Affordable housing without credit remains an open question for Lebanese households that cannot borrow. The proposed resumption of the Habitat Public Institution loans can support some buyers. It does not directly meet the needs of those whose incomes are too low or irregular to bear monthly payments. The road map proposed by Ronnie Lahoud specifically seeks to broaden the responses beyond the property financed by borrowing.
The document, presented in the public discussions on housing, remains to be adopted. He mentioned, inter alia, accessible rental, cooperatives and the rehabilitation of buildings. These avenues do not yet constitute benefits to which a household can claim solely on the basis of their announcement.
Affordable housing without credit: from the real budget
A loan helps spread the price of a purchase over time. However, it requires a capacity to repay. A family may need stable housing without raising the income or input needed to buy it.
Lahoud’s diagnosis highlights rents that exceed the 30% income benchmark. It also describes the pressure exerted by energy and service spending. These elements suggest looking at the total cost of housing rather than the only rent displayed.
It is not possible to calculate the share of all Lebanese households in difficulty. The document does not provide a national survey giving full distribution. It describes constraints that the proposed policy intends to address.
Localization also counts. Cheaper housing but away from work can increase transport costs. Access to schools, care and services is also included in the budget and daily organisation. Moving a family to the periphery therefore does not guarantee that its overall load will decrease.
Accessible rental must be based on clear conditions
The roadmap includes the development of an affordable rental offer. This guidance differs from the only purchase aid. It concerns the possibility of occupying a dwelling in a sustainable manner without having to become its owner.
To measure its usefulness, it would be necessary to know the proposed rents, their evolution and the duration of the contracts. The target audience and selection rules should also be specified. No national scale or new application procedure shall accompany the elements submitted.
The diagnosis refers to oral or informal contracts and residential insecurity. It does not give a verified national expulsion rate. The practical issue remains better documented rental relationships and more legible rights for both occupants and owners.
Repair existing and mobilize municipalities
Rehabilitation is another avenue. It may concern occupied dwellings or properties that require work before they are made available. It should not be confused with the announcement of a project or grant already awarded.
The project proposes cooperation with municipalities and local organizations. An inventory of the land and built stock could help identify opportunities. But the availability of a building is not sufficient to establish that it is habitable, legally mobilizable and financially accessible.
Cooperatives are also among the solutions envisaged. Their modalities, their financing and the participation requested from households remain to be built in future programmes. The document does not announce a single formula for all municipalities immediately.
Displaced households also need a durable solution
The road map combines the urgency of rehousing with reconstruction, with particular attention to the South. A displaced family may need a temporary solution without knowing when its original home will become accessible again.
This situation is not only dealt with by conventional real estate credit. It is necessary to distinguish between immediate accommodation, repairs and the conditions for a sustainable return. The current proposals bring them together in the same framework, without announcing full funding already available.
To determine whether households without borrowing capacity will actually benefit from the recovery, it will be necessary to look at the programmes reserved for them. The number of loans distributed alone will not make it possible to assess access to housing for those who remain outside credit.
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