What Is an Ejar Contract in Saudi Arabia? Clauses, Registration and Getting a Copy in 2026

An Ejar contract is the unified residential lease registered on Ejar, the official electronic network for rental services overseen by the Real Estate General Authority (REGA). It records the term, the rent, the number of payments and their dates, and what each party is responsible for, and it is the reference both parties turn to if they disagree. This guide covers the clauses to read before you approve, the details to match letter by letter, how registration and rent payment work, what to do if the landlord does not register the lease, and how to get a copy. If you are new to renting in Saudi Arabia, start with our guide to Saudi rental basics, and to understand the platform itself, what it does and what it does not, read the Ejar platform explained.

What is an Ejar contract?

A lease is a written agreement between a lessor and a tenant to use a home for a set period in return for an agreed rent. What sets it apart in Saudi Arabia is that it does not stay a paper between two people: the unified residential lease is created and registered on Ejar, so it gets a number and registered details that both parties can see and that the authorities recognise. That is why people call it an "Ejar contract", after the platform.

The practical difference between a verbal agreement and a registered lease shows at the first dispute. Since 2018 the Ministry of Justice has treated the unified residential lease as an enforceable instrument, so unpaid rent that is due can be claimed through the enforcement courts directly, without filing a lawsuit. What is written in the lease, the payment schedule above all, is a serious commitment for you and for the lessor, so read it before you approve it, not after.

Why a registered lease matters to you

• A written reference: the term, the rent and the payment schedule are recorded on the platform, and neither party can change them alone once the lease is registered.
• Proof of payment: on new residential leases, rent is paid through Ejar's digital channels, so paying through them is your recognised proof of payment.
• Home-related procedures: you may be asked for the registered lease in procedures tied to your home, such as moving the electricity or water account into your name.
• Your position in a dispute: in any disagreement about the rent, the term or ending the lease, the written clause in the registered lease is what counts.

Clauses to review before you approve

• Term and dates: make sure the start date matches the day you actually receive the unit, not the day the contract was created on the platform.
• Rent: the total rent in SAR, and whether other amounts the lessor or broker mentions verbally, such as building services or parking, are part of it.
• Number of payments and their dates: one annual payment, two, four, or monthly payments? What is each amount and when is it due? This clause alone sets how much cash you need at one time.
• Security deposit: if the lessor asks for one, get its amount, what may be deducted from it and how it is returned in writing.
• Maintenance and utilities: who pays for major and minor repairs, who pays the electricity and water bills, and how the bill is split if the meter is shared? Agree it in writing.
• Early exit: how much notice you must give to leave before the end of the term, and whether a penalty or remaining rent would be due.
• Renewal: read what the lease says about its end and its renewal, and put the end date, and any notice deadline before it set by your lease or the current rules, in your calendar from day one. The rules on renewing and ending leases have been updated in recent years, so confirm the provisions that apply to your lease on Ejar or with REGA before you base a decision on them.
• Extra terms: a verbal promise of repairs, furniture or parking is hard to prove later unless it is written into the lease.

Details to match letter by letter

What most often delays registration, or causes trouble later, is not a complicated clause but a small error in one detail. Before you approve, compare the following with your documents:

1. Your name and national ID or iqama number, exactly as they appear on your valid document.
2. The lessor's identity: is it the owner, or an agent or office with a valid authorisation?
3. The unit description: flat number, floor, unit type and the building's national address.
4. The total rent, the number of payments, each amount and its due date.
5. The term and the start and end dates.

Fix any difference between what is written and what you agreed before you approve; correcting it then is far easier than after the lease is registered.

How an Ejar contract is registered, step by step

1. You agree the unit, the rent, the term and the number of payments with the lessor.
2. The lessor, or someone acting for them such as a broker or a real-estate office registered on the Ejar network, creates the contract on the platform with your details, the unit and the payments.
3. You receive a notice to review it. Log in to Ejar through Nafath, the national login service, then read every clause and match every number.
4. Once both parties approve, the lease is registered, takes effect and appears among the contracts in your account.
5. You pay the rent on the schedule recorded in the lease, through the platform's digital channels.

The Ejar documentation fee falls to the lessor by default; if you are asked to pay it, agree it in writing before you approve. If a broker is involved, ask about their commission and who pays it before you approve, too. No fixed time can be promised for registration: with a valid ID and complete property details the steps move quickly, and a missing document or a wrong number or name are among the most common causes of delay.

How rent is paid under an Ejar contract

Since 15 January 2024, rent on new residential leases has been paid through Ejar's digital channels, such as mada and SADAD, and the money is transferred to the lessor's registered bank account. Proof of a payment made outside these channels is not recognised, so make sure every rent payment goes through the platform, and keep the record of it.

In the Saudi market, lessors commonly ask for the year's rent in one payment upfront, or in two or four large payments. If your income arrives monthly, the gap between the rhythm of your income and the rhythm of the payments can be harder than the rent itself. So ask yourself before you approve: can I have the first payment ready on its due date without draining my savings? To estimate what fits your income, see how much rent you can afford, and for ways to pay monthly instead of annually, see paying rent monthly instead of annually.

What if the landlord does not register the lease on Ejar?

The answer has changed in the tenant's favour. Under the regulatory provisions on the relationship between lessors and tenants, whose approval REGA announced on 25 September 2025, registering a lease on Ejar is the lessor's duty, and the tenant has the right to apply to register the lease if the lessor has not. When a lease is registered at one party's request, the other party is notified and may object to its details before REGA within 60 days of being notified; if that period passes without an objection, the details are treated as correct.

