceed the UAE federal threshold, must add 5% VAT to the commission invoice. In a co-broke deal, who collects the VAT, who remits it, and who bears it if it was never disclosed to the client — these are questions that need to be resolved before any money moves, not after.

## The Forms That Govern the Signing Sequence

RERA forms in Dubai standardise property transactions and ensure full compliance with real estate laws. Key forms include Form A (seller agreement), Form B (buyer agreement), Form I (agent cooperation), and Form F (sale contract). Understanding where each form sits in the sequence — and what it actually locks down — is the foundation of getting paid cleanly.

### Form A and Form B: The Client Relationships

Commission rates are negotiable but must be clearly defined in the Form A (Seller Agreement) and Form B (Buyer Agreement) contracts. Form A is the listing agreement between the seller and their agent; it gives the broker legal authorisation to market the property and must be submitted through the Trakheesi system to generate a permit number before any advertising can take place.

Form B does the same on the buyer side. The seller must have a signed Form B with their agent, which formalises their agreement to sell the property. Similarly, the buyer signs a Form A with their agent, confirming their intent to purchase. These forms are not optional warm-ups. Before Form F can even be created, the groundwork must be laid: the seller must have a signed Form B with their agent, and the buyer must sign a Form A with their agent. These forms are essential for RERA compliance.

The practical point for agents: without a signed Form B, a buyer who decides to go around you and deal directly through another agency leaves you with very little to stand on. Commission is not owed simply because an agent showed a property or answered messages. It becomes legally payable only once a signed representation is in place and the transaction the agent was engaged to complete actually goes ahead.

### Form I: The Agreement Between Agents

This is the form that most often gets skipped, and skipping it is where most of the money disputes start.

When an agent comes across a listing managed by another broker, the two agents can sign a Form I — a broker-to-broker agreement that outlines how they'll split responsibilities and commission. Form I is the official agreement that governs the relationship between these two professionals. Its primary purpose is to protect the agents and ensure the transaction remains professional and transparent. Without this form, there is no legal protection regarding how the deal is handled between the two agencies.

Key aspects of Form I include: the commission split, which clearly defines how the total commission will be divided between the listing agent and the buyer's agent; professional conduct standards ensuring both agents adhere to RERA's code of ethics while collaborating; and role definition, specifying which agent is responsible for particular tasks, such as coordinating with the developer or attending the final transfer at the Trustee office.

By having a signed Form I, both agents are legally bound to cooperate in the best interest of their clients, preventing potential "poaching" of clients or disputes over fees.

If a dispute arises between two agents over who is owed what, the agent without a signed Form I is in a very weak position. Making Form I a standard part of any co-brokerage arrangement is not excessive caution.

The split written into Form I needs to be specific. Form I confirms which agent introduced the buyer and how commissions will be shared. It should capture the agreed percentage each side receives, the total commission pool being split, whether VAT is included or added on top, and who is responsible for issuing the tax invoice to the client. A Form I that says "50/50" but does not address VAT leaves a gap that a disputed deal will walk straight through.

### Form F: The MOU That Triggers Commitment

In Dubai's secondary property market, the MOU — commonly called Form F — confirms the agreed sale price, deposit, agency commission, transfer date, mortgage status, and special conditions. Agent commission, typically 2% of the sale price, becomes legally due upon Form F signing.

Once signed by all parties — buyer, seller, and agent — Form F is registered with the DLD through the agent's brokerage. This registration is what gives the document its legal weight. It isn't just a private contract between two individuals — it's a regulated instrument recognised by the government.

The significance for payment sequencing: Form F is the moment at which the client's financial commitment crystallises. For most secondary market deals, signing Form F coincides with payment of a 10% property deposit, usually via manager's cheque. That deposit cheque represents the client's money beginning to move. If, by the time that cheque is handed over, there is no signed Form I capturing the agent-to-agent split, one party is now holding the client's money with no documented obligation to anyone else.

## The Off-Plan Commission Reality

The off-plan market has its own sequencing dynamic, and it matters because off-plan sales accounted for over 60% of Dubai transactions in 2024, which means a large proportion of co-broke commission disputes occur in this segment.

