Obligation of the renter and the

Q: This contract is valid for five years and can be renewed for a similar period of time and with the same rent value. Is it permissible for me to ask the tenant to pay the rent of the five years in case he wants to leave after one or two years after signing the contract or is this condition invalid because the tenant has no desire to continue due to other lower rent offers? Sometimes the tenant, after one or two years of the contract, asks the owner to terminate the contract, because he does not want to continue in the building, so is the owner permitted to demand from the tenant the full rent for the whole period, or is the tenant entitled to terminate the contract, as the agreement was meant to prevent any increase in the rent?

A: The basic principal in contracts is that they should be paid off, and as such, if the two parties agree on a set period for the contract, they should commit to what they stipulated. Therefore, if they agree upon changing the period, either by increasing or decreasing it, this is permissible, for Allah (Exalted be He) says, O you who believe! Fulfil (your) obligations. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Muslims are on (i.e. stick to) their conditions. (Part No. 15; Page No. 115) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.