Start with the date, property and geographic scope
The freeze began on 25 September 2025 and runs for five years from that effective date. It covers total rent in existing and new residential and commercial leases for real property within the urban boundaries of Riyadh. The statutory definition of total rent includes the property rent and other monetary amounts paid by the tenant to the landlord under the lease.
Do not apply the Riyadh freeze automatically to a property elsewhere in the Kingdom. The governing provisions allow the relevant clauses to be extended to all or parts of other cities, governorates or centres through the prescribed decision process. Check the current REGA and Ejar position for the property location rather than assuming a nationwide rent freeze.
How the Riyadh rent limit is set
For a Riyadh property with a lease already in force when the provisions began, or a lease concluded afterward, the landlord may not increase the total rent during the five-year application period. For a vacant property that was previously leased, the total rent normally cannot exceed the total rent in its most recent lease.
If the property has never previously been leased, the starting total rent is determined by agreement between landlord and tenant. That agreed amount then operates within the Riyadh framework. Tenants should compare the proposed Ejar record with the payment schedule and any separate amounts requested by the landlord because the rule concerns total rent, not only a headline monthly figure.
When a landlord may challenge the recorded cap
A landlord may object to the total rent used for a previously leased vacant property if substantial structural or foundational restoration affected its value, if the most recent lease was concluded before 2024, or in another case determined by REGA’s Board. An objection is not self-executing: it must be submitted to REGA and decided under the approved controls.
REGA’s guidance states that an accredited valuation report is a basic supporting document and that a renovation-based objection also requires the relevant building or renovation permit. A tenant should not treat a private message announcing a new rent as proof that an objection succeeded; request the official platform record or decision.
Automatic renewal and the 60-day notice rule
The statutory provisions make automatic renewal the default unless one party notifies the other of an intention not to renew at least 60 days before the end of the term. The framework applies to existing and new contracts, but it includes a transition exception for a fixed-term contract that had 90 days or less remaining when the provisions entered into force. Contracts may also be terminated by mutual consent after the notice deadline.
Ejar’s public explainer summarizes the new controls as applying to residential and commercial contracts longer than three months. Because a transition case can depend on the contract’s dates and the exact statutory wording, a party with an older or short fixed-term lease should check the contract record in Ejar rather than rely only on a general summary.
When a Riyadh landlord may refuse renewal
Within the Riyadh scope, a landlord who wants the tenant to leave may refuse renewal only on a permitted ground: failure to pay rent; structural defects affecting the safety of the property and occupants, supported by a technical report approved by the competent government authority; recovery of a residential property for the landlord’s personal use or a first-degree relative; or another case determined by REGA’s Board under its controls.
The fourth category matters because the list can develop through later REGA decisions. The landlord must still give the required notice. A tenant receiving a non-renewal notice should save it, check the stated ground and compare it with the current official rules rather than assuming either that every notice is valid or that no landlord can ever recover a Riyadh property.
Rent-modification requests and the cost of silence
Outside Riyadh, Ejar provides a structured request for a landlord to propose an increase or decrease for the next term. The request is submitted 90 days before expiry, and the tenant may accept or reject it until the start of the 60-day notice period. In Riyadh, while the freeze applies, the service is limited to a request to decrease the rental value.
If the tenant accepts, the agreed amount appears in the renewed contract rather than changing the active term. If the tenant rejects, automatic renewal is cancelled. Ejar also says that failing to accept or reject before the 60-day point counts as rejection and causes the contract to end at expiry unless the parties reach another agreement. Read and answer platform notifications before that window closes.
Registration in Ejar and the objection window
For a lease not registered in Ejar, the landlord must apply to register it. The tenant may also request registration. After notification, the other party has 60 days to object to the contract data before REGA; if the period expires without an objection, the data is treated as correct under the provisions.
Compare the parties, property, duration, total rent and payment schedule as soon as the registration notice arrives. Keep rent-payment evidence and communications outside the landlord’s account. If the landlord refuses to register, use the tenant registration route and the official REGA complaint channel instead of relying on an unsigned side agreement.
Penalties and practical next steps
A violation of the rent-limit, protected-renewal or registration clauses may attract a fine up to the total rent for 12 months for the property, plus correction of the violation, without removing an injured party’s right to seek compensation. That is a statutory maximum, not an automatic award to a tenant. The competent committees determine violations and penalties.
Tenants should confirm the property falls within Riyadh’s urban boundaries, save the Ejar contract and notifications, record the 60- and 90-day dates and respond inside the platform. Landlords should use Ejar and REGA processes for registration, objections and any permitted non-renewal. For a disputed eviction, safety report, unregistered payment or compensation claim, obtain case-specific advice rather than treating this guide as a court decision.