Building Safety Reports and Lease Renewal in Riyadh

Illustrative photograph by Jonathan Borba Unsplash

A tenant may hear that a building needs renovation and be asked to leave when the lease expires. A landlord may believe continued occupation endangers residents. Both situations require a specific reason and reliable evidence rather than a general description. Safety protects both parties, while its effect on renewal depends on particular legal conditions.

Establish the applicable scope

The rules announced on 25 September 2025 froze annual increases in total rent for five years within Riyadh’s urban boundary. They do not impose one identical rent on every property. They also regulate automatic renewal nationwide, with non-renewal notice at least 60 days beforehand, subject to prescribed exceptions and possible longer notice in standard contracts. Expiry of the written term alone is therefore not sufficient justification for eviction.

When safety can justify non-renewal

Where a tenant wishes to renew a property lease within the covered Riyadh area, the landlord’s ability to refuse is limited to specified grounds. One is structural defects affecting the safety of the property and occupants, supported by a technical report approved by the legally competent government authority. Check the defect, its impact and the report’s approval. A wish to improve finishes is not equivalent to satisfying this exception.

Read the findings and verify approval

Review the identified property, report date, inspection scope, technical findings and recommended repairs, and establish the required approving authority. A private inspection may help explain the defect, but does not by itself establish the necessary government approval. An isolated observation should not be extracted from a full report to justify a broader conclusion than the specialist reached. Preserve associated correspondence and notices.

Separate safety from rent adjustment

A rent-value objection based on substantial structural renovation is a different route. The rules allow it outside existing leases, subject to its conditions. Renovation does not automatically justify eviction or an increase under an existing lease. Maintenance duties and the effect of repairs on use also need review. An immediate hazard should prompt contact with the competent safety authority and suitable protective action.

• Check that the property lies within the covered area
• Request the complete report and appropriate approval evidence
• Distinguish non-renewal grounds from a rent-value objection

Review the report, contract and notices together before deciding on renewal. Careful legal assessment protects safety and identifies the correct route without attributing legal effects to a report whose conditions are unmet.

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.