Despite the passage of about 5 months since the draft law entered into force, the old rent file is still at the forefront of the concerns of millions of citizens in various governorates, with anticipation and anxiety, especially as its discussions near under the dome of Parliament.
In this context, Representative Atef Maghawry, a member of the House of Representatives, revealed the features of a new draft law that he is preparing to present during the upcoming sessions, aiming to reformulate the relationship between landlord and tenant in a way that achieves a fair balance, without harming either party.
Cancellation of specified evacuation periods
The most prominent aspect of the project is the cancellation of Article 2 of the current law, which set the eviction period at seven years for residential units and five years for commercial units. Maghawry believes that the continuation of this article places additional burdens on the government and tenants, especially in light of the lack of sufficient housing alternatives, in addition to the proposal to cancel the text relating to the state’s obligation to provide alternative units.
Refusal to classify units
The project also seeks to cancel the classification of units into “privileged – average – economical,” considering that this division carries suspicion of discrimination between citizens and contradicts the constitutional principle of equality. He stresses that the presence of two units within one property does not justify their different evaluations, pointing out that the urban development witnessed in many areas was not taken into sufficient consideration.
A new mechanism to increase the rental value
Regarding the rental value, the project proposes a mechanism based on the date of construction of the building and the date of issuance of the lease contract, with increases divided into segments that achieve a greater doubling of contracts with low rental values, in an attempt to gradually restore balance without sudden shocks.
Simplifying litigation and resolving disputes
The proposal also includes unifying the litigation authority responsible for hearing disputes between the landlord and the tenant, whether through a temporary matters judge or through substantive lawsuits, with the aim of accelerating the adjudication of cases and reducing the complexity of the procedures.
At the conclusion of his proposal, Maghawry stressed the necessity of adhering to the rulings of the Constitutional Court, suggesting that the lease relationship be limited to one time and for one generation only, without imposing specific time periods for eviction, stressing that addressing this thorny issue must start from achieving justice and balance, far from imposing unrealistic burdens on the state or citizens.
