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Residential tenancy contract template and checklist (Word & PDF)
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For landlords, tenants and their counsel agreeing a home lease in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or another GCC country before official registration. It covers the property, the rent, the deposit, maintenance and the handover. The contract that counts is the one registered on Ejar, Ejari or Tawtheeq.
Sources: 14 official sourcesNot legal advice
What this template includes
- Parties
- Property
- Use
- Term
- Rent and payment
- Security deposit
- Registration
- Utilities and charges
- Maintenance
- Alterations and subletting
- Handover and inventory
- Renewal and notice
- Termination and eviction
- Notices
- Governing law and disputes
- Language and signatures
- Schedule A – Saudi Arabia (Ejar)
- Schedule B – UAE (Dubai Ejari, Abu Dhabi Tawtheeq)
- Other GCC countries
- Handover inventory
Ejar (Saudi Arabia) and Ejari (Dubai)
Schedule A and Schedule B of this template are the Ejar and Ejari sections. Each official link opens the government page already cited on this template.
Register on the official platform first
- Ejar(https://www.ejar.sa/en/service/355294)
- Ejari – DLD(https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/register-renew-ejari-contract/)
- Unified Tenancy Contract(https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/ejari-templates/download-unified-ejari-tenancy-contract)
- Tawtheeq – TAMM(https://www.tamm.abudhabi/en/articles/lease-registration-guidelines)
A free, bilingual residential tenancy contract template for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the other GCC countries, written as a term sheet and a set of supplementary terms. Agree the rent, term, deposit, maintenance and handover here, then create and register the official tenancy contract: Ejar in Saudi Arabia, the Unified Tenancy Contract and Ejari in Dubai, Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi. For the definition, see lease contract in our glossary.
How to use this template
- Fill in the [placeholders] with the agreed terms: parties, property, term, rent, deposit, utilities, maintenance and notice.
- Check each term against Schedule A (Saudi Arabia) or Schedule B (Dubai and Abu Dhabi).
- Create and register the official contract on the platform, and keep this document as a record of the agreed and supplementary terms.
- Complete the handover inventory at the start and at the end of the lease.
- A demand for rent, vacant possession, or non-renewal is written in the legal notice template, not in a new lease.
Out of scope: commercial leases, units bought off-plan, and Kuwait, where you should check the current rules with a Kuwaiti lawyer.
Tenancy contract registration: Dubai Ejari and Abu Dhabi Tawtheeq
In Dubai, the Land Department's Ejari service is how a tenancy contract is registered or renewed.[5] The Department publishes a Unified Tenancy Contract for that registration.[6] In the unified contract the Arabic text prevails, and the landlord undertakes to register it on Ejari.[12] A representative who registers the contract needs an official power of attorney.[5] Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 requires the lease to be in writing and registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency; a dispute over an unregistered lease is not heard.[4]
In Abu Dhabi, the landlord or the property manager registers the tenancy contract on the standardised Tawtheeq form. Registration is required before utilities can be connected.[7] This template records the terms agreed before that registration. It does not replace the official tenancy contract.
The template
Residential lease agreement
Term sheet and supplementary terms for a residential lease in the GCC. It helps the parties agree and record the terms before they create the official contract, and any lawful extra terms. Replace every [placeholder] and delete the options that don't apply.
Landlord: [name], ID/CR [●], address [●], represented by [●] (if an agent or broker, attach the authority). Tenant: [name], ID [●], address [●].
Drafting note
If an agent signs, attach the power of attorney. Registering an Ejari contract through a representative requires an official power of attorney.[5] See also notary public in our glossary. If the landlord is a company, enter its commercial registration number.
[Type: apartment/villa], unit no. [●], building [●], address/national address [●], title deed no. [●], area [●] m², furnishing [furnished/unfurnished], parking [●].
Drafting note
The Saudi Civil Transactions Law defines the lease (Art. 407).[11]
The property is leased for residential use by the Tenant and family members [names/number] only.
Drafting note
Residential use only. Commercial leases are out of scope, and so are units bought off-plan.
[●] months/years from [date] to [date].
Drafting note
Dubai: the term must be specified (Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 5).[4]
Annual rent [amount], payable in [●] instalments on [dates] by [method].
Drafting note
- Riyadh: REGA's provisions suspend increases in the total rental value of residential and commercial leases, existing or new, within Riyadh's urban boundaries for five years from 25 September 2025.[3]
- Dubai: rent increases are governed by the law and Decree No. 43 of 2013. Check the DLD rental index rather than relying on a fixed number.[12][13]
[amount], refundable within [●] days after handover, less documented amounts due.
The Landlord shall register this lease on [Ejar / Ejari / Tawtheeq / the competent registration office] within [●] days of signing and give the Tenant a copy of the registration certificate.
