Lawyer Mahni Youssef, an international legal advisor, urgently called on Egyptian lawmakers to end the old-rent crisis that has persisted for more than seven decades, stressing that the current circumstances require a radical and fair solution.
Youssef explained in his statements that “the old Rent Law No. 121 of 1947 was an exceptional piece of legislation to address the circumstances of World War II, but over time it turned into a dark tunnel of injustice and legal distortion.“
The international legal advisor pointed out that “the successive amendments to the law, beginning in 1954 and continuing through 1977 and 1981, failed to correct the trend. Rather, they perpetuated a profound legislative imbalance that transformed the rental relationship into a perpetual restriction on the landlord and an inherited gain for the tenant.“
A glimmer of hope… the Constitutional Court’s rulings
Youssef highlighted that “the Supreme Constitutional Court’s rulings in 2018 and 2023 represented a glimmer of hope, as they confirmed that the old system was a temporary exception and that the legislature did not intend to create permanent rights, thus giving the House of Representatives the green light to rectify this legal flaw.”
Lawyer Mahni Youssef noted that the new draft law currently being circulated—although its final form has not yet been officially released—reflects the legislator’s intention to address the issue. Unfortunately, however, it falls short of expectations. While it includes positive elements, such as terminating old contracts within five years and increasing rental values, the transitional period is unjustifiably long, and the proposed 15% annual increase does not keep pace with inflation or market prices. This is a serious attempt to address the economic and social plight of landlords.
Youssef pointed out that the law did not differentiate between able and unable tenants, nor did it address the historical implications of this legislative distortion in the desired manner.
Lawyer Mahni Youssef presented a set of urgent demands, most notably the introduction of decisive legislative measures to terminate all old rental contracts within six months, the complete liberalization of the real estate market in accordance with civil law, and the establishment of specialized judicial circuits to resolve disputes within 90 days.
The international lawyer also called for transitional guarantees and the establishment of a support fund for elderly tenants, limiting support to those who can prove the unit is their sole residence, setting a transitional rent at 50% of the market value, imposing deterrent measures and fines of up to EGP 500,000 on violators, and holding accountable anyone who makes structural modifications without the owner’s permission.
Youssef concluded his statement by saying, “Under the wise leadership of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has led Egypt to unprecedented horizons of development, it has become unacceptable for this legal distortion to continue, and Egypt today is capable of correcting this path.”
