Paying Rent Through the Ejar Platform in 2026: mada, SADAD 153 and Whether You Can Pay in Instalments

If your residential lease is documented on the Ejar platform, rent is paid through Ejar's digital channels: by mada card, or through SADAD from your bank's app using biller number 153. Each payment follows the payment schedule recorded in the lease, and it reaches the lessor's registered bank account within 5 working days of payment, according to the Real Estate General Authority (REGA).

As for "can you pay rent in instalments on Ejar?", the short answer is this: a lease's payments can be monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual, but that is agreed with the lessor and written into the lease before it is documented. Ejar documents the lease and its schedule and receives the payments through its channels; it does not pay the rent for you. If you are new to renting in the Kingdom, start with the guide to residential renting in Saudi Arabia, then come back to these steps.

This guide covers both payment methods step by step, what instalments on Ejar actually mean, what to do when the lessor asks for the year upfront, and the most common payment mistakes.

How rent is paid through Ejar

Ejar is Saudi Arabia's official electronic network for rental services, and it sits under REGA. From 15 January 2024, in phases, REGA began restricting rent payments for new residential leases to Ejar's digital channels: mada, and SADAD with biller number 153. After that date, no proof of a rent payment for these leases made outside those channels is accepted. The decision does not cover commercial leases.

Through these channels a payment is settled against the lease automatically when it is made, with no receipt voucher needed, and the payment record on the platform remains its proof. The money is then transferred to the lessor's registered bank account within 5 working days. For what the platform does and does not do for tenants in general, see what the Ejar platform is and what it does for tenants.

Method 1: pay by mada card from your Ejar account

1. Log in to your account through the official site, ejar.sa, using the National Single Sign-On (Nafath). If the login fails, follow the steps for logging in to Ejar through Nafath.
2. Open the lease whose payment you want to make, and review the payment due, its amount and its date as the lease schedule shows them.
3. Choose to pay by mada card, and complete the steps shown on screen.
4. Keep your bank's notification or the payment confirmation, even though the payment is recorded against the lease automatically.

Menu and button names can change from one update to the next, so go by what you see in your account.

Method 2: pay through SADAD in your bank's app

1. Open your bank's app or online banking, and go to SADAD bill payments.
2. Add a bill by choosing biller number 153, Ejar's number on SADAD.
3. Enter the details the service asks for, usually your Ejar contract number, and review the amount due before you confirm.
4. After payment the amount is settled against the lease automatically; keep your bank's receipt.

Can you pay rent in instalments on Ejar?

Yes, if you mean spreading the year's rent over several payments within the lease itself. Ejar offers more than one payment cycle, including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual. Among the benefits of paying through the digital channels, REGA also lists that the tenant can pay partially, as agreed between the two parties. But nothing obliges the lessor to accept a particular cycle: the payment schedule is whatever both parties agree before the lease is documented, and the platform records it rather than imposing it.

Example: an annual lease at 36,000 SAR could carry any of these schedules, if the lessor agrees:

• Annual cycle: one payment of 36,000 SAR.
• Semi-annual cycle: two payments of 18,000 SAR each.
• Quarterly cycle: 4 payments of 9,000 SAR each.
• Monthly cycle: 12 payments of 3,000 SAR each.

What changes between the four is the size and timing of each payment; in this example they add up to 36,000 SAR every time. So ask the lessor for the total of the schedule they offer, not just the size of one payment.

Many people mean something else by instalments: someone pays the lessor according to the lease schedule, and you repay that party in monthly payments. That is not an Ejar service. Other providers offer it, each with its own conditions and cost; more on that below.

If the lessor wants the year upfront: your options

Many lessors in Saudi Arabia ask for the year's rent in one upfront payment, or in two or four large payments. If that payment is what is holding up your lease, these are your options, starting with those that add no cost:

1. Negotiate the payment cycle before documentation. Ask whether the lessor accepts semi-annual, quarterly or monthly payments, and make sure what you agree is written into the lease schedule itself, because the payments written in the lease are the ones that appear on the platform and are paid through it.
2. Confirm that a monthly price in a listing is paid to the lessor. Some property listings show a monthly amount on a unit with an annual lease. Confirm that the lessor itself takes the payments under the lease, not a payment provider's instalment offer.
3. Save ahead. If your moving date allows, setting the amount aside over the months before it avoids any added cost.
4. A bank or finance company product. These come with their own conditions and cost, so compare the total cost and the length of the commitment before you decide.
5. A provider that pays the landlord while you repay it in instalments. This is what Dlight offers to applicants who meet its conditions, with limits set out in the next section, including that an application may currently be reviewed case by case depending on the unit's city, and completing the arrangement cannot be promised in advance.

