Article 444 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 444 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الخامس: إيجار الأرض للزراعة
A lease of farmland cannot take immediate effect while it holds another's unharvested crop planted with a right; if the crop is ripe or was planted without right, the lease is valid and the crop must be removed.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يصح إيجار الأرض للزراعة إيجارًا منجزًا وهي مشغولة بزرع لغير المستأجر لم يبلغ حصاده وكان مزروعًا بحق، فإن كان الزرع بلغ حصاده أو كان مزروعًا بغير حق صح إيجار الأرض ولزم صاحب الزرع إزالته.
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 444 explained in plain English
This article deals with land that is to be leased for farming while it holds a crop belonging to a person other than the tenant.
When is the lease not valid? A lease of land for farming is not valid as a lease taking immediate effect, that is, one whose effect begins at once, if three things come together:
- The land is occupied by a crop belonging to someone other than the tenant.
- The crop has not yet reached harvest.
- It was planted with a right to do so, meaning its owner planted it on a lawful basis.
The reasoning is to protect the owner of the crop who planted with a right, so that the crop is not lost before it ripens.
When is the lease valid? A lease of the land is valid in two cases:
- If the crop has reached harvest.
- Or it was planted without right.
In both cases the owner of the crop must remove it so the tenant can take possession of the land.
This article connects to Article 445, which allows a lease of land occupied by a crop to be made with effect deferred to a time when the land is empty, so the prohibition here concerns only a lease taking immediate effect. It also connects to Article 443, which recognizes the validity of a lease of land for farming with what is to be planted specified or the choice left to the tenant.
Anyone facing a case like this, especially in assessing whether the crop was planted with a right, should consider consulting a lawyer specializing in real estate or civil matters.
Practical example
Ali owns farmland in Qassim holding wheat that another person planted with a right and that has not yet ripened. Ali wanted to lease the land at once to a new farmer. This immediate lease is not valid as long as the wheat was planted with a right and has not reached harvest. But if the wheat has ripened, or was planted without right, the lease is valid and the owner of the crop must remove it.
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 444 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
Can farmland be leased while it holds another person's crop?
It cannot be leased with immediate effect if the crop belongs to someone other than the tenant, has not reached harvest and was planted with a right to do so.
When must the owner of the crop remove it?
If the crop has reached harvest or was planted without right, the lease of the land is valid and the owner of the crop must remove it.
Can planted land be leased so that the lease starts later?
Yes. Under Article 445, it may be leased with the lease deferred to a time when the land is empty.
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.