Housing Rights
Ejar registration, REGA broker rules, Sakani housing programme, Enforcement Court evictions, and rental disputes under Saudi housing law.
Covered in this guide:
Your lease in Saudi Arabia must be registered on Ejar, the government's mandatory electronic system run by MOMRAH. Without it, you can't enforce the contract or access government services tied to your address. There's no rent cap — increases are negotiated at renewal, and mid-lease hikes only stick if the contract permits them. Brokers are regulated by REGA, and a 5% Real Estate Transaction Tax applies to sales. Eviction must go through the Enforcement Courts (Tanfeedh); landlord self-help like lock-changing is illegal. Other disputes file through Najiz.
Key Laws
Ejar Regulations
MOMRAH / Ministry of Housing (2018)
Mandatory electronic registration of all tenancy contracts
Registered Real Estate Law
Royal Decree No. M/6 of 2022
Property registration, ownership, and transfers
Enforcement Law
Royal Decree No. M/53 of 2012
Court enforcement of eviction orders, rent collection, and deposit claims
Real Estate Brokerage Law
Royal Decree No. M/130 of 2023
REGA licensing of brokers and regulation of brokerage services
Tenancy Contracts & Ejar Registration
All residential rental contracts in Saudi Arabia must be registered on the Ejar platform — this is not optional, and failing to register carries real consequences:Mandatory registration: Landlords mus...
Rent Increases & Lease Terms
Saudi Arabia has no rent control — the market is free — but the Ejar system creates important procedural protections:During the lease term: Your landlord cannot raise the rent during the active lease...
Security Deposits & Return
Security deposits are common in Saudi rentals, and the Ejar system provides a framework for managing them:Amount: There is no statutory cap, but deposits are typically one to two months' rent.Ejar doc...
Eviction Protections & Notice Requirements
Landlords in Saudi Arabia cannot evict tenants without following proper legal procedures through the Enforcement Court (Tanfeedh):Valid grounds: A landlord can seek eviction for non-payment of rent, l...
Maintenance & Habitability Obligations
Landlords have a legal duty to maintain rental properties in livable condition — and the Ejar platform provides a documentation trail for maintenance disputes:Structural maintenance: The landlord is r...
Utility Rights & Disconnection Protections
Tenants have specific rights regarding utility services — and landlords are prohibited from using utility disconnection as an eviction tool:Utility responsibility: The Ejar contract should clearly sta...
Lease Renewal & Termination
Lease renewal and termination in Saudi Arabia are managed through the Ejar platform — and the digital system means expired contracts have real consequences:Fixed-term leases: The lease ends on the agr...
Rental Dispute Resolution (Enforcement Courts)
Rental disputes in Saudi Arabia are resolved through a system that gives Ejar-registered contracts special fast-track enforcement status:Ejar as enforcement document: Because Ejar contracts are classi...