The guide to renting without paying a year upfront in Saudi Arabia compares these routes in more detail.

If the large payment is the obstacle: how Dlight works

Dlight is a Saudi fintech company that helps tenants turn annual rent into monthly payments. You choose the home and agree terms with the landlord; Dlight does not offer homes or search for one on your behalf. After approval and contract completion, Dlight pays the rent to the landlord, and you pay monthly.

One of the questions the application form may ask is "Will the landlord accept the rent in two payments?". So ask the landlord before you apply; if the answer is no, 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: you must be a Saudi citizen or a legal resident with income that can be verified, and approval is not promised in advance.

Documenting the lease on Ejar is part of completing the arrangement; the lease there is in your name, and you log in to review it before you approve it. 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 Dlight's offer after approval, before you accept it. Read the offer in full, and before accepting, ask how each payment is made and 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 documented or at its start.

Common mistakes when paying rent through Ejar

• Paying without reviewing the amount. Compare the amount requested with the payment recorded in the lease schedule before you confirm.
• A verbal instalment agreement. If you agree with the lessor to spread the rent or to a partial payment, put the agreement in writing, clearly, and ideally in the lease schedule itself.
• Letting a payment slide. Since 2018, on a Ministry of Justice directive, the enforcement courts have accepted the unified residential lease registered on Ejar as an enforceable instrument, so an overdue payment written in it may be claimed by the lessor through those courts. Put every due date in your calendar from day one.
• Paying cash. Keep proof of every payment, and never pay any part of the rent in cash.
• Approving the lease before reading its schedule. The payment schedule is part of the lease you approve on the platform, so read it before approving, not after.

Frequently asked questions

Can you pay Ejar rent by credit card?

The two channels REGA named for rent on new residential leases are mada and SADAD with biller number 153; its announcement does not mention credit cards. If you see another payment option in your Ejar account, read its terms and cost before using it. Spreading an amount over a credit card is a bank product with its own cost, so ask your bank about the total cost before relying on it for rent.

Does Ejar itself split annual rent into instalments for the tenant?

The platform does not split the rent by itself: it documents the lease and its payment schedule and receives payments through its digital channels. If the lessor agrees to a monthly, quarterly or semi-annual cycle, it is written into the lease, the payments appear in your account, and you pay them by mada or through SADAD. If the lessor wants the year upfront, you can either negotiate the schedule or look for a provider that pays on your behalf while you repay it in instalments, after comparing the total cost.

Can I turn a year's rent into monthly payments with Dlight?

You can apply through Dlight, and the arrangement is completed on a specific unit that you choose. After approval and contract completion, Dlight pays the rent to the landlord and you pay monthly. One of the form's questions is "Will the landlord accept the rent in two payments?", and if the landlord does not, the team contacts you with no promised outcome. Depending on the unit's city, 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, and the amount of each payment and the total cost appear in the offer after approval, before you accept it.

Quick answers

How do I pay rent through Ejar?

By mada card from your account on the platform, or through SADAD in your bank's app with biller number 153, according to the payment schedule in your lease.

When does a rent payment reach the lessor's account?

Within 5 working days of being paid through Ejar's digital channels, according to REGA.

How many payments a year can a residential lease have?

That depends on the payment cycle both parties agree: one annual payment, two semi-annual payments, 4 quarterly payments or 12 monthly payments.

Summary

Rent on Ejar is paid by mada card or through SADAD with biller number 153, according to the schedule written in your lease, and the payment reaches the lessor within 5 working days. Instalments on Ejar mean a payment cycle the lessor accepts and the lease records, not someone paying on your behalf. If the large payment at documentation is what is holding you back, find out whether you can pay your rent monthly by applying with Dlight; depending on the unit's city, your application may currently be reviewed case by case, and completing the arrangement cannot be promised in advance.

This is general information, and the rules are updated from time to time, so refer to REGA and Ejar for the official details.