It has become a familiar sight in many neighborhoods: a single villa suddenly turning into six or seven rental units, or an old building whose apartments are re-divided into small "rooms" rented out separately.
The idea looks tempting to an owner: one space turns into several rents, and returns multiply on paper. But behind this "quick profit" hide real safety risks, fines that can reach two hundred thousand Saudi riyals, and legal liability that can follow both owner and tenant. In this guide we unpack it fully: the downsides, the structural risks, the fines, how to report, and finally the correct legal path for anyone who genuinely wants to partition.
The Golden Rule
Partitioning isn't forbidden in itself — what's forbidden is partitioning without a license. The difference between a profitable investment and a costly violation is a single document: a legal permit based on an approved engineering plan. Whoever starts with the sledgehammer before the permit, starts with a loss.
First: The General Downsides — Why Is Random Partitioning a Problem?
Before talking about fines, we must understand why the authorities target this phenomenon. The problem isn't cosmetic — it touches people's safety and the quality of life across the whole neighborhood:
1. Shared Loads and Utilities: Electricity and Water on the Edge of Danger
By regulation, every independent residential unit must have its own separate electricity and water meter — the electricity company treats each meter as an independent subscription even if the units share one owner. But random partitioning does the exact opposite: a single meter and a single network designed for one family are suddenly loaded onto five or six families.
The result? Wiring loaded beyond capacity (a real fire hazard), frequent outages, weak water pressure, and endless disputes among residents over splitting bills. The neighborhood's own infrastructure — sewage and municipal services — bears a burden it was never designed for.
Second: The Biggest Danger — When Partitioning Threatens the Building Itself
This is the single most dangerous point. To carve out space, some resort to breaking a load-bearing wall or altering a structural column — especially in older buildings. These columns and load-bearing walls are not "ordinary walls"; they are what transfer the building's entire load down to the foundations. Any tampering with them disrupts load distribution and gradually turns the building into a structure at risk of collapse, endangering its residents and neighbors.
Structural Warning
The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing issued a "Guide for Assessing and Treating Buildings at Risk of Collapse" as a technical reference for detecting structural danger. The owner bears full legal liability for any harm resulting from their building — breaking a column to widen a room can turn into a disaster and a legal reckoning.
Even worse, this damage may be irreversible; some modifications cannot be removed without affecting the building's safety, which puts the owner before a doubled cost we'll see in the fines section.
Third: Fines and Regulations — How Much Does Unlicensed Partitioning Cost You?
In October 2025, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing updated its penalty schedule and added an explicit violation named "partitioning a building into units that violate the building permit." Here's what it entails:
To grasp how seriously this is enforced: the Riyadh Municipality alone ran a campaign of 134 inspection tours across 15 sub-municipalities, issuing violation notices at every site it visited — including villas and rooftop annexes converted into rental units.
Fourth: The Regulatory Authority and How to Report a Violation
The supervising body is the regional municipalities under the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, which run continuous field tours and also rely on individual reports. If you spot a partitioning violation in a neighboring building, reporting is easy and direct:
- Via the "Balady" app — submit-a-report service.
- By calling the unified number 940.
The Ministry considers reports from citizens and residents a key pillar in supporting oversight and achieving a safe residential environment.
Fifth: The Tenant's Situation — What Does Living in a Partitioned Unit Mean?
Many assume the violation concerns the owner alone, but the tenant falls within the danger zone too:
- No full legal protection: a contract on an unlicensed unit leaves you in a fragile legal position in any dispute.
- Risk of sudden eviction: once the violation is caught and the owner is ordered to remove it, you may find yourself required to vacate.
- Safety risks to your life: you are the one actually living in a building that may be structurally compromised or prone to electrical faults from overloading.
- Included in accountability: the enforcement mechanism lists the tenant among the relevant parties.
Practical advice for tenants: before signing, confirm the unit is licensed, has its own independent meters, and that the number of units matches the building permit.
Sixth: The Right Legal Path — How Does an Owner Partition Units Legally?
The good news: partitioning is permitted and profitable if done legally, through what's known as "real estate unit subdivision" (Farz). These are the correct steps in order:
The Legal Roadmap
- Start with an accredited engineering office: don't break anything before the permit. The office studies the building and prepares a plan showing the number of units, their areas and uses, and confirms structural safety is not affected.
- Amend the building permit via the "Balady" platform: log in through the National Single Sign-On, then "Construction Licensing Services" to issue a permit modification / building-status correction, selecting your accredited engineering office from the list.
- Achieve service independence for each unit: a separate electricity meter + a separate water meter + separated connections, along with sufficient parking for each unit and compliance with security and safety requirements.
- Submit the subdivision request: via the "Real Estate Unit Subdivision" platform under the Real Estate General Authority, done through an accredited engineering office, attaching the title deed, ID, building permit, and building completion certificate.
- Receive independent title deeds: once the plan is approved, each unit is issued an independent title deed, making it legally and safely sellable, mortgageable, or rentable.
Basic conditions for approval: a valid, dispute-free title deed, a valid building permit matching reality, plans approved by a licensed office, and an independent electricity meter for each unit. Larger projects typically take between 6 and 12 months depending on paperwork completeness and responsiveness.
The Bottom Line in One Sentence
The difference between an owner who profits from legal subdivision and one who loses under a fine reaching two hundred thousand riyals is a single decision: to start from the engineering office, not the sledgehammer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dividing a villa into apartments completely forbidden?
No. What's forbidden is partitioning without a license. Legal subdivision through an accredited engineering office and amending the building permit is permitted and profitable, ending with independent title deeds for each unit.
How much is the fine for unlicensed partitioning?
SAR 5,000 to 25,000 for each violating unit, and fines in investment-purpose partitioning cases may reach SAR 200,000, in addition to mandatory removal at the violator's expense.
How do I report an illegally partitioned building?
Via the "Balady" app (submit-a-report service) or by calling the unified number 940, under the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
What's the first step if I want to partition correctly?
Contact an accredited engineering office before carrying out any construction work, to study the building, prepare the plan, and start the permit and subdivision procedures legally.
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