Article 430 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 430 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثالث: التزامات المستأجر
The tenant must take care of the leased property as an ordinary person would and compensate the lessor for damage resulting from the tenant's wrongdoing or default. Where there are several tenants, each answers for their own wrongdoing or default.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يلتزم المستأجر بأن يحافظ على المأجور محافظة الشخص المعتاد.
2- يلتزم المستأجر بتعويض المؤجر عما يلحق المأجور من أضرارٍ ناشئةٍ عن تعديه أو تقصيره، وإذا تعدد المستأجرون لزم كل واحد منهم التعويض عن الأضرار الناشئة عن تعديه أو تقصيره.
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 430 explained in plain English
This article sets out the tenant's duty to look after the leased property and the tenant's liability for damage.
First: the standard of care. The tenant must take care of the leased property as an ordinary person would, that is, with the level of care an average person gives to looking after a thing of this kind. No exceptional care is required, and negligence is not accepted.
Second: compensation. The tenant must compensate the lessor for damage to the leased property resulting from the tenant's wrongdoing or default:
- Wrongdoing: doing what must not be done, such as deliberate destruction or harmful use.
- Default: failing to do what must be done by way of safekeeping and care.
Liability is tied to wrongdoing or default; the text should not be read as making the tenant bear every damage to the property whatever its cause.
Third: several tenants. Where there is more than one tenant, each one must compensate for damage resulting from that tenant's own wrongdoing or default.
This article connects to Article 429 on rent payment dates and to Article 431, which requires the tenant to use the leased property within the agreed use. In a dispute about the cause of damage or the amount of compensation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in real estate or civil matters.
Practical example
Three students rented a shared apartment in Riyadh. One of them left a water tap running and traveled, and the floors flooded and were damaged. That student must compensate the owner for the damage caused by his own default, because the text makes each tenant liable for damage resulting from their own wrongdoing or default.
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 430 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Is a tenant responsible for any damage in the apartment?
The tenant must compensate the lessor for damage resulting from the tenant's own wrongdoing or default, so liability is tied to wrongdoing or default.
What does the care of an ordinary person mean?
It is the care an average person gives to looking after a thing like the leased property, and it is the standard the article requires of the tenant.
If there are several tenants, who pays compensation?
Each one must compensate for damage resulting from their own wrongdoing or default.
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.