A residential or commercial tenancy contract template in 14 sections, where the landlord and the tenant record the rent, the payment schedule, the security deposit and the VAT treatment before the contract is registered on the Ejar platform. Before the signature boxes there is a 10-item checklist to review before you sign.
Word to edit and add your business logo, PDF to print, fill in by hand and sign. Both files are in Arabic.
Read this before you fill in the template
- The tenancy contract template is a draft, and the contract is registered on Ejar. Registering residential and commercial leases on the Ejar network (the electronic network for rental services) is mandatory, and Cabinet Decision No. 405 requires real estate brokers to register them. Under Cabinet Decision No. 292, an unregistered residential lease is not a valid contract with administrative or judicial effect.
- The landlord must apply for registration. Clause 7 of the statutory provisions regulating the relationship between landlord and tenant, issued by Royal Decree M/73, requires the landlord to apply to register any lease not registered on Ejar, and gives the tenant the right to apply. Clause 9 sets a fine of up to 12 months’ rent for breaching this.
- This template is a drafting tool. It puts the details and terms in one place for the two parties to agree on, and stays an internal record of the payment schedule, the deposit and the VAT. It does not replace registration or legal advice.
What the tenancy contract template contains
The first five sections follow the order of the residential lease contract published on the Ejar platform: contract details, then the landlord, then the tenant, then the real estate broker, then the title deeds.
| Template section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Contract details | Residential or commercial contract type, place and date of signing, start and end of the term, and the automatic renewal clause |
| Landlord | Name, ID type and number, whether the signatory is the owner or an agent, power of attorney number, and national address |
| Tenant | The same details, plus the name of the authorised signatory if the tenant is a business |
| Real estate broker | Office name, licence number and commercial registration, left blank if there is no broker |
| Title deed | Deed number, issue date and issuing authority |
| Property and use | Residential or commercial use, building type, national address, and the activity permitted in a commercial unit |
| Leased unit | Type, number, floor, area, rooms and furnishing, plus the electricity and water meter numbers |
| Financial details and payment schedule | Annual rent in figures and in words, total contract value, payment frequency, and a 12-instalment schedule with rent, VAT and due date |
| Value added tax | How the rent is treated by lease type, the landlord’s VAT registration number, and a separate table for additional services |
| Security deposit | Optional clause: amount, payment date and refund conditions |
| Services and utilities | Who pays electricity, water and gas, and the periodic amount if a meter is shared |
| Obligations of the parties | Core obligations of the landlord and the tenant, plus a field for anything they add |
| Termination and renewal | Notice period for non-renewal, early termination terms, and the condition of the unit at handover |
| Signatures | Signature and stamp box for the landlord and the tenant, and the broker’s signature if there is one |
Some fields are left blank on purpose: compensation for early termination, deposit refund conditions, and additional obligations. We found no statutory text that sets these terms, so they are an agreement between the parties, and the template does not suggest a figure nobody chose.
A blank tenancy contract for both an apartment and a shop
The tenancy contract template is the same for residential and commercial leases, and the “contract type” field on the first page sets which one you are filling in. The difference between the two shows up in three places in the template:
| Where | Renting an apartment | Renting a shop or office |
|---|---|---|
| Property use | Residential | Commercial, with a field for the activity permitted in the unit |
| VAT on the rent | Exempt if the property is used as a permanent residence | 15% if the landlord is VAT-registered, with the landlord’s VAT registration number written in |
| VAT column in the payment schedule | Stays at zero for exempt rent | 15% of each instalment if the landlord is registered |
The Word version suits anyone who wants to fill in the template on a computer and add a business logo, and the PDF version is printed blank and filled in by hand. The PDF carries no mark but yours: it has an empty box for your business logo.
VAT on rent: what goes in the contract
The ZATCA Guideline for the Real Estate Sector under VAT (Issue 3.0, May 2026) separates three cases:
| Lease type | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Residential lease of a property used as a permanent residence | Exempt |
| Hotels, serviced apartments, holiday homes and short-term worker housing | Standard rate of 15% |
| Commercial or non-residential lease, such as offices, shops and land | Taxable at 15%; in a mixed-use building the rent is split between the two parts |
The point that is easy to miss: parking, maintenance and utility charges the tenant pays on top of the rent are separate supplies, each with its own VAT treatment, even when the lease is an exempt residential one. That is why the template gives them their own table, apart from the rent table, with the amount, frequency and VAT treatment of each service.
