What is the unified lease contract and what are its key terms?
Short answer
The unified lease is the standard electronic contract on which leases are documented on Ejar, the platform supervised by the Real Estate General Authority (REGA); Ejar says using it is mandatory and describes it as an executive (directly enforceable) instrument. Once it is documented on Ejar, a landlord whose tenant stalls on payment can take it straight to the Execution Court through Najiz without first filing a lawsuit, whereas an unregistered lease has no administrative or judicial effect (Council of Ministers Decision 292). Its key terms cover the lease period and renewal, rent and the payment grace period, each party’s duties on use and maintenance, the security deposit, termination, and what can be enforced at the Execution Court.
Why documenting on the unified template matters
Ejar issued a unified contract for the residential sector that sets out the duties of the tenant, the landlord and the real estate broker, and describes it as approved by the Ministry of Justice. An accredited broker enters the details, then both parties accept the lease electronically. Ejar’s FAQ says using it is mandatory under Council of Ministers Decision 405 dated 22/9/1437H, and that it has mandatory clauses plus optional ones the parties switch on by agreement.
The header of the residential template file attached to Ejar’s lease page (a file dated 21-11-2023) states that the contract is a documented contract and an executive instrument under Council of Ministers Decision 131 dated 3/4/1435H; the file’s pages carry a watermark reading “a draft copy, not legally binding”. Execution requests are governed by the current Execution Law (M/53) until 27 October 2026 and by the new law (M/237) from 28 October 2026, whose Article 7 counts among executive instruments any contract given that status by a law or a Council of Ministers decision.
What Ejar’s residential lease page sets out
Ejar’s residential lease page summarises the main duties of both parties; the article numbers in brackets come from the template file attached to it:
- Rent (Article 4): the grace period is 30 days from the due date if the payment cycle is 180 days or more, and 15 days if shorter.
- Tenant (Article 5): uses the unit as a home and pays the electricity, water and gas bills or a fixed periodic amount the parties agree.
- Landlord (Article 6): maintains the common parts, and is responsible for maintenance affecting the building’s safety and for repairing any fault that affects the tenant’s use.
- Deposit (Article 8): the parties authorise Ejar, or a body it appoints, to receive and hold it, and it is returned within 30 days of vacating, less damage the tenant caused.
- General provisions (Article 9): the landlord bears the fee for registering and documenting the lease, and the lease stays in force if ownership of the property changes, ending only when its term expires or in one of the cases it lists.
- Termination (Article 10): the landlord may terminate through Ejar if the tenant is late “(15) or (30) days after the end of the payment grace period”, unless they agree another period through Ejar. Either party may seek termination by court judgment if the other does not remedy a breach within 30 days of the date of the breach, by a notice sent through Ejar.
Terms found only in the template file
The page does not mention the following terms; they appear only in the template file, which is marked as a non-binding draft, so your own lease as documented on Ejar is the reference:
- Term (Article 3): the parties choose whether the lease ends with its term or renews automatically unless one notifies the other through Ejar 60 days ahead. Automatic renewal has since become a statutory rule throughout the Kingdom under Royal Decree M/73 for leases longer than 3 months.
- Proof of payment (clause 4/3): the tenant must prove payment through Ejar, and no other proof is accepted.
- Delayed repairs (clause 6/2): if the landlord does not carry out necessary maintenance within 5 working days, the tenant may apply to Ejar with an accredited valuer’s technical report and make the repair at the landlord’s expense.
- Optional termination (clause 10/4): applies only if switched on, and lets the tenant, the landlord or both, as chosen, terminate through Ejar after 365 days from the start with at least 60 days’ notice.
- Enforcement and disputes (Article 15): the lease is an executive instrument at the Execution Court for rent instalments due, including agreed periodic electricity and water charges, for eviction after the term ends or on termination or expiry, and for the agreed daily rent if the unit is handed back late. Other disputes go to the Saudi Real Estate Arbitration Center or the competent judicial body, as the parties choose.
Added terms and executive status
Article 18 of the template file allows terms that do not conflict with the unified terms and treats conflicting ones as void. Ejar’s FAQ says additions and amendments go through the accredited broker, and that the contract loses its executive status if any of its clauses is changed. In a reply to a user posted by Ejar’s official X account on 14 February 2026, Ejar said residential leases remain executive instruments with added terms that do not conflict with their core clauses, while the unified commercial contract loses that status if any term is added.
Follow-up questions
Do I need to print and sign the unified lease on paper?
No. The template file states that the lease is issued as identical electronic copies for the broker, the landlord and the tenant, signed electronically by both parties (Article 17), and Ejar’s FAQ says you can print it but there is no need, because it is stored on the platform.
Does Ejar share my lease data with others?
Under Article 17 of the template file, the parties agree that Ejar may exchange the lease data and its financial transaction record with relevant bodies, rating agencies and credit information bodies, and publish data rating both parties’ rental behaviour.
Official sources
- Residential lease contract — Ejar
- Unified residential lease template file attached to Ejar’s residential lease page — 21-11-2023, marked as a non-binding draft
- Frequently asked questions — Ejar
- Ejar’s official X account reply on added terms and executive status (14 February 2026)
General information for guidance, not legal advice; the governing regulations and official bodies are the final reference.
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Related questions
- Is a lease that is not registered on Ejar valid?
- Can a lease be amended after it is documented on Ejar?
- How do I file an execution request for a lease on Najiz?
- How are commercial leases different on Ejar?
- If the landlord sells the rented property, does the lease end?
- Can a tenant sublet a rented apartment in Saudi Arabia?
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