Contract Handover

Property handover under Saudi law is the actual procedure of transferring property possession from lessor to lessee at contract period start, or from lessee to lessor at period end. It's a fundamental step because it is how the lessee is enabled to use the property (Article 416 of the Civil Transactions Law) and it documents property condition at that moment. The handover includes: drafting a handover/receipt record signed by both parties, documenting property condition with photos and video (very important), handing keys and remote controls (remotes, smart door codes), recording meter readings (electricity, water, gas), noting any existing defects and specifying who's responsible for repairing them, and handing property documents (user manual, emergency numbers). The Civil Transactions Law requires handing over the property in condition fit for the agreed use. The lessor is liable for defects that prevent or reduce use, except those customarily tolerated or known to the lessee at contracting (Article 425), and the lessee must return the property at lease end in the condition received, except for normal wear (Article 435); so every existing defect should be recorded in writing. Neglect in handover documentation creates costly disputes at period end (who's responsible for certain damage? Did it exist before or after?). Ejar offers a receipt and handover service: a form linked to the lease that both parties fill in at its start and end, where a party answering «no» can add notes and photos; the form must be completed within 7 days, letting that period lapse counts as implied approval of the unit’s condition, and the refund of any security deposit held by Ejar, or deductions from it, is based on it.