Real Estate & Construction Legal Services

Property and construction, from transaction to dispute

Riyadh's real estate market moves quickly, and the legal work behind it spans everything from a standard property purchase and mortgage, to an off-plan sale under the Wafi system, to a full construction dispute over a delayed or defective project.

This practice covers both sides of most relationships in this space — buyers and developers, landlords and tenants, contractors and employers — since a real estate or construction practice that only sees one side of the table gives an incomplete picture of how a dispute is likely to play out.

Buying, renting, and registering: the Ejar and Wafi backbone

Much of Saudi Arabia's property infrastructure now runs through dedicated government platforms — Ejar for rental contract registration, and Wafi for off-plan and developer transactions with escrow protections built in. A lease or an off-plan purchase that doesn't properly engage with the relevant platform can face real complications later.

We handle registration correctly as a standard part of any transaction we support, since these systems aren't optional formalities layered on top of a private agreement — they're increasingly how the underlying rights actually become enforceable.

Construction and public infrastructure projects

Construction and engineering work in Saudi Arabia is largely built on FIDIC standard forms adapted for the local market, and disputes here frequently center on delay claims, defect liability periods, and variation orders.

Where a project involves the government directly, public projects and PPP work follows a genuinely different risk allocation and procurement framework than private commercial construction.

When a property deal goes wrong

Common disputes in this space include developer disputes over delayed delivery, title and land disputes over competing ownership claims, and brokerage disputes over commission entitlement.

Each of these has its own evidentiary pattern, and we build each case around the specific facts that actually decide it.

Securing and financing property

A real estate mortgage (rahn) needs to be properly registered against the title to actually be enforceable, and both lenders and borrowers benefit from understanding exactly what the underlying documentation provides for.

This work often runs alongside the firm's Finance, Banking & Tax practice where a property transaction has a broader financing dimension.

Where this connects to other practice areas

Real estate disputes often intersect with corporate structuring — a real estate holding company, a joint venture for a development project — and with dispute resolution more broadly when a matter escalates to litigation, mediation, or arbitration under Disputes & Litigation. A developer dispute might also raise consumer protection questions under Consumer & E-commerce.

This practice works alongside those teams so a property matter is handled with the full context of a client's broader legal position, not in isolation.

When exactly to reach out

Reach out before signing anything significant — a purchase agreement, a construction contract, a mortgage — since reviewing terms beforehand is far cheaper than disputing them afterward. If you're already facing a specific issue, earlier contact generally preserves more options than waiting.

Message us on WhatsApp with a brief description of your property or construction situation, and we'll identify the right specific approach.