A shop for rent in Beirut. (Credit: Magaly Abboud/L'Orient Today)
Two months after it took effect, uncertainty still surrounds the implementation of the law on non-residential leases signed before July 1992. The numerous amendments and corrections made to the text over the course of 2025 have left both long-standing tenants and property owners of thousands of commercial premises — shops, restaurants, offices, factories and more — confused. For now, each side is watching and waiting for the other to make the first move.Ramzi*, who manages a 40-square-meter grocery store near the Commodore Hotel, remains unsure. “My father has rented this shop since 1967. Will the new rent be based on 8 percent of the property’s market value?” he asked, noting that the latest version of the law sets that reference rate at 5 percent (see box). “I admit I don’t know all the details of the final text. I need to discuss it...
Two months after it took effect, uncertainty still surrounds the implementation of the law on non-residential leases signed before July 1992. The numerous amendments and corrections made to the text over the course of 2025 have left both long-standing tenants and property owners of thousands of commercial premises — shops, restaurants, offices, factories and more — confused. For now, each side is watching and waiting for the other to make the first move.Ramzi*, who manages a 40-square-meter grocery store near the Commodore Hotel, remains unsure. “My father has rented this shop since 1967. Will the new rent be based on 8 percent of the property’s market value?” he asked, noting that the latest version of the law sets that reference rate at 5 percent (see box). “I admit I don’t know all the details of the final text. I need...