In practice, do not accept putting registration off "until after you move in", and do not settle for a verbal agreement: an unregistered agreement leaves you without a clear reference when you need to prove the tenancy or settle a dispute. If you cannot agree, the route is to apply for registration on the platform or to contact REGA. This guide is general information to help you understand your lease, not legal advice.

How to get and print a copy of your Ejar contract

After registration you may need a copy for your employer's procedures, for moving the electricity or water account, or for any request that requires proof of where you live. Getting it is self-service:

1. Log in to Ejar through Nafath.
2. Open the list of contracts in your account.
3. View the contract you need and confirm its details.
4. Download it as a PDF, or print it if you need a paper copy.

The service is available to both the tenant and the lessor. Save a PDF on day one rather than searching for it when you need it.

If your unit is in Riyadh: the rent clause has a ceiling

On 25 September 2025, annual increases to the total rent were stopped for five years on residential and commercial leases, existing and new, within the urban boundary of the city of Riyadh. The provisions also reach vacant units: a unit that has been let before may not be let for more than the value of its last contract registered on Ejar, with the lessor able to object in specific cases, including where that last contract was concluded before 2024 or where the unit has undergone major structural renovation. For a unit let for the first time, the parties agree the rent, which is then fixed as a ceiling.

So asking for the value of a unit's last registered contract is a legitimate question when you rent in Riyadh. Still, do not assume your rent can never change: increase clauses in leases concluded before 25 September 2025 may remain enforceable under REGA's guidance, so read the rent clause in your lease and confirm the details that apply to you with REGA or on Ejar. For current market figures, see Riyadh rental prices in 2026.

Paying your rent monthly with Dlight

If the year's rent upfront, or half of it, is what stops you, some companies pay the lessor and let you pay in instalments, and Dlight is one of them. Dlight is a Saudi fintech company that helps tenants turn annual rent into monthly payments. You choose the unit and agree terms with the landlord: Dlight does not list homes, does not search for one on your behalf, and is not a party to maintenance, bills or the security deposit.

In the usual arrangement, Dlight pays the landlord in two payments during the year and you pay monthly, so one of the questions the application form may ask is whether the landlord accepts the rent in two payments. If the landlord insists on receiving the whole year in one payment, the application may stop at that point, and the team contacts you to look at the options available, with no promised outcome. Depending on the city of the unit you will rent, your application may currently be reviewed case by case by Dlight's team, and completing the arrangement cannot be promised in advance; every application is subject to eligibility review and verification.

If your application goes ahead, registering the lease on Ejar is part of completing the arrangement after approval, and the lease there is in your name, so you do not need an already-registered lease to apply. Dlight charges for its service, either within the payments or as a separate fee, and the exact amount of each payment and the total cost appear in its offer after approval, before you accept it; before you accept, also ask what applies if a payment is late. Payment dates are set in the plan, and the first payment or a fee may be requested before the lease is registered or at its start. Before you apply, read what to prepare before you apply for monthly rent, and for the full picture of renting without paying the year upfront, see our guide to renting without an upfront year.

Common mistakes before registration

• Approving the lease quickly on your phone without reading the clauses on early exit, renewal and the number of payments.
• Relying on verbal promises of repairs or furniture that are not written into the lease.
• Not confirming that the person you deal with is the owner or an agent with a valid authorisation.
• Handing the lessor or a broker any part of the rent outside the platform's digital channels, or before the lease is registered.
• Accepting a delay to registration "until after you move in" instead of asking for it.
• Not confirming that the address and unit number in the lease are the home you will actually live in.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if the landlord does not register the lease?

Registering the lease on Ejar is the lessor's duty under the regulatory provisions whose approval REGA announced on 25 September 2025, and as the tenant you have the right to apply to register it if they have not, or to contact REGA. After registration the other party is notified and may object to the lease details within 60 days of being notified; if that period passes without an objection, the details are treated as correct.

How do I get and print a copy of my Ejar contract?

Log in to Ejar through Nafath, open the list of contracts in your account, view the contract you need, then download it as a PDF or print it. The service is available to both the tenant and the lessor.

Can I pay my lease's rent monthly with Dlight?

You can apply to. In the usual arrangement, Dlight pays the landlord in two payments during the year and you pay monthly, so the landlord has to accept the rent in two payments; if the landlord insists on one payment, the application may stop. Depending on the city of the unit you will rent, your application may currently be reviewed case by case by Dlight's team, and completing the arrangement cannot be promised in advance; every application is subject to eligibility review and verification. After approval, the lease is registered on Ejar in your name, and the exact amount of each payment appears in Dlight's offer before you accept it.

Quick answers about the Ejar contract

Do I have to pay rent through Ejar?

On new residential leases, yes: since 15 January 2024 rent has been paid through the platform's digital channels, such as mada and SADAD, and proof of a payment made outside them is not recognised.

Who pays the Ejar documentation fee?

By default it falls to the lessor. If you are asked to pay it, agree it in writing before you approve the lease.

What if I find a mistake in the contract before approving it?

Do not approve it until it is corrected. Ask the lessor or the office that created it to fix the wrong detail; correcting it before you approve is far easier than after the lease is registered.

Next step

Before you approve your lease, read the clauses on the term, the rent, the number of payments and early exit, match your details letter by letter, and save a PDF copy on day one. And if the large payment is what stops you, find out whether you can pay your rent monthly with Dlight: start your application at dlight.ai/register, bearing in mind that the usual arrangement needs the landlord to accept the rent in two payments, and that your application may currently be reviewed case by case depending on the city of the unit.