Article 419 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 419 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثاني: التزامات المؤجر
The article obliges the lessor to make necessary repairs, and allows the lessee, if the lessor delays after being put on notice, to carry them out with the court's permission or, for urgent and slight ones, without it, and allows agreement otherwise.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يلتزم المؤجر بالإصلاحات الضرورية اللازمة لبقاء المأجور صالحًا للانتفاع، بما في ذلك إصلاح أي خللٍ في المأجور يؤثر في استيفاء المنفعة المقصودة.
2- إذا تأخر المؤجر-بعد إعذاره- عن القيام بالإصلاحات الواردة في الفقرة (1) من هذه المادة ودون إخلال بحق المستأجر في طلب الفسخ أو إنقاص الأجرة؛ فللمستأجر الحصول على إذن من المحكمة بالقيام بالإصلاحات، وله الرجوع على المؤجر بما أنفق بالقدر المتعارف عليه. ويجوز للمستأجر دون إذن المحكمة القيام بالإصلاحات واقتطاع نفقتها من الأجرة بالقدر المتعارف عليه إذا كانت من الأمور المستعجلة أو كانت يسيرة عرفًا، وعلى المستأجر في جميع الأحوال أن يقدم للمؤجر حسابًا عما تم إصلاحه.
3- يجوز للمؤجر والمستأجر الاتفاق على خلاف أحكام الفقرتين (1) و(2) من هذه المادة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 419 explained in plain English
This article regulates repairs to the leased item in three paragraphs:
Paragraph (1) - the lessor's obligation: the lessor is obliged to make the necessary repairs needed for the leased item to remain fit for use, including repairing any defect that affects obtaining the intended benefit.
Paragraph (2) - if the lessor delays after being put on notice: without prejudice to the lessee's right to request termination or a reduction of the rent, the lessee has two options:
- With the court's permission: he obtains permission to carry out the repairs, then recovers from the lessor what he spent to the customary extent.
- Without the court's permission: he carries out the repairs and deducts their cost from the rent to the customary extent, provided that the repairs are urgent or slight by custom.
In all cases, the lessee must give the lessor an account of what he repaired.
Paragraph (3) - agreement otherwise is allowed: the parties may agree otherwise than the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2), for example by shifting the burden of some repairs to the lessee. The maintenance clauses in the contract should therefore be reviewed first.
Note that the lessee's right to carry out the repair himself is conditional on the lessor's delay after being put on notice, so under this paragraph the lessee does not begin the repair before that.
To assess a particular situation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in real estate or civil cases.
Practical example
The air conditioner in the apartment Mishal rents in Riyadh broke down in summer, and he put the lessor on notice but the lessor did not repair it. Because the matter is urgent, Mishal may repair it without the court's permission and deduct the cost from the rent to the customary extent, giving an account of what he repaired, unless the contract contains a different agreement.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 419 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Who bears the necessary repairs in the leased item?
The lessor is obliged to make them, unless the parties agree otherwise.
May the lessee make repairs and deduct from the rent?
He may do so without the court's permission, to the customary extent, if the lessor delays after being put on notice and the repairs are urgent or slight by custom, giving the lessor an account.
What if the repairs are large and not urgent?
After putting the lessor on notice and his delay, the lessee may obtain the court's permission to carry them out, then recover from the lessor what he spent to the customary extent.
Does the lessee lose the right to terminate if he repairs himself?
The article provides that these rules do not prejudice the lessee's right to request termination or a reduction of the rent.
More articles on Lease Contract
- Article 287
The article prevents set-off between a depositary's debt against the depositor and the deposit, or between a borrower's debt against the lender and the loaned item, except by agreement of the parties.
إذا كان للمودع لديه دينٌ على المودع أو كان للمستعير دين على المعير، فلا تقع المقاصة بين الدين والوديعة أو بين الدين والشيء المعار ولو كان الدين من نوع أي منهما
- Article 296
The article sets a period of 5 years after which a claim is not heard against a party who denies it, for the rights of the liberal professions and recurring periodic rights, with an exception of 10 years for the proceeds owed by a bad-faith possessor and endowment proceeds.
دون إخلال بالنصوص النظامية، لا تُسمع الدعوى على المنكر بانقضاء (خمس) سنوات في الحقوق الآتية: أ- حقوق أصحاب المهن الحرة، كالأطباء والمحامين والمهندسين عما أدوه م
- Article 407
The article defines a lease as a contract by which the lessor enables the lessee to benefit from a non-consumable thing for a specified period in return for rent.
الإيجار عقد يُمَكِّنُ بمقتضاه المؤجر المستأجر من الانتفاع مدةً معينةً بشيءٍ غير قابل للاستهلاك مقابل أجرةٍ.
- Article 408
The article allows the leased item to be a thing, a usufruct or a right, specified individually or by type, and also allows it to be an undivided share.
1- يصح أن يكون المأجور عينًا أو منفعةً أو حقًّا؛ سواء كان معيَّنًا بالذات أو بالنوع. 2- يصح أن يكون المأجور حصَّةً شائعة.
- Article 409
The article allows it to suffice to state sound bases for determining the rent, and allows the rent to be a specified sum together with a known percentage of the output or profit.
يصح أن يقتصر تقدير الأجرة على بيان أسسٍ صالحةٍ تتحدد بمقتضاها، ويصح أن تكون بمبلغٍ معيَّنٍ مع نسبةٍ معلومةٍ من الناتج أو من الربح.
- Article 410
The article allows a lease contract to require that the rent be paid in advance, deferred or paid in installments.
يصح اشتراط تعجيل الأجرة أو تأجيلها أو تقسيطها.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.