- Property Finder wants CRMs on its Enterprise API, not the old XML feed. A custom CRM has to request a test account and build against it.
- Bayut works through a push integration with a token from Bayut Pro settings, according to one CRM vendor. The public detail comes from vendors, so confirm it with Bayut before you design around it.
- Every Dubai ad needs a Trakheesi permit. Your CRM must store the permit number and Form A reference per listing, and show the QR code, or the listing data is not safe to publish.
To integrate a custom CRM or brokerage website with Property Finder and Bayut, you build a listing sync (CRM to portal), a lead sync (portal to CRM) and a permit layer that blocks any listing without a valid Trakheesi permit. Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) and RERA permit system for real estate advertising. The permit is the compliance gate, and the two portal integrations sit behind it.
This article covers what each integration needs, where the approval steps sit, how the permit rules change your data model, and what a realistic build looks like.
Why build custom instead of buying a CRM?
Property Finder lists CRMs already integrated with PF Expert 2.0, including Pixxi, Goyzer, KendalAI, Leadrat, Saabsoft, Onlinist, Property Base, PropSpace and Vortex, on its Enterprise API help page. A custom build competes with those, so it needs a reason.
Good reasons exist. Your sales process may not fit a generic pipeline. You may want your own website, CRM and lead routing to share one database. You may be a developer or a larger brokerage that wants to own its data and its workflow logic. If none of that applies, an existing CRM is probably the better choice, and we would tell you so.
Property Finder: Enterprise API 2.0
Property Finder calls Enterprise API 2.0 its newest and most advanced integration method for agencies with external CRMs. The older XML integration may still work, but Property Finder says it will soon be fully deactivated as part of its platform upgrade. Brokerages and CRMs still on XML need to move to the API (source).
If you are starting a new CRM, build on the API from day one. Do not build on XML.
How access works for a custom CRM
A CRM that is not on Property Finder's named-partner list has to request a test account by emailing integration.support@propertyfinder.ae. You then build against the test environment, which lets you verify your integration safely without impacting your live listings (source).
If you are a software provider building for the PF Developer Network, there is more process. You must submit details about your application, pass a security and compliance review, and sign a partnership agreement. Only then do you get API documentation, test credentials and integration support (integration guide).
That approval step belongs in your project plan. It is outside your control, so start it in the first week, not after the code is written.
A note on "Property Finder has no API"
Some CRM vendors still say Property Finder has no open API and tell buyers to parse lead emails instead (example). That conflicts with Property Finder's own Enterprise API documentation. Treat the claim as outdated, or as specific to non-partner tools. Do not design a lead pipeline around email parsing unless the API route is closed to you.
Bayut: push integration
Bayut's integration uses a Push API with a Bearer token generated in Bayut Pro settings. According to one CRM vendor, listings publish to Bayut, leads and call inquiries land back in the CRM when created, and Bayut and Dubizzle wallet balances show in the publish dialog. The same vendor says one token covers both networks (vendor description).
That is a vendor's account, not Bayut documentation. Use it to understand the shape of the integration, then confirm endpoints, field rules, token handling and rate limits with Bayut before you commit to a design or a date.
Side by side
| Property Finder | Bayut | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Enterprise API 2.0 (XML being deactivated) | Push API with Bearer token, per one vendor's description |
| Access for a custom CRM | Email for a test account, build against the test environment | Token generated in Bayut Pro settings |
| Extra approval | Security and compliance review plus partnership agreement for PF Developer Network providers | Confirm with Bayut |
| Public documentation | Property Finder help centre and PFDN integration guide | Public detail comes mostly from vendors; confirm directly |
Trakheesi: the part that shapes your data model
Every Dubai property advert needs a Trakheesi permit. The permit ties together the property (by title deed), the owner's authority to sell or let (the signed Form A) and the licensed broker doing the advertising (source). So a CRM that publishes listings should store the permit number and the Form A reference on every listing record.
Form A comes first
Form A is registered through the Dubai REST app. The chain is simple: no Form A, no Trakheesi permit, no legal listing. According to RERA, a property owner can only complete three Form A at a time and deal with a maximum of three brokers (Forma Dubai and Bayut's RERA forms guide).
A mandate-tracking feature in your CRM should enforce that limit, or at least warn the agent before they take on another instruction for an owner who has reached it.
