Sources reviewed
Who benefits from the work?
Authorised works benefiting the premises can support recovery of customary expenditure unless agreed otherwise. Personal fit-out costs require agreement for reimbursement. Separate end-of-term rules apply to construction or planting for the tenant’s benefit if the parties did not agree it would remain. [1]
Classify the invoices line by line
Separate an upgrade to the building’s main supply from branding and bespoke counters. Check consent for a reimbursement promise, rent-free allowance or approved drawing. A landlord may accept having approved installation while disputing who agreed to pay for it. Verify the landlord’s signature or attribution of the approval email. Identify separately the wording permitting the fit-out and any undertaking to reimburse it. [3]
Agree the exit treatment
Inspect what can be removed without damage. Where article 436 applies, the landlord can request removal at tenant expense or retention at one of the statutory valuations. The tenant may request harmless removal. Obtain separate estimates for the works valued as removable and the increase in property value. [1]
Temporal scope · 2026-10-30
The Law took effect 180 days after official publication. It generally reaches earlier events, except where a party invokes a conflicting pre-existing statutory rule or judicial principle applicable to the event, or a claim-barring period had already started. Separate registration and jurisdiction requirements still apply. [2]
Sources
- نظام المعاملات المدنية | Civil Transactions Law 422, 436
- مرسوم الإصدار ونفاذ النظام · Enacting decree and commencement Royal Decree M/191, clauses IV–V; Civil Transactions Law, art. 721
- نظام الإثبات | Evidence Law 29–30
Related guides
- Must a departing Saudi tenant pay to repaint the whole apartment?
- The landlord blocked a Saudi shop entrance. What can the tenant request?
- Recovering emergency roof costs from Saudi property co-owners