If the landlord sells the rented property, does the lease end?
Short answer
No. The sale is lawful, but Article 428 of the Civil Transactions Law states that selling a leased property does not affect the tenant’s rights, so the tenant serves out the term at the agreed rent and conditions and the buyer becomes the lessor. On Ejar, a licensed real estate broker moves the existing leases to the new owner through the Change of Lessor service, without cancelling them.
What the law says
Article 428 sits in the lessor’s obligations part of the lease chapter of the Civil Transactions Law (Royal Decree M/191 dated 29/11/1444H). It allows the owner to sell a leased property without requiring the tenant’s consent, and in return protects the tenant’s rights from being affected by the sale.
So the new owner cannot end the lease early because of the purchase, or change the rent or terms on their own. If they want the property empty before the term ends, the direct route is a mutual termination agreed with the tenant: one party files the request on Ejar and the other approves it.
How the lease moves to the new owner on Ejar
Ejar’s Change of Lessor service lets a licensed broker replace the lessor when the title deed passes to one or more new owners, by entering the old and new ownership document details. The change is reflected in the existing leases through a new contract version, and the parties are notified. The national portal (my.gov.sa) lists the service as free.
On Ejar the lessor can change the IBAN for one lease or for all leases, so the new owner should register their own account to receive rent paid through Ejar’s channels.
What happens when the term ends
Across the Kingdom, a lease renews automatically unless either party notifies the other at least 60 days before it ends that they do not want to renew. That rule applies to the new owner just as it did to the seller.
For residential leases, if the lessor does not want to renew because they want the property for personal use or for a first-degree relative, REGA has decided the notice must be at least 365 days before the lease ends; otherwise the lease is renewed for as long as needed to complete that period. The decision names no city, while Ejar presents it as one of the Riyadh non-renewal conditions; either way, it matters to a buyer who plans to move in.
Within the Riyadh urban area, a lessor may refuse a renewal the tenant wants only in listed cases, including non-payment, a structural defect that endangers safety, or the lessor wanting the residential property for personal use or for a first-degree relative. Total rent there is also frozen for five years from 25 September 2025, and Ejar states that the unit’s registered rent cap continues unchanged when ownership passes by sale or gift, so the new owner cannot raise it.
Follow-up questions
Who do I pay rent to after the property is sold?
Rent is due to the lessor registered on the lease in Ejar, and the new owner becomes that lessor once the Change of Lessor service is completed. For new residential leases since 15 January 2024, rent is paid only through Ejar’s digital channels, which transfer it to the lessor’s registered account, and payments made outside them are not accepted as proof.
What happens to my security deposit after the sale?
If the deposit was reserved from your Ejar wallet, it is held by Ejar, not by the seller, and it is refunded or deducted at the end of the lease according to the handover form both parties agree on.
Does the lease end if the landlord dies instead of selling?
No. Article 441 of the Civil Transactions Law states that a lease does not end on the death of either party.
What if the lease was never documented on Ejar?
The Change of Lessor service works on leases registered on Ejar. An unregistered lease has no administrative or judicial effect under Council of Ministers Decision 292, and the lessor must apply to register it.
Official sources
- Civil Transactions Law, Royal Decree M/191 of 29/11/1444H (Bureau of Experts)
- Change of lessor or lessor’s representative service (Ejar user manual)
- Change of lessor service (National Unified Portal, my.gov.sa)
- Statutory Provisions Regulating the Relationship between the Lessor and the Lessee (REGA)
- REGA decision raising the non-renewal notice for residential property to 365 days when the lessor wants it for personal use
- New statutory provisions on the landlord–tenant relationship: FAQ (Ejar)
General information for guidance, not legal advice; the governing regulations and official bodies are the final reference.
Read also
Related questions
- How much notice is needed to not renew a lease in Saudi Arabia?
- Can a landlord in Riyadh refuse to renew a lease?
- Can a landlord raise the rent when the lease is renewed?
- Is a lease that is not registered on Ejar valid?
- Can a tenant sublet a rented apartment in Saudi Arabia?
- Can a lease be amended after it is documented on Ejar?
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