Real Estate TechnologyReal Estate Website
Synonyms: Property Website، Brokerage Website، Real Estate Web Portal
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
A real estate website is a website that represents a brokerage, developer or property platform online, presenting properties, services, contact information and licences, receiving client enquiries, and serving as the business's official digital front.
Overview
A real estate website is a website that represents a brokerage, developer or property platform online, presenting properties, services, contact information and licences, receiving client enquiries, and serving as the business's official digital front.
In Saudi Arabia a property website is subject to several laws depending on what it shows. Presenting a specific property is a property ad requiring a separate advertising licence under REGA's 2026 Real Estate Marketing and Advertising Regulation, with the mandatory data or a QR code, a ban on misleading data, and removal when the purpose or licence ends. Practising brokerage through the site requires a Fal licence under the Real Estate Brokerage Law, which covers brokerage through electronic means. If the site lets third parties publish their ads, it becomes an online property platform with additional obligations: technical integration with REGA, hosting servers inside the Kingdom and verifying advertisers through Nafath. The E-Commerce Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/126 dated 7/11/1440H applies to advertising and services provided electronically, and the Personal Data Protection Law to contact forms and tracking tools.
A good website builds trust through transparency: the Fal licence number, commercial registration and contact details are visible, property pages are up to date, and there is a clear privacy notice. It is also a long-term marketing asset that brings clients through search without relying entirely on paid advertising platforms.
⚖️ Legal Basis
A property website is subject to the Real Estate Brokerage Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/130 dated 30/11/1443H, which covers brokerage through websites; the 2026 Real Estate Marketing and Advertising Regulation for ad licensing and platform obligations; the E-Commerce Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/126 dated 7/11/1440H, whose Articles 10 to 12 deal with electronic advertising; and the Personal Data Protection Law (M/19 dated 9/2/1443H) for collecting visitors' and clients' data.
💡 Practical Example
A small office in Abha launches a website showing only the 40 properties in its own portfolio, at a development cost of SAR 9,000 plus 15% VAT (SAR 1,350). Every page footer shows its Fal licence number and commercial registration, each property shows its ad licence number, expiry date and a QR code, and the contact form includes a privacy notice and a separate marketing-consent box. Because the site does not let anyone other than the office publish ads, it is not treated as a property platform with the additional obligations, but the office removes each property as soon as it is let or its ad licence expires.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✗Showing properties on the site without advertising-licence numbers, or after the licences expire.
- ✗Hiding the Fal licence number, commercial registration and official contact details.
- ✗Opening the site to third-party ads without meeting the obligations of online property platforms.
- ✗Contact forms that ask for excessive data without a privacy notice or separate marketing consent.
- ✗Copying property photos and descriptions from other sites or publishing unreal prices.
🌍 International Differences
In most countries a broker's website is subject to consumer-protection, e-commerce and data laws, and displaying the professional licence number is usually required: in Dubai property ads carry official permits, and in Turkey licensed brokers must display their authorisation details. The Saudi system distinguishes between a website showing the office's own properties — which must licence each ad — and a platform hosting third-party ads, which bears additional duties such as integration with REGA and local server hosting.
FAQs
What should appear on a brokerage's website?▾
The Fal licence number, commercial registration and official contact details, and for each property the ad licence number and expiry date or a QR code, together with a clear privacy notice.
Does each property on the website need an advertising licence?▾
Yes. Presenting a specific property is a property ad requiring a separate advertising licence under the 2026 Marketing and Advertising Regulation, and it must be removed when its purpose or licence ends.
When is my website treated as an online property platform?▾
When it lets third parties publish their ads; platform obligations then apply, such as technical integration with REGA, hosting servers inside the Kingdom and verifying advertisers through Nafath.
Does the E-Commerce Law apply to property websites?▾
Yes, as regards electronic advertising and services provided electronically; the law was issued by Royal Decree No. M/126 dated 7/11/1440H, and its Articles 10 to 12 deal with electronic advertising.
Do I need a privacy notice on a property website?▾
Yes, if the site collects personal data through forms or tracking tools; the Personal Data Protection Law requires informing individuals of the purpose, the processing and their rights.