In primary sales, the developer pays the commission — developers pay commissions for primary off-plan sales, meaning buyers in that segment often pay zero commission. This changes who is writing the cheque, but it does not eliminate the need for a signed agent-to-agent agreement. The developer's commission payment goes to the lead brokerage on the deal. Whether that brokerage then pays the co-broker on the buyer side depends entirely on what has been agreed in writing between the two agencies. If there is no signed agreement, the developer's payment clears into one brokerage's account and the other agent has to argue their case without documentation.

The escrow account that governs off-plan buyer payments is a separate and specific legal mechanism. Law No. 8 of 2007 requires developers to establish dedicated escrow accounts for each off-plan project. All buyer payments must be deposited into these accounts, which are closely monitored by the Dubai Land Department and managed by RERA-approved trustee banks. Developers are only permitted to access funds in stages aligned with project completion, thereby protecting buyers and ensuring construction progress. This regulated escrow structure protects the buyer's capital — it does not protect an agent's commission if the agent-to-agent terms were never documented.

## The Ejari Dimension in Rental Deals

In rental transactions, the mechanics are different but the principle is identical. Ejari registration formalises the tenancy in the government system, and commission on a rental deal is typically collected at or around signing and Ejari registration. The post-dated cheque structure common in Dubai tenancies — where a tenant hands over multiple cheques covering months or the full year — can give agents a false sense of security. The client has handed over cheques; the deal feels done. But if the two agents involved never signed a split agreement before those cheques changed hands, the payment dispute is still ahead of them.

The 5% rental commission is the figure RERA recognises as customary and the one referenced when a commission dispute reaches the Rental Disputes Centre. Customary is not legally fixed, and that ambiguity is precisely where undocumented splits get contested. One agency says it was 60/40 in their favour because they hold the landlord relationship. The other says it was always 50/50. Neither can prove it because neither signed anything. The Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) handles landlord-tenant disputes about the tenancy itself; if a commission dispute has spilled into a tenancy, the RDC may become relevant, but broker conduct sits with DLD/RERA.

## Where the Signing Sequence Actually Breaks Down

Understanding why the sequence fails in practice is more useful than simply stating that it should not fail.

**Speed pressure.** A competitive deal moves fast. The listing agent wants the booking locked before another buyer appears. The buyer's agent wants the introduction acknowledged before the deal is registered. In that sprint, Form I gets treated as something to sort out later — after the client signs, after the cheque clears, after the NOC comes through. "Later" is where disputes live.

**Ambiguity about who is responsible for preparing the form.** If both the buyer and seller have their own agents, the listing agent still takes the lead on preparing Form F. The buyer's agent reviews it and confirms the terms with their client before signing. That lead-agency structure on Form F does not automatically extend to Form I. Both agents need to treat Form I as their joint responsibility to initiate, because neither one can assume the other will drive it.

**Verbal agreements that feel settled.** A five-minute call where both agents agree to split 50/50 can feel definitive enough. It isn't. Every split should be spelled out in writing to avoid disputes. A verbal agreement that is never captured in a signed document is just a memory, and memories diverge under financial pressure.

**Commission not clearly included in the MOU.** Form F records the commission the client owes. If that amount does not reconcile with what the agents have privately agreed between themselves, there is already a gap. An agent who has agreed with their client to a specific commission rate but signed a Form I that carves out a different net amount has created a problem that will surface at transfer.

**VAT not accounted for in the split.** If an agency is VAT-registered and issues a commission invoice inclusive of 5% VAT, the split in Form I needs to be clear about whether the percentage applies to the gross or net figure, and who is responsible for the VAT portion. Leaving this unspecified in a co-broke arrangement routinely causes payment shortfalls on one side.

## What the Signing Sequence Should Actually Look Like

There is a correct order of operations for a co-broke secondary sale, and deviating from it is where the friction enters.

**1. Form A and Form B are signed before any viewing or formal introduction.** Both agents should have their respective client relationships documented before a co-broke collaboration starts. This is not always possible at the very first moment of contact, but it should be resolved before the introduction is formalised.

**2. Form I is signed between the two agencies before the buyer is introduced to the listing.** The split percentage, VAT treatment, role allocation, and the specific property in question should all be documented at this stage. Commission agreements between agents — for instance, when a buyer's agent and a seller's agent split a fee on a co-broke deal — are governed by RERA Form I, which must be formally signed before any commission is disbursed. "Before disbursement" is the regulatory minimum; before the introduction is the professional standard.

