Our editorial mission
Oliva exists because Dubai real estate is one of the most written-about and least audited markets on the internet. Most of what foreign investors read is either a developer brochure in disguise or a recycled news desk summary that never checked the underlying RERA filing. We started this publication to be the boring, primary-source-first alternative.
Concretely, that means: we do not publish a price unless we can point to a Dubai Land Department transaction that backs it; we do not call a developer “top-tier” unless we can show the on-time delivery record from RERA; and we do not promote an area as “high-yield” without the gross-yield math and the service-charge data sitting next to the headline.
Our readers are foreign investors, end-users buying a home for residency, and the Dubai-based brokers who use our data to advise their own clients. We write for all three at the same level of rigour.
Sourcing standards
We rank sources in three tiers. A claim graduates to publication only when at least one Tier-1 or Tier-2 source supports it.
- Tier 1 - primary records. Dubai Land Department (DLD) transaction data, RERA project filings and escrow numbers, Dubai REST app records, ICA / GDRFA visa rules, UAE Central Bank circulars on mortgage LTV caps, and the official gazettes that publish UAE federal decrees.
- Tier 2 - accountable secondary sources.Bayut / Property Finder market reports (with named methodology), CBRE / JLL / Knight Frank Dubai research notes, and named statements from RERA-licensed brokerages on official letterhead.
- Tier 3 - illustrative only. Forum threads, LinkedIn posts, and social media commentary. Used only to flag a question worth investigating; never as the basis for a published claim.
Every numerical claim links or footnotes back to its source. When a source disputes our reading, we publish the dispute alongside our position rather than quietly editing the article.
Fact-checking process
Two sets of eyes touch every article before it goes live. The author files the draft with primary-source links inline. A second team member - usually the founder, Javier Sanz Alvarez (RERA BRN 1573501, DLD Broker Card 92025) - reviews every numerical claim against the linked source, checks the developer / area names against the DLD master list, and signs off on publication.
Articles that quote a transaction price, a payment plan, or a payment milestone get a third pass: the relevant figure is re-pulled from the DLD or from the developer’s registered Oqood entry within 24 hours of publication. If the figure has shifted, the article is updated and the change logged at the foot of the page.
Conflict-of-interest policy
Oliva DB Properties CO. L.L.C. S.O.C. is a RERA-licensed brokerage (BRN 1573501). When you transact through us, the developer pays us a commission. We do not charge buyers an advisory fee. That commission structure creates an obvious conflict, and we are upfront about it: every developer profile and every project page on Oliva discloses whether Oliva can earn a commission on units in that project, and whether the developer pays a higher- or lower-than-average rate.
Editorial scoring is walled off from commercial. The six-dimension Oliva Score is calculated by a deterministic algorithm from DLD, RERA, and Dubai Pulse data; the commercial team cannot promote a project up the leaderboard by paying us, and there is no paid-placement product on the platform. We will turn down listings if the scoring math disqualifies them.
When an editor or author has a personal stake in a project (own residence, family unit, joint venture), the article carries a disclosure line at the top. If the conflict is material, the author is reassigned.
Update cadence
- Regulatory articles (Golden Visa, mortgage LTV, free-zone rules) are reviewed within five working days of any official UAE government circular touching the topic, and at minimum every quarter.
- Market data articles (price-per-sqft, yields, supply pipeline) are refreshed monthly against the latest DLD transaction extract and Bayut / Property Finder reports.
- Developer profiles are reviewed quarterly, or immediately when a project handover slips by more than six months from its RERA-registered completion date.
- Area guides are reviewed twice a year, or when a new metro line, school, or major project breaks ground inside the catchment.
Every article carries a “Published” and a “Last updated” date in the byline. When the “Last updated” date is more than 90 days behind today, the article is queued for review.
Corrections policy
If you find an error - a wrong price, a wrong developer attribution, a misquoted regulation - email editorial@joinoliva.com with the URL, the disputed claim, and the source you believe is correct. We aim to acknowledge within one working day.
Material errors (anything that could mislead an investment decision) are corrected at the top of the article, with a dated correction note. Minor errors (typos, broken links) are fixed silently. We never quietly delete a published claim that turned out to be wrong; the corrected version carries an explicit log entry of what changed.
AI & automation policy
We use AI to do work that is mechanical and verifiable. We do not use AI to generate the editorial point of view, and no article is published without a named human editor signing off.
- What AI does at Oliva. First-pass research synthesis, draft outlines, FAQ generation, translation between English / Spanish / Arabic / Russian / Hindi / Chinese, and the deterministic ingestion of DLD transaction extracts into our scoring pipeline.
- What humans do at Oliva. Source verification against primary records, the final scoring calls, the editorial framing, the byline, and the accountability when something is wrong.
- What we never do. Publish AI-generated market commentary as if a human wrote it; publish a translation without a native speaker reviewing the technical real-estate terminology; or use AI to fabricate quotes, transactions, or interview material.
Use of DLD & market data
Oliva ingests Dubai Land Department transaction data through the official Dubai Pulse open-data feed and via licensed redistribution partners. We do not republish individual transactions in a way that identifies the buyer or seller; area-level aggregates are the smallest unit shown publicly.
DLD data has a lag of roughly seven to fourteen days between transaction registration and public release. Articles that cite a “current” price-per-sqft figure name the month and year of the underlying DLD extract, not the date of the article. RERA escrow figures and project completion percentages are pulled directly from the live RERA project registry; these can update intra-day.
Contact us
The right inbox depends on what you need:
- Corrections, fact-checks, editorial questions: editorial@joinoliva.com
- Press, interviews, expert commentary: press@joinoliva.com
- Research data, partnerships, syndication: research@joinoliva.com
- General investor & brokerage enquiries: use the contact form.
Oliva DB Properties CO. L.L.C. S.O.C. · RERA BRN 1573501 · DLD Broker Card 92025 · DIFC, Dubai, UAE