Rental nightmares in Saudi Arabia

My experience on Saudi roads is particularly memorable

Over the years, I traveled extensively throughout the Kingdom, including numerous journeys with my family:

•    Tabuk → Jeddah, including long-distance family journeys for Umrah

•    Riyadh → Dammam

•    Riyadh → Al-Kharj

•    Jeddah → Makkah, which I travelled on numerous occasions for Umrah and Hajj

•    Jeddah → Taif

•    and many other journeys between Saudi cities.

I traveled these routes both independently and using taxis/other transportation, often with my family.

What impressed me repeatedly was the cordiality and willingness of Saudi motorists, automobile owners, and taxi drivers to help travelers.

On several occasions, I encountered people who were willing to assist without expecting anything in return. I have personally experienced situations where a driver or individual was so considerate that when someone genuinely did not have money, they were willing to help without insisting on payment.

These may sound like small incidents, but when repeated over decades, they leave a lasting impression.

For me, these experiences demonstrate an important dimension of Saudi society that can sometimes be missed when discussions focus only on negative incidents.

Rental experience and today's regulatory environment

The Kingdom has also continued to develop its rental sector. The Ejar system was established to regulate the rental market and safeguard the rights of tenants, landlords, and real estate brokers. Its standardized electronic contract provides a formal framework defining the parties, rent, payment arrangements, obligations, and other contractual terms. (Ejar)

The official Saudi regulatory framework has progressively emphasized electronic registration and greater confidence and transparency in the rental relationship. (Ejar)

Therefore, my advice to newcomers would not be to assume that every rental experience will be perfect. Rather:

Do your due diligence, inspect the property personally, understand the contract, use properly documented rental arrangements, and deal with legitimate landlords or licensed brokers.

But equally, don't arrive in Saudi Arabia assuming that you are inevitably going to encounter a “rental nightmare.”

My overall verdict after 35+ years

If I were asked to summarize my experience in one sentence, I would say:

“After more than three decades living across Saudi Arabia, my memories are overwhelmingly of safety, hospitality, trust, helpful people and smooth everyday experiences—not rental nightmares.”

Saudi Arabia was my home for more than 35 years, and I remain grateful for the many friendships, professional relationships, and positive experiences I had there.

I hope this perspective is useful to newcomers and expatriates considering life in the Kingdom.

Dr. Mohammed Khursheed Akhtar

Founder & CEO, AITekNix Center of Excellence (AICoE)

Former Dean / Senior Academic & Technology Leadership Roles

35+ Years of Professional & Living Experience in Saudi Arabia

Jeddah | Dammam | Al-Khobar | Tabuk | Taif | Riyadh

@Cheryl

One thing I learned from renting in Saudi Arabia is that pictures can sometimes be very different from reality! I once visited a property that looked excellent online, but when I saw it in person, the apartment was much smaller and needed quite a lot of maintenance. There were also a few issues that were not mentioned in the listing.

My advice to newcomers is simple: never rent a place without visiting it first. Check the water, electricity, AC, maintenance, parking and surroundings, and make sure all charges and conditions are clearly mentioned in the contract. Taking a little extra time before signing can save you a lot of trouble later