A broken AC, plumbing, or electrical fault — and a landlord who does not respond or refuses to repair. In Saudi Arabia the answer is not built on custom but on what the unified residential lease published on the Ejar platform establishes: it allocates maintenance duties between the parties and maps the route when one of them breaches. Ejar's guidance also indicates that the contract documented on the platform is the official reference for the relationship, and that an unregistered contract does not produce its administrative and judicial effects, per the Council of Ministers decision referenced in that guidance. This page is part of Hala Law's real estate and rentals materials.

How the residential lease allocates maintenance

Per the published contract model, the obligations fall as follows:

| Obligation | Who bears it | | --- | --- | | Periodic and recurring maintenance needed to preserve the unit | Landlord | | Building maintenance affecting safety | Landlord | | Hidden defects | Landlord | | Fixing any malfunction or interruption affecting the tenant's use | Landlord | | Enabling the landlord to carry out urgent necessary repairs after proof of need | Tenant |

The substantive maintenance duties sit with the landlord under the contract model, while the tenant must not obstruct urgent necessary repairs once proof of the need is provided.

What if the landlord breaches and fails to remedy after notice?

The contract model maps the route clearly: if a party breaches its obligations and fails to remedy or remove the harm after notice via Ejar within the set period, the contract model allows the harmed party to seek rescission based on a court judgment.

Note two elements: the notice goes through Ejar, not merely a call or passing message, and rescission does not happen unilaterally — it is a request the judiciary decides after weighing the facts.

The practical route: document, notify, then claim

| Step | Detail | | --- | --- | | 1. Documentation | Record the defect with photos and video, with dated proof | | 2. Notice | Send a maintenance notice through the channels available in Ejar | | 3. Deadline | Allow a reasonable, defined period for remedy | | 4. Ongoing evidence | Keep technical reports or invoices connected to the defect | | 5. Claim | If unresolved: an appropriate claim — repair, compensation, rent reduction, or rescission — depending on the harm |

The platform steps above reflect the last verification on 26 June 2026; labels may change with updates.

The claim is not one-size-fits-all

Where refusal continues after notice and the deadline, the claim can take several forms depending on the harm: repair of the defect itself, compensation for what the tenant suffered, rent reduction in proportion to the lost use, or rescission by court judgment. Choosing the right form is an assessment tied to the harm's extent, its effect on use, and what can be proven — not one rule for all cases. If the file heads into dispute, see how to file a real estate dispute.

The maintenance file often intersects with two others: recovering the security deposit at the end of the lease — where both parties need the unit's condition documented — and ending the lease early if the breach pushes the tenant to seek an exit.

When do you need a licensed lawyer?

This page is a general framework, not an assessment of a specific case. The matter becomes one for a licensed lawyer or accredited adviser when:

  • The classification of the defect is contested: routine maintenance owed by the landlord, or damage the tenant caused?
  • You want rescission by court judgment — a request that needs proof of the breach, the notice, and the lapse of the period.
  • You are heading toward a claim for compensation or rent reduction, whose amount is a matter of assessment, evidence, and technical reports.
  • The landlord answers with counterclaims — damage or late payment — and the file becomes entangled.

In those cases the competent authority weighs the facts and documents, and each party's position rests on the evidence presented — not on a single general rule.