Renting a Home in Saudi Arabia & How Ejar Works

Oct 23, 2026•4 min read

Renting a home in Saudi Arabia is far more structured today than it used to be, and that is good news for tenants and landlords alike. Nearly every residential lease is now registered and electronically documented through Ejar, the national rental-services network. This gives both sides a clear, standardized contract that is recognized by authorities and enforceable if a dispute arises. Whether you are a first-time renter or renewing a long-term lease, understanding how Ejar works will save you time, money, and stress.

Why an Ejar contract matters

A lease that is not registered on Ejar is simply not treated as a valid contract for administrative and judicial purposes. In practice, this means an unregistered paper agreement may not help you when you need official recognition of your tenancy. A properly documented Ejar lease, on the other hand, is a standardized and enforceable instrument that can be used directly in judicial proceedings. For a tenant, that protection is reason enough to insist the contract goes through the system.

What the contract covers

Every Ejar contract follows the same core structure, which makes it easy to read and compare. A standard lease includes:

Contract duration — specified in years, months, and days, using either Hijri or Gregorian dates.
The property and the specific unit being rented.
Landlord and tenant details.
Financial information, including rent and the payment schedule.
Terms and conditions agreed between the parties.

For contracts lasting at least one year, the annual rent is entered. For shorter contracts, the monthly rent is recorded instead.

Fees and broker commission

There are two costs to be aware of. The first is the Ejar documentation fee, which for residential contracts is SAR 125 per contract year. A partial year is charged as a full year — so an 18-month lease is documented at SAR 250. The contract itself assigns responsibility for this fee to either the landlord or the licensed brokerage office.

The second cost is the real-estate brokerage commission, which must not exceed 2.5% of the first year's rent. If an agent quotes you more than that, it is outside the permitted limit, so always confirm the figure before signing.

How the process works step by step

The landlord or a licensed broker starts by entering all the details into Ejar: the property, the unit, the parties, the rent, the payment schedule, the bank details, and the agreed conditions. The contract is then sent electronically to both the landlord and the tenant for review and authentication.

From there, both parties:

Review or download the contract.
Review the brokerage agreement.
Pay the documentation fee.
Accept the disclaimer.
Complete electronic documentation.

Authentication is handled through National Access, which uses the mobile number registered with Absher. Keep your Absher details current so this step goes smoothly.

If the landlord won't register the contract

You are not powerless if a landlord avoids the system. A tenant can request registration of the contract when the landlord does not do it. If a party refuses to document a paper lease, you can file a report through Ejar's Rental Incidents service. You will log in with National Access and provide the paper agreement, party details, property information, and supporting documents.

There is also a built-in safeguard on the data itself: if a landlord does not object to the contract data within 60 days of being notified, that data is treated as accurate.

Renewals, expiry, and cancellation

A fixed-term contract ends on its stated expiry date unless it is renewed or replaced. An automatically renewing contract works differently — to cancel or amend it, notice is generally required at least 60 days before expiry. For automatic renewal, the landlord must also pay the contract fee before that 60-day window begins. Mark these dates in your calendar well in advance so you are never caught out by an unwanted renewal.

Rent increases and staying up to date

A new rent-control measure in Riyadh limits rent increases for five years within the city's urban boundary, covering both existing and new contracts. The precise implementation details and effective date can change, so verify the current rules directly through the official Ejar service notices and the relevant real-estate authority before negotiating a renewal. As a general habit, always confirm fees, timelines, and any new regulations on the official portals rather than relying on word of mouth.

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