Qatari real estate brokers' new batch takes legal oath

A new batch of licensed Qatari real estate brokers took the legal oath on Tuesday before the Real Estate Brokers Affairs Committee at the Ministry of Justice.

The batch included 21 mediators, be it as individuals or part of real estate brokerage companies, which raises the number of licensed brokers since the activation of the new law to more than 486 Qatari brokers licensed and registered with the real estate brokerage department.The licensing of this new batch comes in the context of the Ministry of Justice's activation of Law No 22 of 2017 on regulating real estate brokerage, in the framework of the executive procedures for the provisions of the law and in pushing real estate brokerage work towards an established and organised legal environment.This takes place in keeping with the rapid pace of economic and urban development that Qatar is undergoing, especially with the great expansion of the real estate sector.Not to mention providing the necessary reconfiguration and organisation of the real estate system to achieve the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030.The Assistant Undersecretary for Real Estate Registration and Documentation Affairs and Chairperson of the Real Estate Brokers Affairs Committee Saeed Abdullah al-Suwaidi stressed the importance the ministry attributes to legal professions, and to real estate brokerage specifically, due to its direct contribution to national development of which the real estate sector is a vital component.Al-Suwaidi emphasised the need to deal with licensed brokers because of its crucial role in protecting the rights of the various parties.Consequently, al-Suwaidi warned against dealing with unlicensed brokers after the expiration of the reconciliation period and thus the activation of the real estate mediation law.He also noted the need to use real estate brokers' contract forms for buying and selling transactions in order to ensure the rights of dealers and brokers equally.The licensing of this batch concludes the legal process and organisational procedures stipulated under the provisions of the law, which include interviewing applicants of the profession, inspecting their offices and ensuring their compliance with the requirements for practicing the profession, as well as participating in specialised training courses at the Centre of Legal and Judicial Studies (CLJS).In fact, the Real Estate Brokers Affairs Committee receives and sorts applications, as well as organises the required training courses in coordination with the Training Department at CLJS in order to ensure that applicants meet all the professional and legal requirements to optimally play their role as a real estate broker in this sector.Furthermore, since the activation of the law, the committee in its efforts to train and qualify real estate brokers, started implementing an integrated plan that includes training and qualifying, activating the executive procedures of the law, including organising visits to offices working in the sector, and nominating applicants to practise the profession for training courses that are subject to licensing controls.The candidate for the profession must be of Qatari nationality, in their optimal mental capacity and enjoy a good reputation. Additionally, they must not have been subject to a decision or verdict of licence cancellation.Finally, the candidate must also have an appropriate office in Qatar dedicated to the practice of real estate brokerage.When it comes to legal personhood, a company is required to be established in accordance with the provisions of the law regulating commercial companies, whose purpose is to engage in real estate brokerage.Also, the contribution of the Qatari partner/partners in it must not be less than 51% of its capital, as well as having its main headquarters in Qatar, with no previously declared bankruptcy by a final judgment.Experienced Qataris working in the real estate sector can register to complete the licensing and approval procedures for the purpose of practising the real estate brokerage profession, using the following link to the real estate brokers' web page on the Ministry of Justice website www.moj.gov.qa.The official page for real estate brokers' registration allows brokers to register themselves under various categories, and also includes a presentation of all required information, ensuring that brokers provide all needed data. (QNA)