Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The Real Estate General Authority (REGA) has initiated legal action against a number of landlords for violating real estate regulations in Riyadh.
This was after detecting several violations of regulations governing landlord-tenant relationships during the past period.
This is part of REGA’s ongoing oversight efforts to ensure compliance with real estate regulations and legislation and achieve balance in the rental market.
The authority said that the total number of complaints received accounted for 268 and the supporting documents were completed for 250 of them, while 18 landlords were monitored for violating the regulations.
It noted that the monitored violations include raising the rental value in the city of Riyadh, increasing the rent for vacant properties than the value of the last rental contract, and not registering rental contracts through the “Ejar” platform.
This is in addition to refraining from renewal or obligating the tenant to vacate in cases other than the regular cases specified in the provisions of the law.
The REGA stated that it had referred 11 real estate brokers to the Committee for Reviewing Violations of the Real Estate Brokerage Law, after it was proven that they had engaged in transactions that harmed the interests of clients by facilitating landlords to commit such violations. This was based on the provisions of the Real Estate Brokerage Law and its Executive Regulations.
The authority emphasized that all violations are being pursued in accordance with approved regulatory procedures, and that it continues to monitor the real estate market and detect violating behavior. This is in conjunction with relevant authorities so as to ensure full compliance with real estate regulations and legislation and promote fairness and transparency in real estate transactions.
The authority called on landlords, tenants, and real estate brokers to adhere to the regulatory provisions governing rental relationships and to document all contracts through the "Ejar" platform. It emphasized that these efforts are part of protecting rights of all parties, raising the level of reliability in the real estate market, and achieving balance and price stability.