The Riyadh rent freeze
In the city of Riyadh a landlord may not increase the total rent in lease contracts that existed when the Provisions took effect or that are concluded after, for residential, commercial and mixed-use property, land as well as buildings, inside the urban boundary. Total rent means the rent of the property plus any other sums the tenant pays the landlord under the lease. The prohibition was enacted by Royal Decree M/73 of 2/4/1447H for five years, and REGA states the period runs from 25 September 2025, but the instrument itself fixes neither an entry-into-force date nor an end date, so this page states no expiry date for the freeze.
The law as at 4 September 2026. Every clause, date and figure on this page comes from a statutory text or a REGA decision.
The Provisions in brief
- Instrument
- Royal Decree M/73
- Scope
- Residential, commercial, mixed
- Boundary
- Riyadh's urban boundary
- Duration
- Five years
Rent freeze questions, answered briefly and with their source
Short answers on the Riyadh rent freeze, each tied to a clause of the statutory text.
What exactly is frozen in Riyadh rents?
The total rent, not the headline rent alone. A landlord may not increase it in existing leases or in leases concluded after the Provisions took effect.
Clause 2(1) of the Provisions. Total rent is defined in clause 1(2) as the rent of the property plus any other sums the tenant pays the landlord under the lease.
Does the freeze cover commercial leases or only residential?
It covers residential, commercial and mixed-use property, land as well as buildings, inside the urban boundary of the city of Riyadh.
Clause 1(1) of the Provisions, enacted by Royal Decree M/73 of 2/4/1447H.
What can a landlord charge a new tenant?
If the unit was let before, the ceiling is the value of the last lease, and that ceiling attaches to the unit rather than to the tenancy. A unit never let before is priced by agreement.
Clause 2(2) for previously let units, and clause 2(3) for units never let.
When does the Riyadh rent freeze end?
We state no date. The period is five years and REGA says it runs from 25 September 2025, but the instrument itself fixes neither an entry-into-force date nor an end date.
Clause 5 ends clauses 2, 3 and 4 five years from their entry into force, and the text contains no commencement provision.
Which case are you in?
| Case | Treatment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Renewing an existing Riyadh lease | No increase. The total rent stays as it is, with no exception for a pre-agreed escalator. | بند ثانياً/1 |
| New tenant in a previously let unit | Capped at the value of the last lease. The ceiling attaches to the unit, not the tenancy. | بند ثانياً/2 |
| A unit never let before | Priced by agreement, and that first figure becomes the reference for any later letting. | بند ثانياً/3 |
| A commercial lease inside Riyadh's urban boundary | Frozen the same as residential, but a commercial landlord has no personal-use route to refuse renewal. | بند أولاً/1 و رابعاً/3 |
| A landlord wanting a residential unit back for personal use | Notice of not less than 365 days, not 60. A short notice extends the lease by whatever completes the period. | قرار الرئيس التنفيذي 470000480 |
| Any lease outside the city of Riyadh | No freeze. But automatic renewal on notice and the Ejar registration duty apply kingdom-wide. | بند سادساً/1 مع سابعاً وثامناً |
What exactly is frozen, the rent or the total rent?
The total rent. Clause 1(2) defines it as the rent of the property plus any other sums the tenant pays the landlord under the lease. Holding the headline rent flat and then adding or raising landlord-billed charges does not take a landlord outside the prohibition.
The prohibition applies both to leases existing when the Provisions took effect and to leases concluded after, which is wider than the "annual increase" framing used in the press releases.
Does the freeze cover commercial leases, and where does Riyadh end?
It covers residential, commercial and mixed-use property, land as well as buildings, inside the urban boundary of the city of Riyadh. Commercial leases are covered, contrary to what is sometimes said.
The restriction is geographic, bounded by the urban boundary of the city rather than the Riyadh region as a whole. A property outside that boundary is not subject to the freeze, although other clauses of the text apply kingdom-wide.
New tenant or new unit: what can a landlord charge?
If the unit was let before, the ceiling is the value of its last lease. The ceiling attaches to the unit itself rather than to the tenancy, so a tenant leaving and another arriving does not reset the price.
A unit that has never been let is priced by agreement between the parties, and that first figure then becomes the reference for any later letting. This is why new supply in Riyadh enters at market rates while existing contracts stay flat.
When does the Riyadh rent freeze end?
We state no end date, and that is deliberate. Clause 5 ends clauses 2, 3 and 4 five years from their entry into force, but the published text contains no commencement provision fixing that date.
REGA and the Saudi Press Agency state the period runs from 25 September 2025, which is a sound source for when the five years start, but it is an announcement rather than a commencement clause. A ministerial committee may also set determinants for activating, suspending and escalating these clauses, and the Council of Ministers may amend them. Five years is a maximum, not a guarantee.
How much non-renewal notice is required, 60 days or 365?
The general rule is that a lease renews automatically unless one party gives the other 60 days of notice. REGA has raised that in one case: where the reason for not renewing is use by the landlord, or use by a first-degree relative, in residential model contracts, the notice must be not less than 365 days.
A later decision applies the 365 days to residential leases already in force, and provides that where the period is not satisfied the contract renews by whatever is needed to complete it from the date notice was given. A shorter notice does not defeat the tenant, it extends the lease.
This exception is specific to residential leases. A commercial landlord has no personal-use route to refuse renewal in the first place.
What we could not verify
REGA has issued the violations schedule, by board decision Q/M/A/H/10/2025/T of 20/6/1447H, and the controls on objections to the capped rent for vacant properties. Both are published and in force. What we still cannot verify: whether the ministerial committee has set the determinants for activating, suspending and escalating these clauses, and whether REGA has extended the Riyadh-only clauses to other cities. Check the relevant REGA decision or a licensed lawyer, because application depends on the facts of each case.
Method and sources
We worked from the official Arabic text of the Provisions first. Where the statutory text differs from a press statement or from Ejar platform guidance, we state the statutory text and attribute the other to its source. We state no date or figure we could not source to a primary text.
Note: Osool is a property software company holding FAL real estate licence 120004I085. It is not a law firm and not a legal adviser. This page is sourced general information, not legal advice. How these Provisions apply to any particular contract depends on its facts and on where the property sits, and the Council of Ministers may amend them after the review date above. Check the official text at REGA (rega.gov.sa) and the Ejar platform (ejar.sa), or consult a licensed lawyer, before deciding to raise a rent or refuse a renewal.
How Osool handles these deadlines
What Osool does here is narrow and checkable: the lease-expiry cron scans active leases at the 90, 60, 30 and 7 day boundaries and sends a bell alert plus a bilingual email to tenant and owner. Osool has no automatic Riyadh rent-cap check and no live Ejar connection. Registering on Ejar and watching the ceiling stay with the agency.