A paper lease? Arrange its registration before bringing a court claim

Illustrative photograph by Jakub Żerdzicki Unsplash

Start by checking the lease’s readiness

When a tenant falls behind on payment or you disagree about ending the relationship, the next step may seem obvious: bring a case. First, however, review the lease’s status in Ejar. A file consisting of a paper lease and scattered receipts needs registration and the claim to be organised together before attention turns to drafting the statement of claim.

Registration helps define the relationship in dispute: its parties, the leased unit, rent, duration and what has actually been paid. These details distinguish a precise claim from a file that needs completion and correction.

What do the current provisions require?

Within the properties to which they apply, paragraph seven of the legal provisions governing the landlord–tenant relationship requires the landlord to request registration of an unregistered lease in Ejar. It also gives the tenant a right to request registration, while the other party may object to the lease data before the authority within 60 days of notification. If that period passes without an objection, the data is deemed correct.

The registration of a paper lease should therefore be addressed before bringing a claim based on it. Describing every dispute involving a paper lease as automatically rejected, however, goes too far. The type of request, registration status, documents and nature of the relationship all require legal review.

If the other party refuses documentation

Ejar provides a rental event registration service for landlords, tenants or their representatives where there is a paper lease and either party refuses electronic documentation. The service covers residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial leases, and aims to enable financial claims before judicial bodies based on the paper lease.

The request is submitted through the rental events section with details of the parties, property, duration, reason for refusal and attachments. The paper lease must be attached. An ownership document is required when the landlord applies, and proof of representation where a legal representative applies. Retain the request number and follow the result: a request under review is not completed approval.

Ejar also confirms that registering an event is not the same as an electronically documented lease in the network. Do not assume that an event number alone gives the paper document every feature of the standard lease or makes it directly enforceable.

Prepare a file that explains the claim

Check that the data in the paper lease and registration request agree. Do not change the relationship’s start date or duration to make entry easier. Prepare a statement connecting each instalment to its date, amount paid and balance, keeping rent separate from the deposit or services. Arrange the evidence in a sequence that can be understood without searching through scattered messages.

• The complete paper lease, annexes and any later agreement concerning the amount or duration.
• Payment evidence and correspondence explaining the purpose of each payment.
• Evidence of receipt and handover, and any notice concerning renewal or termination.
• The result of the registration or rental event request, and the claimant’s capacity and powers.

From the file to the appropriate procedure

The dispute may concern unpaid rent, eviction, damage or disagreement over lease terms. Do not group these requests into a general phrase. Specify the facts, figures and outcome sought, then review the competent body and appropriate procedure for each request. Registration is important, while proving the entitlement, its amount and addressing the other party’s defences remains a separate part of the legal work.

Early preparation also makes it possible to assess a clear settlement: a defined amount, a payment schedule that can be monitored, and a documented procedure to end or continue the relationship. Avoid agreeing to a new lease merely to enter the relationship into the platform before examining its effect on earlier amounts.

We help review your lease, organise payments and documents, and draft a claim appropriate to its registration status and the nature of the dispute.

General educational content, not a substitute for advice on your facts and documents, and not a guarantee of any outcome.

Translations refer to Saudi law, consult the official legal text when applying it.