Madhmoun Ends Fake Listings in Abu Dhabi | Crompton partners

For years, renters and buyers in Abu Dhabi chased listings that didn’t exist—arriving to find units already “sold,” priced differently, or simply misrepresented. That pain is finally easing. Thanks to the Madhmoun initiative, nearly nine in ten unverified ads have been stripped from major portals like Property Finder, Bayut, and Dubizzle.

“We are very grateful for Madhmoun because it has reduced a lot of fake listings, especially on Property Finder,” said Lee Bekker, a broker at Crompton Partners and a property owner. “Previously, agents would use our property without consent just to get clickbait. Now, as owners, we can choose agencies as per our preference, and at least we know the listings are legitimate.”

The change is saving time for buyers and owners alike. “When I was buying, I would often find a listing and when I inquired about it, they would say: ‘oh sorry, it is sold,’” Lee added. “Now, what you see is what you get. And as owners, we’re no longer overwhelmed with calls from people who aren’t real buyers.”

Active investor Zabna Amer says the difference is obvious from a buyer’s perspective: “It is now easier to surf for property, and agents will no longer use misleading approaches to hunt buyers. This gives the market more credibility.” While it’s early to call the impact on prices, she notes that transactions already feel more transparent.

What is Madhmoun and how does it work?

Launched by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC), Madhmoun is the region’s first government-backed multiple listing service (MLS). Every property advertisement must carry a permit issued via the DARI platform. That permit requires owner consent and caps exposure to a maximum of three brokers per unit. The system clears out duplicates and misleading ads, aligns pricing with reality, and gives buyers confidence that what appears online is genuinely available.

From ~75,000 listings to ~20,000 overnight

Before August 15, Abu Dhabi’s big portals hosted around 75,000 listings. That figure has dropped to roughly 20,000.

Ben Crompton, Managing Partner at Crompton Partners Estate Agents, explains why: “All units without permits were removed, including duplicates and fake listings. Any listing where the owner didn’t want to issue a permit came down. Previously, you would often find misleading adverts — now every property has to be registered, which means what you see online is what you can actually buy or rent. That improves trust in the system.”

Ben expects the dip to be temporary: as brokers and owners adapt, volumes should recover, with higher-quality inventory as the baseline.

A cleaner marketplace for everyone

Property portals have broadly welcomed the move. Cherif Sleiman, Chief Revenue Officer at Property Finder, noted that removing duplicates and expired posts raises the bar on quality and accuracy: buyers and renters get a more reliable experience, while verified listings stand out in a cleaner marketplace. He also expects listing volumes to stabilise as the market adjusts to verification.

New costs—and some concerns—for brokers and owners

The new regime does introduce additional costs and disclosure requirements. Rachad Fouad, CEO of Capital Avenue Real Estate, agrees the market is easier to navigate but flags two worries: the financial burden on brokers and the amount of private information owners must provide (e.g., number of units owned, home address, Tawtheeq details) before a listing goes live.

Permit fees (plus VAT) currently include:

Rental permits: AED 50–115 (valid for 1–3 months)

Sales permits: AED 125–250

Off-plan projects: AED 25,000 per project per broker for a 3-month permit

“For off-plan, the rates are quite high,” Fouad said. “If you have 10 units to list, you end up paying a large sum until they sell—not everything sells immediately. The system isn’t only removing fake listings; it’s also taking down many real ones that haven’t yet been brought under Madhmoun.”

Extension to ADGM

On August 21, the initiative expanded to Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone. Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) rolled out its own advertising permit service on the Access RP platform in collaboration with ADREC, meaning all adverts within ADGM’s jurisdiction now require a permit.

The move underscores Abu Dhabi’s direction of travel. As Ben Crompton put it, “ADREC has attacked this problem with speed and tenacity. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what they plan to implement to make Abu Dhabi one of the best-regulated markets in the GCC.”

The bottom line

Madhmoun has cleaned up the online property landscape—fewer fake ads, clearer pricing, and more confidence for buyers, tenants, and owners. While there are costs and a learning curve, the overall effect is a more trustworthy marketplace. As stakeholders adapt, listings should climb again—with quality baked in.