Tenants sit-in near Serail against commercial leases law

More than 50 protesters demonstrated Tuesday morning in front of the Grand Serail against the law on the liberalization of non-residential rents, reports our journalist on the scene.

President Joseph Aoun signed this law last Thursday, published in the Official Gazette on April 3, but invalidated due to a procedural flaw. Indeed, it had not been promulgated by the tenant of Baabda with the prime minister's countersignature. Aoun had therefore filed, on April 17, an appeal with the Constitutional Council (CC) against the law on non-residential leases.

An 'unjust' law

This law notably provides for the liberalization of rents concluded before 1992, after a maximum transition period of four years after its entry into force. An owner can thus either demand a progressive increase in the rents or waive it, while waiting for the eviction of the premises within a period of two years. The new legislation thus ends the freeze on rents, which is very unfavorable to owners, due to inflation as well as monetary devaluation since the financial crisis of 2019.

Castro Abdallah, president of the National Federation of Trade Unions and Employees of Lebanon (Fenasol), called on the Lebanese government to review this law and to implement a new fair plan for tenants of residential and non-residential premises. "This law is unjust. More than 300 public schools would be forced to see their poorest students leave learning. Factories, pharmacies, bakeries, institutions will be threatened, we are not going to accept suffering this injustice for the happiness of real estate companies," he insisted.

Parliament had adopted in 2014 a law that initiated a progressive liberalization process of old residential rents, but the situation had not evolved since.

Ali Jamal, a merchant, explained that he is here to "defend [his] rights." "Let them [the owners] increase [the leases], but not that much. We must both be on equal footing," he added. Another protester felt that "this decision throws merchants into the street." "While political leaders have robbed Lebanon, they are trying to compensate at our expense," he denounced.

Zahra, 24, a pharmacist in Beirut, condemned this decision, which she considers "unjust." She is protesting on behalf of the owner of the pharmacy where she works, which has been open for 75 years in Hamra. "They want to increase rents drastically and not in a fair manner. It is even possible to see the pharmacy close its doors," she regretted, while stressing that "tenants are not opposed to a law, provided it is fair for both parties."