In Greater Cairo, many tenants balk at swapping their rent‑controlled flats for government housing, wary of opaque costs and uncertain destinations.
Mohamed Abdel Salam, a resident of Shubra, is holding back: no one can tell him whether the replacement flat would be rented or owned, what it might look like, or how much he would have to pay. Better, he told Al Manassa, to wait “until the government announces something.”
Meanwhile, a Housing Ministry source familiar with the old-rent file told Al Manassa the ministry first needs applicants’ data and information on their finances before it can set payment systems and tailored support for each person.
The government launched a three-month application window starting October for replacement units through post offices or an online form on Egypt’s Digital Platform, before it extended the deadline by another three months to April. Even so, only 70,000 people have applied, according to Social Housing Fund CEO Mai Abdel Hamid.
For many, the risks outweigh the promises. Retired employee Hassan Ali, who lives in Bulaq El-Dakrour, told Al Manassa he fears heavier financial burdens amid the lack of information, adding that any big jump in rent or high down payments could put him in a financial bind he cannot handle.
Mahmoud Fouad, who lives in Sayeda Zeinab, agreed, telling Al Manassa that beyond the unclear financial obligations, moving to far-off new cities away from his job and his children’s schools is an added worry.
Fouad said daily reliance on services and social networks in his current neighborhood makes the decision to move extremely difficult, even if the government says it will provide units in the same governorate as the old-rent apartment and for the same purpose and activity.
According to the 2017 population and housing census, the number of units rented under the old system reached about 3 million: 1.6 million used as homes and 575,000 for non-residential purposes. Some 240,000 of those units are used by families that own more than one home, while 506,000 units are closed for various reasons.
Suspicion runs deep. In Hadayek El‑Qobba, Fatma Abdel Rahman fears that registering could be treated as consent to leave her flat. Ahmed El‑Badry in Obour prefers to wait, citing unanswered questions and the risk of losing stable housing.
Ahmed El-Badry in Obour said he prefers to monitor developments before taking any step, citing unanswered questions about the replacement program and concern it could leave him without stable housing.
In August, El-Sisi ratified Law No. 165 of 2025 amending provisions of the old-rent framework. It forces more than 1.5 million families, representing 6.5% of the population, to vacate, and raises rental values.
The law sets a transition period of seven years, after which rental relationships end for residential premises leased to natural persons, and five years for non-residential uses. It requires tenants to vacate and return the unit to the owner at the end of that period, and obliges the government to provide alternative housing to the original tenant and spouse at least one year before the transition period expires.
A Housing Ministry source, who asked not to be named, told Al Manassa that the application form, whether online or at post offices, includes questions about applicants’ finances and where they want to live, and asks them to specify whether they want ownership or rental.
The source said old-rent tenants’ financial situations vary widely, and offering everyone the same payment plan and subsidized units at the same rate would be unfair.
He added that applicants’ ages also vary, giving elderly people priority for units located as close as possible to their current homes. The ministry therefore needs to wait until all eligible people have applied, compile statistics, determine total numbers and demand by area, then apply eligibility priorities if demand exceeds supply in any location.
In August, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decision forming survey committees to classify residential areas covered by the new rules into tiers (premium, average, and economic). Under that classification, rents would rise by 20 times in premium areas and 10 times in average and economic areas (with a minimum monetary floor).
Last month, Egypt’s Official Gazette published the Cairo governor’s decision dividing areas that include old-rent units, and placing more than two-thirds of buildings in non-premium areas.
Giza governorate has also classified large swaths of the governorate as “average,” meaning many tenants in both Cairo and Giza could see the same treatment under the new rent calculations, regardless of neighborhood.
