Riyadh rents: understand the permitted limit and protect your lease

Illustrative photograph by Jakub Żerdzicki Unsplash

At renewal, you may receive a request for a rent increase. A vacant unit may be offered at more than its previous contractual rent. Before accepting the price or entering a dispute, start with three questions: where is the property, has it been rented before, and what total rent is documented? Accurate answers help establish the permitted limit and the appropriate next step, without relying solely on a property advertisement or a verbal understanding.

What does Riyadh’s rent regulation mean?

Increases in the total rent of residential and commercial properties within the urban boundary of Riyadh were halted for five years from 25/09/2025, covering existing and new leases. The accurate description is a rent freeze and regulation of the rental relationship. It does not set one price for every apartment or office. Each property retains its own contractual history and legal position.

Verify that the unit lies within the area covered. A property being in the administrative Riyadh Region does not replace a review of the rule’s geographical scope. Neighbourhood price indicators and averages help explain the market, but they do not replace the legal limit applicable to the individual unit.

How do you determine the permitted rent?

For a property let under an existing lease, review the agreed rent and the restrictions on increasing it. For a vacant property that has previously been rented, its total rent cannot exceed the amount in the last lease. For a property never previously rented, the landlord and tenant agree the rent. Ejar explains that this amount establishes a maximum in Riyadh.

A change of tenant does not turn a previously rented unit into a new unit without a history. Ejar also confirms that the maximum continues when ownership transfers by sale or gift. Total rent includes the property’s rent and other amounts the tenant pays the landlord under the lease. Review service charges, fees and their calculation alongside the rent, and request a clear breakdown of every amount.

Can the landlord submit an objection?

A procedure exists for objecting to the rent of a vacant property in specified cases. These include substantial structural works that affected its rental value, or a last lease concluded before 01/01/2024. The property must be vacant when the request is made. The landlord submits the objection through Ejar with supporting documents.

For structural works, the permit, an approved engineering report and an accredited real estate valuer’s report are required. For an older lease, the valuation report specified in the rules is required. The authority decides within ten working days of a complete application and notifies the applicant of a reasoned decision. Filing an objection does not mean it will be accepted. Do not base a new agreement on a hypothetical increase before the result is known.

Renewal and eviction: review both the reason and the notice

There is a rule for automatic renewal, with notice of an intention not to renew at least sixty days before the lease ends, subject to the exceptions in the provisions. In Riyadh, however, a landlord’s notice alone is insufficient where the tenant wishes to renew. A refusal must fall within the specified legal cases, including non-payment, structural defects affecting safety supported by an approved technical report, a need for the residential unit for the personal use of the landlord or a first-degree relative, and any other cases the authority determines.

Do not confuse the notice period with a ground for eviction. Review the lease term, notices within the platform, payment evidence and any report relied on by the other party. Ejar explains that provisions concerning leases longer than three months differ from the price limit, which covers leases of every duration.

What should you do about an increase or a violation?

Retain the current and previous lease if available, the increase request, notices and payment evidence. First identify whether the disagreement concerns rent, lease data, renewal or eviction, then review the appropriate reporting or objection channel with the authority. Do not stop paying amounts due merely because a dispute exists without assessing your position and obligations. Arrears can change the course of the dispute.

For prohibited increases and unlawful refusals to renew, the violations schedule sets penalties equivalent to two months’ rent for a first violation, six for a second and twelve for a third and subsequent violation, together with correction of the violation. A fine does not remove the injured party’s right to seek compensation. Compensation, however, requires the loss and basis of the claim to be established. It does not follow automatically from filing a report.

Review the lease before the disagreement grows

Legal review brings together the unit’s history, rental value, documentation, payments and notices in one file. It then identifies what can be negotiated and what needs an objection or claim. We assist landlords and tenants with reviewing leases, proposed increases and renewals, organising dispute documents and drafting the legal position according to the transaction’s details. A clear file from the outset reduces repeated questions and helps identify a practical course that protects rights.

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.