Can my landlord increase the rent every year?

Only if your lease provides for it or you agree. Otherwise a lease that renews under Article 15 keeps the same rent.

Can a new owner raise my rent?

Not during the existing lease, which binds the new owner (Article 12). At renewal, the new owner can propose new terms like any landlord.

What if I refuse the increase and stay after the lease ends?

If the landlord objected before the term ended, the lease does not renew, and the landlord may ask the committee for eviction. Ask about your situation before the term ends.

A resident reading a letter from his landlord in a building lobby.

Property & rental7 min read

Can my landlord increase the rent in Qatar?

Faysel Al-Mohannadi, lawyer, at Al Faisal Law Firm in Doha

Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on 18 October 2026

Short answer

Not on their own. Article 10 of Qatar's lease law, as the Court of Cassation has applied it, allows an increase only by agreement or under a Council of Ministers decision, and no published decision has covered homes since February 2010. At renewal the rent can be renegotiated, but without a timely objection the lease renews unchanged.

What does Qatar's lease law say about rent increases?

Article 10 of Law No. 4 of 2008 on leasing real estate says a landlord may not ask for a rent increase, on leases in force on 15 February 2008 or signed since, except under the rules, periods and rates set by a Council of Ministers decision. The 2026 amendment, Law No. 8 of 2026, did not change Article 10.

Decision	What it covered	Status today
Council of Ministers Decision No. 9 of 2008	All leases: no increase for two years from 15 February 2008 on leases signed from 1 January 2005, unless the lease said otherwise, and yearly rates for older leases	Repealed in 2010
Council of Ministers Decision No. 9 of 2010	Non-residential leases only: a ban on increases, extended by Decision No. 21 of 2011, that ended in February 2012, and yearly rates for shops and offices leased before 1 January 2005	Listed on Al Meezan as in force
Residential leases since 15 February 2010	No decision found on Al Meezan as of 18 October 2026	None

The Court of Cassation has held that a rent increase rests first on the parties' agreement, and that without agreement it is allowed only under a Cabinet decision (Appeal No. 158 of 2012). In a dispute over residential villas, it held that the landlord's request for an increase had no legal basis, because Decision No. 9 of 2010 covers only non-residential property (Appeal No. 7 of 2012).

Can the landlord raise the rent during the lease?

Not without your agreement. A contract binds both parties, and neither can change it alone (Civil Code, Article 171). No Cabinet decision currently lets a landlord raise the rent on a home unilaterally.

If the lease itself sets an increase, such as a higher rent for the second year, that clause is part of what you agreed.
If you agree to a new rent mid-lease, the Court of Cassation has upheld such agreements. Put any agreement in writing and keep a copy.
If the building is sold, the existing lease binds the new owner, at the same rent, until it ends (Article 12).

What happens when the lease comes up for renewal?

A lease ends when its term ends. If the tenant stays on with the landlord's knowledge and no objection, it renews for the same period and on the same terms, including the rent (Article 15).

The landlord can propose a new rent before the term ends. If you agree, you sign a new lease or a written renewal, which the landlord must register within two months (Article 3). The registration fee is QR250 per unit (Article 20, as amended in 2026).
If you do not agree, the landlord may decline to renew, and the lease ends with its term. Our guide to eviction and security deposits explains what follows.
If the landlord says nothing before the term ends and you stay on, the lease renews at the old rent.

How much notice must a landlord give?

The lease law sets no notice period for a rent increase. Timing is what matters: a landlord who wants a higher rent at renewal must say so before the term ends, or the lease renews on the same terms (Article 15).

Check your lease. Many leases set a notice period for renewal terms or for non-renewal, and that clause binds both sides.
If the landlord tells you the lease will renew only at a stated rent, reply in writing. Under the Civil Code's general lease rules, a tenant's silence may be treated as accepting the new rent (Article 627).
For a shop or office leased before 1 January 2005, Decision No. 9 of 2010 makes an increase run from the date the tenant is notified.

How does the law apply in common situations?

Situation	What the law says	Source
The landlord demands more mid-lease, and the lease has no increase clause	You need not agree. No decision allows a one-sided increase on a home	Art. 10; Civil Code Art. 171; Appeal 7/2012
The lease sets a higher rent for a later year	The agreed clause generally applies	Appeal 158/2012
The landlord proposes a new rent before the lease ends	Negotiate. If you agree, a new registered lease; if not, the landlord may decline to renew	Arts 3, 15
No objection before the term ends, and you stay on	The lease renews for the same period at the same rent	Art. 15
You were told "renewal only at this rent" and said nothing	Your silence may count as accepting that rent	Civil Code Art. 627
The landlord refuses your rent at the current rate	Notify by registered letter, then deposit the rent with the committee; this counts as paying on time	Art. 11
The building is sold	The lease binds the new owner until it ends	Art. 12
A shop or office leased before 1 January 2005	Yearly increases of 5 to 20 per cent, by monthly rent band, from notice	Decision 9/2010, Art. 2
A hotel apartment or staff housing	Outside the lease law (Art. 2). The committee hears the dispute, but whether Art. 10 applies is unsettled	Arts 2, 22

What can a tenant do?

Read your lease: the term, any increase clause and any notice period.
Ask for the proposed increase in writing, with the date it would start.
Reply in writing before the term ends: accept, propose another figure, or say you will leave.
Keep paying the current rent on time. If the landlord refuses it, notify them by registered letter and deposit the rent with the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee (Article 11).
If you cannot agree, either party may ask the committee to decide. Since 3 September 2026, courts will not hear the dispute until the committee has ruled (Article 22, as amended).
A committee decision can be appealed to the Court of Appeal within 15 days (Article 24).

Our guide to the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee explains how an application is made and what to attach.

When should you speak to a lawyer?

Legal advice may help when:

The landlord wants a higher rent mid-lease and says the lease allows it.
You have received a "new rent or leave" notice and the term ends soon.
The landlord refuses your rent, or threatens to treat the old rent as unpaid.
You rent a shop or office, especially under an old lease.
You live in a hotel apartment or housing provided by an employer.
The landlord holds a security cheque or post-dated cheques that cover the new rent.
A committee decision has been issued and the 15-day appeal period is running.

What the law says

Based on Law No. 4 of 2008 on leasing real estate, as last amended by Law No. 8 of 2026 (Articles 2, 3, 10 to 12, 15, 20, 22 and 24), Council of Ministers Decisions No. 9 of 2008, No. 9 of 2010 and No. 21 of 2011, Articles 171 and 627 of the Civil Code (Law No. 22 of 2004), and the Court of Cassation's rulings in Appeals No. 7 and No. 158 of 2012. Texts checked on Al Meezan on 18 October 2026.

Read on Al Meezan

Questions people ask

No published Cabinet decision sets a rate for residential leases, so no percentage cap is in force. Equally, a landlord cannot impose an increase alone: it depends on agreement, usually at renewal.