National Address and home utilities: setting up your Saudi household

1. Assemble the property record

Before changing an address or utility account, collect the authenticated Ejar lease, Iqama, Saudi mobile number, landlord or authorised agent details, unit number, building number and handover record. Confirm that the person giving instructions is the contracting party or an authorised representative.

Walk to the unit with the landlord or agent. Compare the building entrance, flat or villa number, parking allocation and any compound reference with the lease. Do not use a pin sent in a chat as the sole address record.

2. Register the National Address accurately

SPL describes the National Address as the location identity used to access government and commercial services and says its use is mandatory from 1 January 2026. Register or manage it through the official SPL channels. The address components are the building number, street, secondary number, district, postal code and city. SPL also provides a short address of four letters and four numbers.

Enter the actual unit’s details. Check spelling, district and city, and make sure the map point identifies the correct entrance rather than a nearby building. Save the confirmation and short address. If the system shows another location, do not work around it by entering convenient data; use SPL support to correct the record.

3. Generate and verify proof

Download or generate proof of National Address after registration. SPL links to an official proof-verification service, so verify the document rather than merely taking a screenshot of a profile page. Banks, employers, delivery firms or government bodies may ask for current evidence.

SPL also provides a service to add dependants and manage an address. Use it where applicable, but do not assume adding a family member to your household record updates that person’s bank, insurer, school or other profiles. Check each service separately.

4. Record meters before using them

At handover, locate every electricity and water meter claimed to serve the property. Photograph the full meter, serial or account number, current reading, seals and surrounding location. Where a building has shared supply or submeters, ask the landlord to explain the billing method in writing and provide the last bill or account reference.

Test major services and record faults immediately. A meter number that does not match the lease, bill or physical unit is a stop signal. Do not accept responsibility for an unidentified account or agree informally to absorb old balances.

5. Decide who is liable under the lease

Read the Ejar contract for utility responsibility, included services, maintenance and payment timing. Ejar’s tenant information says utility bills payable by the tenant depend on the agreement; it gives water as an example. That makes the signed contract and actual building arrangement essential.

Ask who pays electricity, water, wastewater, shared-area charges and any compound or facilities fee. Record whether each amount is paid directly to the provider, included in rent or reimbursed to the landlord against an official bill. If the lease and the landlord’s instructions differ, resolve the conflict in writing before changing an account.

6. Associate the electricity account

Use Saudi Energy’s official account-management channels. Its account-management description covers registering an account, adding or removing a beneficiary and changing ownership. Choose the transaction that matches your situation rather than assuming a tenant must become the meter owner.

Check the meter or account number carefully, follow the live identity and tenancy requirements, and save the transaction reference. When the account appears, compare its location and meter details with your photographs. Review the first bill for the billing period, starting reading and any previous amount. Raise a discrepancy promptly rather than paying an unexplained balance simply to keep the account moving.

7. Set up water through NWC channels

Identify whether the unit has a direct National Water Company account, a shared building meter or landlord-managed billing. Use NWC’s official website or application for the available property and account services. If paying through SADAD or another bank channel, verify the biller and subscriber or account number from an official invoice or provider record before confirming payment.

Save payment receipts and bill PDFs. Where water is allocated from a shared meter, ask for the calculation and underlying bill. Report leaks quickly through the responsible maintenance and provider channels; photographs and readings help distinguish consumption from a property fault.

8. Update dependent services

Once the National Address is correct, update organisations that hold an address independently: your bank, employer, insurer, healthcare provider and regular delivery accounts. Use the short address for deliveries where requested, but retain the complete components for formal records and emergency directions.

Check statements or profiles afterwards. Updating SPL does not guarantee every private or government database refreshes immediately or automatically.

9. Run a clean move-out process

Before leaving, read the Ejar contract and provider procedures. Agree an inspection date, take timestamped final meter photographs, settle only verified bills and keep receipts. Remove yourself as beneficiary or complete the applicable account transaction through the official electricity and water channels; simply moving out does not prove the account association ended.

Update the National Address to the new residence at the appropriate time and verify new proof. Retain the old lease, check-out record, readings, final bills and removal confirmations until all deposit and billing questions are closed.