QR codes and display
The DLD's Madmoun service within Trakheesi issues a QR code for every real estate advertisement permit generated through the platform (DLD). Your brokerage website and any generated brochures need to render the permit number and the QR code. Treat that as a template requirement from the start, not a late fix.
Enforcement is automated
DLD now runs an AI-enabled Real Estate Advertising Governance Platform to monitor adverts. The RERA control director said it lets them monitor advertisements more accurately and efficiently (DLD). Because checks are automated, the listing data in your CRM has to stay accurate and current.
Cost and penalties: what to quote and what not to
- Permit fee. A retrieved copy of the DLD service card lists the standard ad permit at AED 1,000 plus an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. A project launch event permit is AED 5,000 plus the same fee, and completion time is 1 working day (copy of the card). Check DLD's own page before you quote these.
- The AED 1,020 figure. Many sources quote it as a flat permit price. On the DLD schedule it is the participation fee per exhibitor at a real estate exhibition, not the listing cost (source).
- Penalties. Fines are reported to start at AED 50,000 per offence, but that figure is not on DLD's public service page, so call it a reported floor, not a published tariff. Enforcement itself is documented: DLD's news office announced rounds of action, including one in which 10 real estate companies were fined and another 30 warned (source).
What the build includes
Here is the work, in the order we would approach it.
- Data model. Properties, owners, mandates (with Form A reference and expiry), listings (with Trakheesi permit number, QR code and status), agents, leads and portal sync state. Get permits and mandates into the schema first. Retrofitting them is painful.
- Access requests. Email Property Finder for a test account, and begin the partner review if you are a software provider building for the PF Developer Network. Generate the Bayut token from Bayut Pro settings and confirm the details with Bayut.
- Publish pipeline. A listing can only move to "ready to publish" when it has a valid permit, a Form A reference and complete portal fields. Failed pushes need a visible error and a retry, not a silent drop.
- Lead ingestion. Receive leads from both portals, deduplicate by contact and listing, assign by your routing rules, and keep the source portal on the record for reporting.
- Takedown logic. When a listing is sold, rented, withdrawn or its mandate lapses, remove it from both portals and your website automatically.
- Website rendering. Show the permit number and QR code on every listing page and brochure. If the website is a lead source, feed enquiries into the same lead pipeline.
- Testing. Run everything against Property Finder's test environment first, then go live with a small batch of listings and watch what comes back.
How long does it take?
It depends on scope. A CRM with two portal integrations and a permit layer is a substantial build, and the time grows with the pipeline, reporting and mobile work you want on top.
The portal approvals add time you cannot compress. Property Finder's review and agreement step, and any back-and-forth with Bayut, run on their schedule. Starting those in week one is the best thing you can do for the timeline.
Pricing is scoped per project. Our pricing page and the project planner can help you outline scope before a conversation. For how we build custom systems, see software development, and for local context, our Dubai software development page.
Where AI helps and where it does not
Reasonable uses: drafting listing descriptions for agent review, routing inbound leads, and flagging listings with missing or mismatched permit data. Not reasonable: auto-publishing anything without a permit check. The compliance gate should be plain rules, not a model's judgement. If you want to explore the AI side, see AI development.
Market context
The DLD CEO said total transaction value reached Dhs917bn in 2025, against a target of Dhs1tn in annual transactions under the Real Estate Strategy 2033 (Gulf Business). Broker headcount figures vary widely by source, so we do not quote one here.
FAQ
Do I need Property Finder's approval to connect a custom CRM?
You need a test account first. Email integration.support@propertyfinder.ae, build against the test environment, and follow Property Finder's process from there. If you are building software for the PF Developer Network, you also pass a security and compliance review and sign a partnership agreement before you receive documentation and credentials.
Can I still use the XML feed with Property Finder?
It may still work today, but Property Finder says it will soon be fully deactivated. For a new build, use the Enterprise API.
What must a CRM store to stay on the right side of Trakheesi rules?
At minimum, the permit number and Form A reference per listing, the QR code for display, and mandate details so you can track the limit of three Form A and three brokers per owner. The CRM should also block publishing when any of those are missing, and remove listings when the underlying deal or mandate ends.
How much does a Trakheesi permit cost?
A retrieved copy of the DLD service card lists AED 1,000 plus an AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee for a standard ad permit. Verify on DLD's own page before relying on it, and ignore the AED 1,020 figure, which is an exhibitor participation fee.
If you are weighing a custom build against an off-the-shelf CRM, get in touch and we will tell you which one fits your brokerage.
