Legal challenges to the Old Rent Law begin after ratification

Following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s approval of the new Old Rent Law last Monday, a legal and constitutional debate has erupted over the future of the rental relationship between landlords and tenants. The new law introduces fundamental changes, which some have described as “revolutionary,” to one of Egypt’s most sensitive social and economic issues in decades.

The law, which was finally approved by parliament after years of anticipation and conflict between landlords and tenants, has not put an end to legal disputes. Challenges are now being directed to the Supreme Constitutional Court, with calls for a constitutional review, especially concerning the law’s intervention in contracts signed decades ago, some dating back to the first half of the last century.

Dr. Hamdi Omar, a professor of constitutional law and a member of the Committee of Ten Experts who drafted the 2014 constitution, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Old Rent Law can be challenged before the Constitutional Court, despite the president’s official approval.