Do not confuse leasing with selling: the sale of real estate moved out of value added tax into the 5% real estate transaction tax. The guideline defines a lease as granting the right to use a property without transferring its ownership, so it stays under VAT with the treatment shown in the table above.
Automatic renewal and the 60-day notice
Clause 8 of the statutory provisions issued by Royal Decree M/73 renews a lease automatically unless one party notifies the other that it does not wish to renew at least 60 days before the term ends. That is why the contract details section of the template carries the automatic renewal clause, and the termination section carries a field for the agreed notice period with a note on its minimum.
In practice: if your office lease ends on December 31 and you do not plan to renew, the last day to send the notice is November 1, unless the contract sets a longer notice period. Put that date in your calendar on the day you sign.
What happens to the lease figures after signing
After signing, the payment schedule in the contract becomes a recurring entry in your books. If you are the landlord, each instalment is revenue you issue an invoice for, with 15% added if the lease is commercial and you are VAT-registered, and each collection gets a rent receipt voucher. If you are the tenant, the rent is a recurring expense, and it can reach your financial statements if your business applies IFRS 16, which shows a lease liability on the balance sheet. The Islamic finance basis of this contract is explained under ijara contract in the Qoyod glossary.
In Qoyod accounting software, from the Advanced plan, you set up the rent invoice once as a recurring invoice that is issued automatically on each instalment date, with VAT calculated on it automatically. If you manage more than one unit, accounting software for rental businesses and the property occupancy log template complement this template.
Tenancy contract template: frequently asked questions
What landlords and tenants ask before filling in and registering a lease.
Does this tenancy contract template replace registering the contract on Ejar?
No. Registering residential and commercial leases on the Ejar network (the electronic network for rental services) is mandatory, Cabinet Decision No. 405 requires real estate brokers to register them, and under Decision No. 292 an unregistered residential lease is not a valid contract with administrative or judicial effect. The template is a draft the two parties agree on and use to write down the terms before registration.
How is this template different from the electronic lease contract?
The electronic lease contract is the contract registered on the Ejar platform, and Cabinet Decision No. 131 gives a contract concluded through the network the standing of “notarised contracts in terms of evidence and execution” (our translation). This template is a file you download and fill in yourself to gather the details and agree on the terms, then carry them over to the platform at registration.
Who is responsible for registering a lease on Ejar?
Clause 7 of the statutory provisions issued by Royal Decree M/73 requires the landlord to apply to register an unregistered contract, and gives the tenant the right to apply. Breaching this carries a fine of up to 12 months’ rent under clause 9. Licensed real estate brokerage offices register the contracts they broker through the network.
Is VAT added to a lease contract?
A residential lease of a property used as a permanent residence is exempt, and a commercial lease is taxable at 15% if the landlord is VAT-registered, according to the ZATCA Guideline for the Real Estate Sector under VAT (Issue 3.0). Additional services such as parking, maintenance and utility charges have their own VAT treatment even in a residential contract, and they have a separate table in the template.
Does a lease renew automatically?
Yes, unless one party notifies the other that it does not wish to renew at least 60 days before the term ends, under clause 8 of the statutory provisions issued by Royal Decree M/73. The template carries the renewal clause in the contract details section and a field for the notice period in the termination section.
Can I use the template for both an apartment and a shop?
Yes, it is one blank template for both cases, and you choose a residential or commercial contract type on the first page. For a commercial lease you fill in the permitted activity field and the landlord’s VAT registration number, and you calculate 15% in the VAT column of the payment schedule if the landlord is VAT-registered. It is available in Word and PDF.
Download the tenancy contract template in Word or PDF
The template is available in Word and PDF, and before the signature boxes it has a 10-item checklist, the last item being the application to register the contract on the Ejar platform.