Former rents remain under discussion in the Lebanese Parliament. The proposals put forward by Halima Kaakour and Nadim Gemayel are aimed, inter alia, at protecting older tenants and at reviewing housing retention conditions. On 3 November, the Committee on Administration and Justice confirmed its search for a balance between housing rights and property rights. No new protection should be considered acquired at this stage.
In Ashrafieh, elderly tenants appealed to their religious authorities to denounce their fear of losing their homes. This testimony, reported on November 10, places the most fragile people at the centre of a debate that also concerns the owners. The proposals examined relate to the duration of contracts, increases and categories that could benefit from special protection.
Former rents: two approaches to protection
The proposal tabled on 25 February 2026 by Halima Kaakour and several MPs provides for an annual renewal of former residential leases. It combines this continuity with a rent revision. The proposed mechanism takes into account the currency depreciation and housing characteristics, followed by an annual index drawn up by the Central Statistical Office.
The authors seek to avoid maintaining the premises based solely on rents that became very low after the collapse of the book. They also want to preserve households that do not have an alternative. Pensioners and the elderly occupy an important place in this argument.
Another proposal by Nadim Gemayel focuses on tenants over 70 years of age. It aims at keeping them in housing without increasing rent and without forced eviction. This targeted protection and the broader renewal mechanism are not yet a common rule adopted.
Castro Abdallah, representing the Tenant Rights Committee, spoke of discussions on a merger of the two approaches. It describes an extension with incremental increases. This presentation expresses the status of discussions reported by a tenant representative, not the content of a enacted law.
Commission wants to preserve the balance of the law
The official record of the November 3 meeting provides an important clarification. MPs say they want to avoid provisions that would dismantle Act 2/2017. At the same time, they are seeking solutions for situations that deserve protection, both among tenants and among donors.
The commission reported that it had examined statistics provided by the Ministry of Finance on the housing still concerned. It also consulted data on ongoing judicial proceedings and judgements. The press release does not publish these figures in detail.
Members agreed on criteria to guide the drafting of a protection formula. The work was to continue at a subsequent session. This report therefore makes it possible to see a structured discussion, but not to conclude that the amendments were voted on by Parliament.
Owners contest a new extension
The representatives of the owners rejected the proposed amendments. In a letter addressed to the commission, they believe that the agreements already concluded between donors and tenants have reduced the number of situations still subject to the old leases. They requested that the public response to housing should not be based on new burdens imposed solely on the owners concerned.
Andira Zouheiri, President of the Lebanese Real Estate Authority, defends this position. It also warns that a change in deadlines could affect existing litigation. The figures put forward in this debate remain those of the parties as long as a detailed official statement does not permit verification of their scope.
The difference thus relates to the sharing of the cost of protection. The tenants are asking to stay home. Donors demand adequate income and the possibility of exercising their rights. The Commission states that it is seeking criteria for dealing with difficulties on both sides.
Alternative housing remains the sensitive point
The question exceeds the only monthly rent. For a retired household, leaving an apartment means finding another accessible accommodation. The proponents of the proposal stress that the fragility of income and the lack of alternatives make this transition particularly difficult.
The debate is also putting the lease-accession track back into circulation. Roni Lahoud, Director General of the Habitat Public Institution, spoke of a mechanism for renting before purchasing. But this is not an immediate offer for former tenants. Its modalities and funding have yet to be established.
The next text from the committee should specify the beneficiaries, the duration of the protections and the arrangements for revising the rents. Until this formula is adopted, the Kaakour and Gemayel proposals cannot be invoked as new rights automatically applicable to an individual file.
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