The Riyadh rent freeze and the 2025 rental rules, explained

From 25 September 2025, landlords may not increase rent on existing or new residential and commercial leases within Riyadh's urban boundaries for five years, following a directive from HRH the Crown Prince.^{[1, 2, 5]}

• Across the Kingdom, leases renew automatically unless either party gives at least 60 days' notice before expiry.^{[3, 6]}
• In Riyadh, a landlord cannot refuse to renew when the tenant wants to stay, except for non-payment of rent, structural safety risk confirmed by an official technical report, or the landlord's own need (or an immediate family member's) for the unit.^{[3, 6]}
• All leases must be registered on Ejar, REGA's rental platform. Either party may submit the contract; only licensed brokers may register leases on the parties' behalf.^{[3, 7, 8]}