Article 650 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
المادة 650 من نظام المعاملات المدنية · الفرع الثاني: أسباب كسب الملكية أولًا: إحراز المباحات
The article gives the owner of materials that a landowner used without permission in a building or planting the right to recover them, unless removal would seriously harm the land, in which case the landowner acquires them at their value.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا أحدث مالك الأرض بناءً أو غراسًا على أرضه بمواد مملوكة لغيره دون إذن فللغير استردادها على نفقة مالك الأرض إذا لم تكن إزالتها تلحق ضررًا جسيمًا بالأرض، فإذا كانت الإزالة تلحق بالأرض ضررًا جسيمًا؛ تملّكها صاحب الأرض بقيمتها مع التعويض إن كان له مقتضٍ.
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 650 explained in plain English
This article deals with the case of a landowner who makes a building or planting on his land but uses materials owned by someone else without permission.
The article distinguishes between two cases according to the effect of removing the materials on the land:
- If removal would not cause serious harm to the land: the owner of the materials has the right to recover them, and the cost of recovery is borne by the landowner.
- If removal would cause serious harm to the land: the materials are not recovered in kind; instead, the landowner acquires the materials at their value, with compensation if there are grounds for it, that is, if there is something that calls for compensation.
The deciding test is how serious the harm caused to the land by removal would be. The article does not specify when harm is serious; this is assessed case by case.
This article is part of a set of related rules. Article 649 presumes that every building or planting on the land was made by its owner and belongs to him unless evidence shows otherwise, while Article 651 deals with the opposite case: a person who builds or plants with his own materials on land he knows belongs to someone else, without permission.
Anyone whose materials were used in someone else's construction without their permission is well advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in real estate or civil matters to assess their right.
Practical example
A landowner in Tabuk used metal sheets belonging to his neighbor, without permission, to build a canopy. If the sheets can be taken apart without serious harm to the land, the neighbor may recover them at the landowner's expense. But if the sheets were used in foundations such that removing them would seriously harm the land, the landowner acquires them at their value, with compensation if there are grounds for 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 650 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law
If someone used my building materials on his land without my permission, can I recover them?
Yes. You may recover them at the landowner's expense if removing them would not cause serious harm to the land.
What if removing the materials would seriously harm the land?
The landowner acquires them at their value, with compensation if there are grounds for it.
Who bears the cost of recovering the materials?
Under the wording of the article, it is borne by the landowner.
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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.