Renting in Saudi Arabia: How the Ejar Contract Works

Finding a place to live is one of the first big tasks for anyone moving to or settling in Saudi Arabia. Whether you are renting a studio apartment, a family villa, or a single room, your rental agreement will almost always go through Ejar, the Kingdom's official electronic rental-contract network. Understanding how Ejar works protects your rights, makes your rent payments official, and keeps your tenancy on solid legal ground. This Saudi Living guide walks you through the whole process in plain language.

What Is Ejar and Why It Matters

Ejar is the national electronic network for documenting rental contracts, regulated by the Real Estate General Authority (REGA). It covers residential properties including apartments, villas, rooms, and similar homes. Instead of a loose paper agreement, your tenancy is recorded digitally with a unique contract number, giving both you and the landlord a clear, enforceable reference.

A documented Ejar contract records the key details of your tenancy, including:

• The landlord and tenant identities
• The property description
• Rent amount and the payment schedule
• Contract term
• The security deposit
• Included services
• Maintenance responsibilities
• Termination conditions

Who Creates the Contract

Normally the landlord or a licensed real-estate broker creates the contract inside Ejar. The landlord or broker needs an eligible property, verified ownership and property data, and an active Ejar account. As the tenant, you do not usually set up the contract yourself, but you are a full party to it: you review the draft and either accept or reject it electronically before it becomes official.

What You Need as a Tenant

To complete a residential Ejar contract, a tenant generally needs:

• A valid Saudi national ID or a valid iqama
• An active mobile number registered to that identity

Electronic acceptance and signing are completed through Nafath, or the identity-verification method shown in Ejar. This means your digital signature is tied to your verified identity, so make sure your mobile number is current before you begin.

Fees: What to Expect

The Ejar residential documentation fee is SAR 125 and any partial year is rounded up to a full year. The parties are free to agree on who pays this documentation fee — the landlord or the broker — so clarify this before signing.

If a licensed broker is involved, their commission is agreed between the parties, but under the cited Ejar instructions it must not exceed 2.5% of the first year's rent. If you need to register a rental event that was not documented earlier, a tenant can request registration through Ejar; the cited fee for that is SAR 250 for a one-year residential contract. Always confirm current fees on the official Ejar platform before paying.

How the Process Flows

The typical steps for documenting a residential tenancy are straightforward:

• The landlord or broker creates the draft contract in Ejar with all property and rent details.
• You review the draft carefully and accept or reject it electronically.
• Identity verification and signing are completed through Nafath or the method shown in Ejar.
• The agreed documentation fee is paid.
• Once both parties approve and the fee is paid, Ejar issues the documented contract and a contract number.

Keep your contract number safe — it is your proof of a legally documented tenancy.

Objections, Renewal, and Ending the Contract

If a landlord disagrees with the contract data, they may object within 60 days after notification. For renewals, timing matters: for automatic renewal, the landlord must pay the contract fee before the 60-day period preceding the contract's expiry. Renewal fees are paid through the Ejar wallet, so it helps to plan ahead rather than leaving it to the last week.

A Few Practical Tips

• Read the maintenance and termination clauses closely — these cause the most disputes later.
• Agree in writing who covers the documentation fee and any broker commission.
• Make sure the rent and payment schedule in the draft exactly match what you verbally agreed.
• Keep digital and printed copies of the documented contract.

For ordinary residential registration, Ejar, REGA, and Nafath are the channels you need — a standard tenancy does not require you to route the contract through other government platforms. When in doubt about any fee or deadline, verify directly on the official Ejar platform.

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