rent law

Study

The New rent Law: Active in Theory, Suspended in Practice

This article uses jurisprudence and legal opinions to argue that the2014 new rent law and its amendment in 2017 are inapplicable due to the absence of its essential implementation mechanisms. It highlights how courts and experts have affirmed the law’s current legal vacuum and its consequences on tenants’ rights.

Investigation

Housing Challenges in the Post-War Period: What Is Happening?

The recent war exposed Lebanon’s fragile housing sector, creating urgent challenges like soaring rents, lack of temporary housing, and forced displacement of vulnerable groups. Without clear policies and inclusive strategies, reconstruction risks deepening inequalities and undermining the right to secure, dignified housing.

Report

Why is there a need for a comprehensive housing right law and what are its objectives?

Lebanon’s housing crisis stems from decades of speculation, weak policies, and state withdrawal from housing responsibilities. This policy brief presents the case for a holistic and inclusive right to housing law, as the drafting phase of the proposal begins in collaboration with Legal Agenda. Rooted in principles of social justice and spatial equity, the proposed legislation outlines measures like the state’s role in regulating housing and providing social housing, protection against eviction and homelessness, and addressing precarities of residents of informal areas.

Law Commentary

 Imad Al-Hout Approaches the Social Crisis of Old Rent Contracts Through a Narrow Numerical Lens

In a few lines, Representative Imad Al-Hout seeks, by proposing a repeated accelerated law, to resolve the decades-old problem surrounding the old rent law, by setting a clear date for the entry into …

Yearly Report

The Impact of the Israeli War on Lebanon: The Housing Crisis Worsens and Enters a New Phase

This 2024 Housing Monitor annual report examines the impact of war and political convergences on Lebanon’s housing crisis, highlighting mass displacement, rising rents, the exclusion of non-Lebanese residents, and forced evictions.

Investigation

Who moved the kitchen to the bedroom?

Today, the use of kitchenettes in low income housing and student accommodation in Beirut, raises a question as to whether this is a victory for housing rights, or a way to jeopardize the tenant’s comfort and raise the profits of landlords.

Law Commentary

Enacting a law to extend rental contract deadlines: An insufficient measure to safeguard the right to housing

The Lebanese government’s new law suspends legal, judicial, and contractual deadlines to protect citizens’ rights during the Israeli aggression. However, concerns persist about its long-term effectiveness, especially regarding housing security and old rental tenants.

From Dossier Report

The Primary Causes Behind the Increasing number of Collapsed Buildings in Lebanon

In 2023, seismic activity raised concerns about building collapses in Lebanon, initially overlooked until a series of incidents occurred across different regions. These events are part of a broader context where Lebanon faces …

Policy Watch

The right to housing in the National Social Protection Strategy for Lebanon

On February 13, 2024, Lebanon’s Cabinet approved the first national social protection strategy, aiming to replace the fragmented, privilege-based system with one based on rights and comprehensive reform. Prime Minister Najib Mikati launched …

Narrative

Warda’s story:

The right to housing for the elderly is a necessity, not a luxury

This is the Story of Warda, an elderly woman currently facing the looming threat of eviction from the place she’s called home for seventeen years. For Warda, losing this house is not just …

From Dossier Research-Based Article

Does Lebanon need a rent control policy?

Rent control is a policy frequently criticised and misunderstood by both liberals and conservatives alike. The term “rent control” often sparks concern, particularly among proponents of a capitalist economy rooted in a free …

Alerts Periodic Report

Collective evictions: The most prominent pattern in the Housing Monitor Report

Periodic Report | June - December 2023

This report covers cases received by the “Housing Monitor” from June to December 2023, documenting 345 cases, reaching a peak in August (143 cases). The majority of these cases originated from Syrian refugees …