Drafting note
- Saudi Arabia: leases are registered on Ejar.[1] Under REGA's provisions, landlords must apply to register leases not registered on Ejar, and tenants may also apply.[3]
- Dubai: leases must be registered (Art. 4), and in the Unified Tenancy Contract the landlord undertakes to register the lease on Ejari.[4][12]
- Abu Dhabi: Tawtheeq.[7] Qatar: the registration office set up under the Rent Law.[8]
- Bahrain and Oman: a registration e-service exists,[9][10] but we haven't confirmed whether registration is mandatory.
[Electricity/water/cooling/internet/service charges] are paid by [party].
Drafting note
Abu Dhabi: Tawtheeq registration is needed to connect utilities.[7]
The Landlord handles [structural/major] repairs and the Tenant handles [minor/routine] repairs, as listed in the schedule.
Drafting note
Allocate repairs clearly; the default rules differ by country.
The Tenant shall not alter the property or sublet or assign it without the Landlord's prior written consent.
Drafting note
The Dubai Unified Tenancy Contract has a similar term.[12]
The parties sign a handover report and inventory at the start and at the end of the lease (annex).
Drafting note
Use the handover inventory annex at the end of this template, and photograph each room.
A party who doesn't want to renew, or wants to change the terms, notifies the other in writing at least [●] days before expiry.
Drafting note
- Saudi Arabia: under REGA's provisions, leases in all cities of the Kingdom renew automatically unless notice of non-renewal is given at least 60 days before expiry, subject to exceptions.[3] The Civil Transactions Law deals with continued use after expiry (Art. 440).[11]
- Dubai: 90 days' notice before expiry to amend the terms or not renew (Art. 14).[4]
The lease may end early only in the cases set by the applicable law or as agreed here: [●].
Notices go to the addresses/emails above, or through the official platform.
Governed by the laws of [country/emirate]; disputes go to the competent authority.
Arabic and English, with Arabic prevailing; signed in [●] copies.
Landlord: name [●] · signature [●] · date [●]
Tenant: name [●] · signature [●] · date [●]
Drafting note
In the Dubai Unified Tenancy Contract the Arabic text prevails.[12]
Schedule A – Saudi Arabia (Ejar)
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Registration | Ejar is the official reference for registering residential and commercial leases. Under Cabinet Decision No. 292 of 16/5/1438H, a lease not registered on Ejar is not considered a valid contract producing administrative and judicial effects.[1] |
| Enforcement | The Ejar electronic contract is an enforceable instrument and can be filed directly with the enforcement court.[2] |
| Unregistered leases | Landlords must apply to register leases not registered on Ejar, and tenants may also apply. The other party may object before REGA within 60 days.[3] |
| Automatic renewal | In all cities of the Kingdom, leases renew automatically unless notice of non-renewal is given at least 60 days before expiry, subject to exceptions.[3] |
| Riyadh rent freeze | A five-year suspension of increases in the total rental value of residential and commercial leases, existing or new, within Riyadh's urban boundaries, from 25 September 2025.[3] |
| Penalties | Breaches of the provisions can be fined up to the value of 12 months' rent.[3] |
| Civil Transactions Law | Defines the lease (Art. 407), deals with continued use after expiry (Art. 440), and provides that a lease does not end on the death of a party (Art. 441).[11] |
Schedule B – UAE (Dubai Ejari, Abu Dhabi Tawtheeq)
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Dubai: registration | Leases must be written and registered with RERA; disputes over unregistered leases are not heard (Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 4). Registration is through Ejari.[4][5] |
| Dubai: term and renewal | The term must be specified (Art. 5); renewal is covered by Art. 6.[4] |
| Dubai: notice | 90 days' notice before expiry to amend the terms or not renew (Art. 14).[4] |
| Dubai: eviction | The eviction cases are set out in Art. 25.[4] |
| Dubai: rent increases | Governed by the law and Decree No. 43 of 2013; check the DLD rental index.[12][13] |
| Dubai: Unified Tenancy Contract | The Arabic text prevails; the landlord undertakes to register the lease on Ejari; the tenant may not sublet or assign without the landlord's written approval.[6][12] |
| Dubai: representatives | Registering through a representative requires an official power of attorney.[5] |
| Abu Dhabi: Tawtheeq | Leases are registered on a standardised form by the landlord or property manager; registration is needed to connect utilities.[7] |
| Abu Dhabi: tenancy law | Law No. 20 of 2006 and its amendments, published by ADREC.[14] |
Other GCC countries
- Qatar: leases are registered with the registration office set up under the Rent Law (Law No. 4 of 2008).[8]
- Bahrain: a lease-contract registration e-service is available.[9] We haven't confirmed whether registration is mandatory or what follows if a lease isn't registered.
- Oman: Muscat Municipality offers lease-registration e-services.[10] We haven't confirmed whether registration is mandatory.
- Kuwait: check the current rules with a Kuwaiti lawyer.
Handover inventory
Complete at the start of the lease and again at the end. Both parties sign each version.
| Room | Item | Condition at start | Condition at end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Living room] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Kitchen and appliances] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Bedroom 1] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Bathroom 1] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Air conditioning] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Keys and access cards] | [number] | [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [Meter readings: electricity/water] | [●] | [●] | [●] | [●] |