Customer Testimonials
Synonyms: Customer reviews، Client testimonials، Customer success stories
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
Customer testimonials are genuine, verifiable opinions and experiences of past customers about a real estate firm's services or a project, published as text, video or ratings on websites, social media and map listings as social proof that reassures prospects.
Overview
Legal Basis
Rules on customer testimonials rest on: (1) the Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree No. M/19 dated 9/2/1443H, amended by Royal Decree No. M/148 dated 5/9/1444H, which counts names and still or moving images of individuals as personal data and publication as a form of processing (Art. 1), and provides for a warning or a fine of up to SAR 5,000,000 for violations (Art. 36); (2) the Real Estate Brokerage Law, Royal Decree No. M/130 dated 30/11/1443H, which requires brokers not to disclose transaction secrets or provide misleading information (Art. 10); and (3) REGA's Regulatory Bylaw on Real Estate Marketing and Advertising, Board Decision No. 2/35/M/26 dated 25/10/1447H, which prohibits offending others, publishing fake data and content that contradicts reality (Art. 7). The E-Commerce Law (M/126) also prohibits false or misleading claims in electronic advertising (Art. 11).
Practical Example
A property management company in Jeddah asks its landlords to rate the service after one year. The owner of a 12-apartment building agrees to record a short video saying occupancy rose and rent collection became regular, and signs a consent form allowing publication of his first name and voice, without his face, address or rent amounts, for two years. The company publishes the clip with its recording date and keeps the consent form. Fourteen months later the owner sells the building and asks for the video to be withdrawn, and the company removes it from its website and accounts within days. The company had declined an agency's offer to sell '50 positive reviews', since fabricated reviews are misleading.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Publishing a customer's name, photo or video without documented consent specifying the scope and duration of publication.
- ✗Revealing the deal value, terms or property address in a testimonial without explicit permission, breaching the broker's duty not to disclose transaction secrets.
- ✗Fabricating testimonials, buying reviews or writing them under employees' names, which is prohibited misleading information.
- ✗Using testimonials to attack or offend competitors; offending others is prohibited by the Real Estate Marketing and Advertising Bylaw.
- ✗Keeping a testimonial online after the customer withdraws consent, or showing very old testimonials without a date.
International Differences
Many markets are cracking down on fake reviews: the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, and EU consumer law prohibits publishing or distorting fake reviews. The Saudi approach combines the ban on misleading content in the real estate marketing bylaw and the E-Commerce Law, the consent requirement for publishing personal data, and the broker's duty to keep transaction secrets. The UAE, Egypt and Turkey each have their own consumer and data protection rules.
