The Electronic Rental Services Network (Ejar) announced the addition of five new cities to the "Rental Index" service, according to reports and data issued by the network in integration with the Sakani platform. The cities added are Abha, Sakaka, Najran, Al-Ahsa, and Al-Bahah, bringing the total number of cities covered by the Rental Index to 15 cities, covering most regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ejar network explained that the data from the fourth Rental Index report showed that cities covered by the index recorded rental transactions exceeding 113,000 rental contracts during May 2022, where residential rental contracts exceeded 86,000 contracts, while commercial rental contracts exceeded 27,000 contracts.

The neighborhoods with the highest number of residential rental transactions in the cities with the highest total number of rental transactions were (Dhahrat Laban, Tuwaiq, and Al-Aziziyah) as the top neighborhoods in Riyadh, and (Al-Safa, Al-Bawadi, and Mushrifah) as the highest in Jeddah, while (Taibah, Al-Noor, and Al-Atheer) were the highest in Dammam, and (Al-Thuqbah, Al-Khobar Al-Shamaliyah, and Al-Khobar Al-Janubiyah) were the highest in Al-Khobar, and (Wali Al-Ahd, Al-Shouqiyah, and Al-Rashidiyah) were the highest neighborhoods in Makkah.

In commercial transactions, the neighborhoods of (Al-Olaya, Tuwaiq, and Dhahrat Laban) recorded the highest numbers in Riyadh, and (Al-Aziziyah, Al-Balad, and Al-Sharafiyah) in Jeddah, and (Al-Anoud, Al-Adamah, and Badr) in Dammam, while in Al-Khobar, (Al-Khobar Al-Shamaliyah, Al-Thuqbah, and Al-Aqrabiyah) were the highest, and in Makkah, (Wali Al-Ahd, Al-Rashidiyah, and Al-Hindawiyah) were the highest.

Riyadh topped the fourth Rental Index report as the city with the highest number of authenticated rental contracts, after reaching nearly 40,000 residential and commercial contracts, followed by Jeddah with more than 30,000 contracts, then Dammam with more than 8,800 contracts, then Makkah with more than 8,400 contracts, and Madinah with more than 5,900 contracts.

In the cities added in May, Al-Ahsa recorded more than 3,000 residential and commercial transactions, followed by Najran with more than 1,700 transactions, while Abha recorded more than 1,150 transactions, Sakaka with around 890 transactions, and finally, Al-Bahah with 242 transactions.

The Rental Index aims to enhance transparency and stimulate investment in the Kingdom’s rental real estate sector by setting precise rental indicators for cities, neighborhoods, and various property types across both residential and commercial sectors. 

The service enables beneficiaries to access the residential index for the average rental prices, including the types of residential units (apartment, villa, and floor), or (shop, showroom, and office) in the commercial index for the average square meter prices in commercial units, to achieve more accurate results in the search and selection processes from real estate offerings that suit their needs, and to facilitate the search process within cities and neighborhoods covered by the service during periods determined by the beneficiary, with the ability to use interactive maps. The service can be accessed via the Sakani platform at: https://sakani.sa/reports-and-data.