**3. Form F is prepared and reviewed by both agents before either client signs.** The buyer and seller should treat Form F as the real starting line of the legal sale process. Agents should apply the same standard: treat Form F as the point at which client money is committed, and make sure every agent agreement is already signed before that moment arrives.

**4. The deposit cheque and the transfer process follow — with everyone already documented.** Once Form F has been signed and the deposit paid, the transaction moves into the execution phase of the DLD sale registration process. By this point, if Form I was signed before the introduction and Form F has been reviewed by both agents, there are no remaining ambiguities about who is owed what when the transfer completes.

**5. Commission is paid at the same time to all parties owed it, not sequentially.** This is the structural point that most agents do not think to negotiate in advance. If one brokerage collects the full commission from the client at transfer and then "pays across" the co-broker's share later, the co-broker has become a creditor. Payment can be delayed, disputed, or simply slow. The cleaner arrangement — and it needs to be agreed in Form I or in a supplementary written agreement — is that each party's share is settled in the same payment cycle, at the same moment, from the same pool. When every party is paid at once, there is no lag in which a dispute can develop.

## The Specific Language That Prevents Disputes

Vague Form I language creates ambiguity. The following elements should be explicit in any co-broke agreement, not assumed:

- **The exact property:** address, unit number, development name, and DLD reference if applicable.
- **The total commission being split:** stated in both percentage of sale price and in AED, so there is no room for a later argument about which base figure was being applied.
- **The split percentage:** e.g., 50% to Brokerage A, 50% to Brokerage B. If the split is not 50/50, the asymmetry and its justification should be explicit.
- **VAT:** whether the stated percentage is inclusive or exclusive of 5% VAT, and which brokerage is responsible for the VAT invoice to the client.
- **The trigger for payment:** commission becomes payable on transfer completion at the DLD trustee office, not before and not after.
- **Simultaneity:** that both sides are paid at the same time, not one after the other.
- **Scope:** the agreement covers this specific transaction only and expires if the transaction does not complete within a defined period.

It is important to ensure the form reflects everything discussed — property type, location, and price range — so that expectations are aligned from day one. That principle applies with even more force to the financial terms between agents than it does to the property description.

## How This Changes the Negotiation Dynamic

Proposing to formalise the split before the introduction is not a sign of distrust — it is a sign of professionalism. Agents who are used to operating on handshakes will sometimes push back, framing it as excessive formality for a straightforward deal. The response is simple: "Let's get the paperwork in order now so neither of us has to chase anything later."

That framing works because it is true. The agent who insists on a signed Form I before sharing the buyer's details is not being difficult. They are following RERA's own framework. Commission agreements between agents are governed by RERA Form I, which must be formally signed before any commission is disbursed. This prevents the informal arrangements that create disputes in less regulated markets and gives both parties a documented, enforceable position.

The listing agent benefits from this too. A signed Form I confirms that the buyer's agent has a genuine, registered buyer — not a speculative introduction that could later be disputed. It also means the listing agent's commission is protected from the buyer's agent later claiming a different rate than was verbally discussed.

Commission should always be paid by cheque made out to the brokerage, not to the individual agent personally. This is a RERA requirement and it creates a paper trail that protects both parties if a dispute arises later. The paper trail only works, however, if the amounts being paid are grounded in a prior written agreement. A correctly issued cheque for the wrong amount — or for an amount that one party contests — is still a dispute.

## The Principle That Resolves the Problem

There is a simple test for any Dubai deal involving more than one agent: can every party, right now, point to a signed document that sets out exactly what they are owed and when they will be paid? If the answer is no, the deal is not properly structured yet — regardless of how well the negotiation between buyer and seller has gone.

When multiple agents are involved in the same listing, commissions are split between them according to signed RERA forms. This ensures transparency and avoids disputes. The forms already exist. The regulatory framework already demands them. The only gap is agents who treat form-signing as an afterthought rather than a precondition.

Getting every signature in place before the client's money moves is not about slowing the deal down. It is about ensuring that the speed and momentum of the deal benefits every party who earned it — not just the one holding the cheque. When the split is agreed and signed at the start, when Form I precedes the introduction rather than following it, when the MOU is not executed until every agent relationship is documented, and when payment is structured so that all parties are settled at the same moment — there is almost nothing left to dispute.

That is the outcome worth building toward on every deal: not just a closed transaction, but a closed transaction where every party who showed up and did the work gets paid cleanly, completely, and at the same time.