Bodies Competent for Rental Disputes

A common market belief holds that a single judicial committee inside the Ejar platform adjudicates rental disputes. The reality in Saudi Arabia differs: jurisdiction is distributed across three bodies, each with a defined scope. The enforcement court is the first and most used. A unified lease documented through Ejar is an enforcement instrument, a document enforced directly and by compulsion if needed through enforcement courts without filing a lawsuit, with the rightful party submitting an execution request electronically via the Najiz portal. When this track was adopted, the Ministry of Justice noted execution within short periods estimated at five days, and that the step would help curb the flow of more than 22,000 lease cases heard by general courts over two years. The general court is the second body, hearing rental claims that require substantive examination, such as damages, disagreements over interpreting contract clauses, and claims arising from undocumented contracts. The Saudi Real Estate Arbitration Center is the third, operating under the Real Estate General Authority and providing arbitration, conciliation and settlement services, currently hearing cases arising from the Ejar and owners associations programs and from brokerage. The practical rule is simple: a clear obligation under a documented contract goes to enforcement, a disagreement requiring assessment goes to the general court, and a mutual wish for a flexible settlement goes to the center.