Egypt's House of Representatives passed a final version of the amended old rent law on Wednesday, including a provision that mandates the government to provide alternative housing to original tenants and their spouses at least one year before the end of the transition period.
Under the new law, a seven-year transitional period is set for residential leases between individuals, and five years for non-residential leases. By the end of this period, tenants are required to vacate the properties and return them to their owners.
The government introduced a key amendment to Article 8, explicitly stating that original tenants or their spouses cannot be evicted unless they are provided with alternative housing, either for rent or ownership, from the state’s available units.
Tenants who qualify under Law 49 of 1977 or Law 136 of 1981 can apply for a replacement unit by submitting a declaration pledging to vacate the property once an alternative is allocated.
Priority for these units will be given to those considered most in need, including the original tenant, their spouse, and parents. The prime minister is expected to issue regulations within 30 days of the law’s enactment to outline procedures for receiving and processing these requests.
An additional clause introduced by the government requires authorities to present available units for approval and allocate them to eligible tenants at least one year before the end of the transition period specified in Article 2.
If the government offers new residential or commercial units—either for rent or sale—displaced tenants will be given priority in allocation, provided they apply and submit a pledge to vacate their current units. Priority will also be based on the area where the original unit is located.
Following the vote, Abdel Hadi El-Qasabi, head of the parliamentary bloc of the Nation’s Future Party, said the party had called for a delay in the previous session to ensure “average citizens” had guaranteed access to alternative housing before any evictions.
El-Qasabi praised the government’s response to the party’s request, describing it as “a reassuring step that preserves social stability.”
The chamber also passed Article 2 of the bill without amendments, despite widespread objections from lawmakers who had proposed excluding original tenants from the eviction timeline. Several opposition MPs walked out in protest, citing the rejection of their proposed exceptions.
The contentious article sets a transitional period for ending residential lease contracts at seven years from the date the law takes effect, and five years for non-residential leases, with no exceptions. Parliament rejected all proposed amendments, including those seeking to extend the transition period or exempt original tenants and their families.
Debate over the amendments had been postponed from Monday to allow time for the government to present accurate data on original tenants and the first generation of contract inheritors, as well as plans for offering alternative units.
On June 17, the government proposed extending the transition period for residential units from five to seven years.
Earlier, the heads of the Engineers and Medical Syndicates warned of the law’s potential social repercussions, calling it a “social time bomb” that could destabilize the lives of millions.
Earlier in May, lawyer and women’s rights advocate Intisar Al-Saeed told Al Manassa that the reforms could disproportionately harm women and escalate housing insecurity. “The draft law pits landlords against tenants and risks disrupting social cohesion,” she said.
The Supreme Constitutional Court had ruled in November that fixed rents under the 1981 law were unconstitutional, urging legislative reforms to rebalance landlord-tenant relations.
In October 2023, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for the need to update the old rent law, citing the existence of two million vacant and unused units as a consequence of the outdated legislation.
