Article 18 of the Saudi Off-Plan Real Estate Sales and Leasing Law

This article gives the competent authority supervisory tools over the licensed real estate project, through the two professional parties approved for it: the certified accountant and the consulting office.

Paragraph (1): information and data

• The competent authority may ask the certified accountant and the consulting office to provide it with the information and data that it considers necessary to see, so the assessment of necessity is for it.
• It may also use whomever it sees fit to audit that information and data.

Paragraph (2): project progress report

• The competent authority may request a report on the progress of the licensed real estate project from the certified accountant and the consulting office, as the Implementing Regulations specify.

The wording in both paragraphs is permissive for the competent authority ("may"), meaning these are powers it exercises when needed. The details of the project progress report are left to the Implementing Regulations.

This article complements Article 19, which requires the certified accountant and the consulting office to report to the competent authority any violation they come across by virtue of their work. Before it, Article 17 gives the buyer and the lessee the right to see the accounting records concerning them.

An accountant or consulting office that receives a request from the competent authority and needs to know the limits of its obligation should consult a lawyer who specializes in real estate cases.