Can a lease be amended after it is documented on Ejar?
Short answer
A documented lease can be changed only by agreement of both parties or under a statutory provision (Civil Transactions Law Art. 94), and even then Ejar says the lease value cannot change after documentation: an agreed rent change applies to the renewed lease, not the active one. The main route is renewal (re-conclusion), where the landlord or broker changes the duration and financial terms and adds clauses, and the other party accepts from their own account. Changing the landlord, the tenant or the landlord’s bank account mid-term has its own Ejar services.
Why the lease is not changed mid-term
A valid contract can be revoked or amended only by agreement or under a statutory provision (Article 94). Article 9 of the unified lease adds that acts relating to the lease take effect only when done through Ejar’s approved services, means or forms, and Article 16 lets the parties use other means where Ejar does not offer the service needed to document the act.
Ejar’s FAQ says additions and amendments to the unified lease are made through the accredited broker, and that the lease loses its executive-instrument status if any of its clauses is changed.
What can change during the term
In the unified lease, the parties authorise Ejar to update the lease data when the property changes hands, or when the parties’ or representatives’ details registered with official bodies change. Ejar also offers services for specific changes without waiting for renewal, including:
- Change of landlord when ownership passes to a new owner, or change of the landlord’s representative: a service Ejar offers to the broker.
- Change of tenant (lease assignment): with the approval of the landlord and both tenants; SAR 250 for residential and SAR 400 for commercial leases.
- Reassigning leases to another IBAN: lets the landlord change his bank account.
- Transfer of electricity and water liability: free, with both parties’ approval.
Changes at renewal (re-conclusion)
The landlord, the tenant or the broker can request renewal on Ejar. At that point the landlord or broker can change the duration and financial terms, switch on automatic renewal or subletting, and add clauses. The other party accepts from their account with a code sent to their Absher-registered mobile, and renewal requires paying the fee from the Ejar wallet.
To change the rent of an automatically renewing lease, the landlord files a request at least 90 days before the end, which the tenant may accept or reject; a rejection cancels the automatic renewal. Inside the Riyadh urban area, increases in total rent for residential and commercial leases are banned for 5 years from 25 September 2025, and only decreases may be requested.
Adding new clauses
Article 18 of the unified lease template allows additional terms that do not conflict with its standard terms; conflicting terms are void. Ejar also explains that the lease has mandatory clauses and optional ones the parties switch on by agreement.
Okaz (19 July 2025) quoted an unnamed source at Ejar as saying that residential leases remain executive instruments with special terms as long as they do not conflict with the core clauses, while adding any terms or clauses to a commercial lease removes its executive-instrument status.
Follow-up questions
Can we deduct agreed repair costs from the documented rent?
Not by amending the lease. Ejar told Sabq in November 2024 that the lease value cannot be changed after documentation, even if both parties agree to the deduction, though instalments can be paid in part through the platform.
Can we end the lease and document a new one on different terms?
Both parties can end it through Ejar’s mutual termination service, which has no fee, and then document a new lease from a licensed broker’s account after paying the documentation fee. Inside the Riyadh urban area, the new lease’s total rent cannot exceed the unit’s last registered lease, except in specific cases where the landlord may object to the Real Estate General Authority.
Can a court change the rent if circumstances change?
Article 97 of the Civil Transactions Law lets a party whose obligation has become so burdensome, through unforeseeable general exceptional circumstances, that it threatens heavy loss invite the other party to negotiate, without stopping performance. If they do not agree within a reasonable time, the court may reduce the burdensome obligation to a reasonable level.
Official sources
- Ejar: Lease renewal (re-conclusion) and automatic renewal
- Ejar: New statutory provisions on landlord–tenant relations — FAQs
- Ejar: Frequently asked questions
- Unified residential lease template — PDF published on Ejar’s website (21-11-2023)
- Civil Transactions Law (Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers)
General information for guidance, not legal advice; the governing regulations and official bodies are the final reference.
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Related questions
- Can a landlord raise the rent when the lease is renewed?
- Does a lease renew automatically on Ejar?
- Can a tenant sublet a rented apartment in Saudi Arabia?
- If the landlord sells the rented property, does the lease end?
- Is a lease that is not registered on Ejar valid?
- Can you rent an apartment in Saudi Arabia without an iqama?
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