Doha, September 3, 2026: Qatar has officially implemented significant changes to its real estate leasing regulations following the enactment of Law No. 8 of 2026, which amends several provisions of the existing Real Estate Leasing Law No. 4 of 2008.
- Fixed QR250 registration fee introduced for all eligible leases
- Landlords must register contracts within two months
- Rental Disputes Settlement Committee now has exclusive jurisdiction
The most notable change is the introduction of a
fixed QR250 registration fee for all eligible residential, commercial, or other unit leases, replacing the previous sliding scale fee of 0.5 percent of annual rent, which was capped between QR250 and QR2,500. The Qatar Ministry of Municipality stated that the move aims to simplify lease registration and encourage compliance. Under the existing framework,
landlords are required to register written lease contracts with the Real Estate Lease Registration Office within two months of the contract's conclusion. These written agreements must detail the identities of both parties, nationality, address, lease duration, rent amount, payment method, property description, lease purpose, and agreed conditions.
The amendments also
reduce the settlement amount for lease-registration violations from QR5,000 to QR1,000, plus the applicable registration fee. Failure to adhere to registration obligations can result in a
maximum fine of QR10,000. Settlement allows for the prevention or cessation of criminal proceedings. Furthermore, under the newly added Article 20 bis,
beneficiaries of public or private State property who possess original contracts permitting subleasing to third parties may register their agreements within two months of execution without incurring the QR250 registration fee.
Furthermore, the new regulations mandate that
all rental disputes must first be submitted to the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee, which now holds exclusive jurisdiction over landlord-tenant disagreements. Direct litigation in court is no longer permissible without first completing the committee's process. Decisions issued by the committee may be
appealed to the Court of Appeal within 15 days, starting from either the date of the decision for present parties or the notification date for absent parties.
