Eviction in Jordan: when a landlord can recover the property

A plain summary of when Jordanian law lets a landlord ask for a rented property back, and how the urgent procedure works when a written lease ends. General information to read before you speak to a lawyer.

Grounds for eviction

The Owners and Tenants Law lists the cases in which a property may be vacated. They include:

• Not paying the rent, or any part of it that is due, or the agreed share of shared services, or breaching a term of the lease, and not paying or complying within fifteen days of being served a notarial notice.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(1) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• Failing to pay the rent, or breaching a term of the lease, three times or more despite notarial notices each time; no new notice is then needed.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(2) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• Letting all or part of the property to someone else, allowing someone else to occupy it, or leaving it to someone else, without the owner's written consent.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(3) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• Using the property, or allowing it to be used, for an unlawful purpose, or using it for a purpose other than the one it was let for (a similar purpose does not count).^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(6)–(7) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• Damaging the property or the shared facilities, or making a change that affects its safety and cannot be undone. Improvements are not a ground if the tenant removes them on leaving when the owner asks.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(8) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• An owner who did not live in the area and owns no other property may recover it to live in on returning, if the lease says so.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(9) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• The tenant has built on their own land or owns another property in place of the rented one, within the same municipality for a home.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 5(c)(10) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}

The urgent procedure when a written lease ends

• Under a written lease, when the term ends, the landlord may notify the tenant to leave. If the tenant does not hand the property back within ten days of the notice or of the end of the term, whichever is later, the landlord may apply to the urgent-matters judge for an order to vacate.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 19 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• The urgent order becomes enforceable like a judgment once ten days pass after it is served without an appeal (or the court of appeal upholds it), and the landlord, unless a public body or bank, files a notarial or bank guarantee set by the judge.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 19 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• For a furnished property no notice or inspection is needed, and the order is enforceable as soon as it is issued.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 19(e) · checked 31 Oct 2026]}

Other cases

• Demolition or rebuilding: the owner may recover the property only if all the conditions are met, including that the building is at least forty years old, the lease is at least twelve years old, a building permit has been issued and the tenant was given at least six months' notice through the notary public.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 9 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• A building that is about to collapse or endangers others may be vacated without compensation.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 10 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• A tenant who stays after the term without right pays the fair rent for that period and is liable for damage to the property.^{[Civil Code 43/1976, art. 708 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• If the tenant offers to hand the property back at the end of the term and the owner refuses despite a notarial notice, the tenant may ask the urgent-matters judge to deliver it to the court.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 20 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}
• A landlord may not try to force a tenant out by harassment, such as cutting the water or blocking the drains; the tenant may repair what was damaged after notifying the landlord and deduct the cost from the rent.^{[Owners and Tenants Law 11/1994, art. 17 · checked 31 Oct 2026]}

What Hagzi does and does not do

• This page is a free summary to help you prepare. Hagzi does not give legal advice, does not serve notices and does not represent anyone in court.

Questions about eviction in Jordan

Sources

• Owners and Tenants Law No. 11 of 1994 and its amendments (Arabic)
• Jordanian Civil Code No. 43 of 1976, Ministry of Justice (Arabic)

Sources last checked: 31 October 2026. Laws can change; we review this page every three months and whenever an amendment is published.