Article 432 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 432 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثالث: التزامات المستأجر
The tenant may not make any change to the leased property without the lessor's permission, unless the change is required to repair the property and does not damage it.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
ليس للمستأجر أن يحدث في المأجور تغييرًا دون إذن المؤجر إلا إذا كان يستلزمه إصلاح المأجور ولا يلحق ضررًا به.
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 432 explained in plain English
This article sets a clear rule on modifications a tenant may want to make to the leased property.
The rule: the tenant may not make any change to the leased property without the lessor's permission. The property belongs to the lessor, and the tenant owns only the right to use it.
The exception: the tenant may make the change without permission if both conditions are met:
- The change is required for repairing the leased property, meaning the repair cannot be done without it.
- The change does not damage the leased property.
If either condition is missing, for example where the change is to improve appearance rather than to repair, or is necessary for the repair but harms the property, the rule applies again and the lessor's permission is required.
This article connects to Article 431, which requires the tenant to use the leased property within the agreed use, and to Article 433, which requires the tenant to maintain the leased property according to custom unless otherwise agreed. The article does not address the consequence of a violation.
To avoid disputes, it is advisable to get the lessor's permission in writing before any modification. Anyone facing a dispute about a change they made or want to make should consider consulting a lawyer specializing in real estate or civil matters.
Practical example
Hind rented an apartment in Riyadh and wanted to knock down a wall between two rooms to enlarge the living room. This is a change that no repair requires, so it is not allowed without the owner's permission. But if a pipe inside the wall broke and fixing it required opening a small part of the wall and then restoring it without damage, that is something the repair requires and it causes no damage.
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 432 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Can a tenant make modifications to the apartment without the owner's permission?
No. The tenant may not make any change to the leased property without the lessor's permission unless the change is required to repair the property and does not damage it.
When may a tenant make a change without permission?
When two conditions are met together: the repair of the leased property requires the change, and the change does not damage the leased property.
Is it enough that the modification benefits the property?
No. The text requires that the change be something the repair requires and that it not harm the leased property; otherwise the lessor's permission is needed.
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.