How to find an apartment in Saudi Arabia

To find an apartment in Saudi Arabia, a house, or a room, you can start with sa.aqar.fm, Ejar, or a FB group like بيوت وشقق للبيع والايجار.

Many resources are available to find an apartment or a room in Saudi Arabia. Those can be websites, Facebook groups, or classifieds. You can also walk and look for signage on houses or agencies. You can also talk with people. Someone may know someone.

How to find an apartment in Saudi Arabia is similar whether you are a resident or a new foreigner in Saudi Arabia. Half of Saudi Arabia’s population doesn’t own where they live. Renting is very common in Saudi Arabia.

Try to contact the property owners or managers directly. If you use an agency, determine how much you must pay them. Agencies sometimes want you to pay them a month’s rent just because they show you an apartment or they add a percentage of money to your deposit that they keep. You also want to avoid scammers. You want to find an honest owner or an honest agency. So do as much research as possible on the people you are dealing with.

Baidu, Google, Naver, Sogou, Yandex, or any other search engine can be a good start for a search for an apartment or a house. You could look for “Apartments for rent in Riyadh” or “House for sale in Jeddah.”

Read more for a list of real estate websites in Saudi Arabia.

All links in this article lead to resources in Arabic and English. Use Google Translate if you need. Or any other translation tool you like.

Steps to getting an apartment in Saudi Arabia

You want to follow these steps to find accommodation in Saudi Arabia,

• Determine your budget.
• Look for the apartment in person or online. Check some real estate websites.
• Locate your ideal neighborhood.
• Make up your mind if you want to share your accommodation with someone.
• Decide if you want a furnished or unfurnished apartment or house.
• Sign a contract. You may need a formal contract.

How hard is it to find an apartment in Saudi Arabia

If you are in Saudi Arabia, you can visit the locations in person, but online viewing is also possible. It is maybe easier for the landlord if you speak Arabic. However, you may get by with some basic English via text. Or in any other language that your agent or landlady speaks.

Can you afford it

Consider your income and what you can afford. Apartments in Saudi Arabia can be expensive, but you can find affordable accommodation if you look for them long enough.

Your housing cost should not be more than a third of your income. Rent or mortgage can be half of your income for a short time. More than that is unsustainable, especially if you have someone to care for.

You may not need a job to rent. But landlords want to be sure you can afford the rent.

You may need to provide more documentation if you don’t work. If you are a student, your university or college can guide you on accommodation.

Think about free housing options.

Support for families who would otherwise be unable to find acceptable housing on the housing market is the goal of social housing aid in Saudi Arabia.

What accommodation do you need? And where

Think about what you need and where.

Are you seeking accommodation in the city, the suburbs or the countryside?

Do you need a lot of space? Do you want to share your accommodation or do you want to stay on your own?

Is your place close to public transport? Do you need a car?

How expensive would it be to get around from your house to your job, school, food shops, fun places, or just a park?

You get many options:

• a bed in a shared room;
• a single room in a house or apartment that is shared;
• a studio apartment;
• a furnished or unfurnished apartment or house.

What documents do you need for the Saudi Arabia apartment

Which documents you need depends on who you are negotiating with. Renting and or buying accommodation can also be an agreement among individuals. Therefore sometimes you need many documents, and other times you can agree with a conversation by text.

For example, to rent an apartment, a house, or a room in Saudi Arabia, you may need to show one or more of these documents:

• ID (passport or ID card)
• Iqama (residency permission);
• Marriage certificate (if appropriate);

You may not need to show anything. It depends on your agreement with the landlady or the accommodation manager.

You need more documents and pay taxes on the transaction to buy a place. But sometimes, it can be easy, for example, if you find a house at an auction.

How much is the average apartment in Saudi Arabia

One-bedroom apartments in the center of Riyadh typically cost around €600 per month. Expats may spend as much as €960 monthly for a three-bedroom apartment. Home prices are somewhat more reasonable in the south and east of the nation.

A three-bedroom home in a Western complex in Saudi Arabia costs upwards of €28,000 to €48,000, based on the compound’s star rating, location, and amenities.

A room is about 15 square meters or more, a studio apartment is around 50 square meters, and a whole apartment or house should be more than 80 square meters.

Ten Saudi Riyal is about 27 US dollars, 218 Indian rupees, or 20 Chinese yuan.

Read more on:

How to buy a house in Germany,

How to rent accommodation in Germany,

Real estate website in Germany.

Source: Expatica

The cover image is in Saudi Arabia. Photo by abdullah ali on Unsplash.