Rent

A special fund for residential leases covered by the provisions of this Law (hereinafter referred to in this Law as «the Fund») shall be established, placed under the authority of the Ministry of Finance, and its accounts shall be maintained at the Treasury Directorate of that Ministry. The Fund aims to assist, wholly or partially as needed, all tenants covered by this Law whose monthly income does not exceed three times (3x) the minimum wage in paying the increases that arise on their rent amounts pursuant to the provisions of this Law. The application for assistance from the Fund's contribution, which must include the determination of the monthly family income, shall be submitted by the tenant or his legal successor wherever the tenant and the legal occupants of the leased premises are mentioned together in this Law.

The tenant who leased pursuant to the provisions of either Law No. 29/67 or Law No. 10/74 in buildings that were considered luxury buildings, and the non-Lebanese tenant, shall not benefit from the Fund's benefits.

The revenues of the Fund shall consist of: - Annual contributions from the State provided for in the budget of the Ministry of Finance to cover the Fund's obligations. - Donations, gifts, and bequests following approval by the Council of Ministers; the value of such donations and bequests shall be deducted from the amounts taken as a basis for determining income tax due, and also deducted from the amounts taken as a basis for determining transfer fees, and shall be exempt from fees levied on donations.

The management of the Fund's assets, including the rules of expenditure and collection, shall be governed by financial regulations issued by decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Finance.

The tenant wishing to obtain a contribution from the Fund shall submit an application to the committee having jurisdiction over the leased premises, free of all fees; this application may be submitted before the expiry of the time limit for payment of the rent increase resulting from the application of this Law pending the committee's decision approving or rejecting the contribution. The application must fulfil the following conditions:

1. 1)It must be submitted within two months from the date of the initial determination or increase of the minimum wage, and within the same period before each subsequent extension year; failure to do so shall result in forfeiture of the right to benefit from the contribution.
2. 2)The following documents must accompany the application:
3. 3)A list of the names of the beneficiary's household members.
4. 4)An employment certificate for each member of the beneficiary's household, issued by the competent authority, indicating the value of the salary or wage currently received by each as an employee, worker, or civil servant.
5. 5)An income declaration for each member of the beneficiary's household who works on a self-employed basis.

The committee shall examine the contribution application in light of the beneficiary's monthly family income and shall state its opinion as follows:

1. 1)If the members of the beneficiary's household are employees, workers, or civil servants, the beneficiary's monthly family income shall be the total of the monthly incomes of each of them.
2. 2)If one of the members of the beneficiary's household works on a self-employed basis, it shall fall to the committee to establish, by whatever means it deems appropriate, his monthly income, and accordingly the beneficiary's monthly family income shall equal the total of the monthly income of each of the beneficiary's household members.
3. 3)The committee shall in all cases establish, by such means as it deems appropriate, the number and names of the beneficiary's household members, the monthly income of the tenant and each of those members, and shall on that basis calculate the beneficiary's monthly family income in accordance with this Article. Either of the two parties concerned may submit evidence and documents that assist in proving their case.
4. 4)The committee may summon both the lessor and the tenant to be heard, by notice served on them in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure, and must issue its decision within fourteen months from the date of submission of the application.

Subject to the provisions of Articles 8 and 11 of this Law, the committee shall decide, in light of the results of its proceedings to determine the beneficiary's monthly family income, on the eligibility or non-eligibility of the contribution application, as well as on the amount of the contribution, as follows:

1. 1)If the committee finds that the beneficiary's monthly family income exceeds three times the minimum wage, the contribution shall be refused as not being due, and the tenant shall be required to pay the new rent amount resulting from the application of the increases provided for in this Law, failing which he shall forfeit his rights in full, and the other provisions of this Law shall apply to him.
2. 2)If the committee finds that the beneficiary's monthly family income does not exceed three times the minimum wage, it shall communicate its decision to the Finance Department in the area where the leased premises are located, which shall then pay the lessor the due contribution in monthly instalments over the extension years during which the tenant applied for the contribution, as set out below:
3. 3)Case where the beneficiary's monthly family income does not exceed twice the minimum wage.
4. 4)The committee shall determine by its decision the amount of the monthly instalment such that it equals the monthly rent and the value of the difference between the value of the new rent amount.
5. 5)The committee shall communicate its decision to the competent Finance Department for the necessary action as set out in this item.
6. 6)Case where the beneficiary's monthly family income exceeds twice the minimum wage but does not exceed three times that limit.
7. 7)The committee shall determine by its decision the value of the difference, if any, between the monthly instalment amount such that it equals 30% of the beneficiary's monthly family income and the value of the new rent amount.
8. 8)The committee shall communicate its decision to the competent Finance Department for the necessary action as set out in this item.
9. 9)The contributions that the Fund is required to pay to the lessor shall constitute a debt owed by the Fund; the lessor may not invoke them for any reason or before any authority to prevent the tenant from recovering amounts previously paid by him as rent that were subsequently reimbursed by the other party.

Should the tenant wish to continue benefiting from the Fund's contribution for subsequent extension years, the forms referred to above shall be re-filed with the committee before each extension year up to and including the ninth year. The contribution application, as provided for in Article 8, shall be appended to the contract suspending the time limit for payment of the increase resulting from the provisions of this Law, pending the committee's decision approving or rejecting it.

Any person who gives the committee a false statement or declaration, or uses or benefits from either of them, shall be liable for the offence of forgery and use of forged documents. Upon discovery of any false statement or declaration and its use and the benefit derived therefrom, the committee may, depending on the circumstances, inform the Public Prosecution, and the tenant shall forfeit his right to obtain a contribution from the Fund.

The provisions of this Part shall apply to lease contracts for built residential real property concluded before 23/7/1992. A lease contract shall be considered residential if it relates to premises designated for residential use. Where the lessor lets premises under a single contract for both residential and non-residential purposes, they shall be classified as residential premises if the primary intended use is residential.

Lease contracts for residential premises shall be extended for up to nine years from the date of entry into force of this Law, on condition that the tenant pays the equivalent rent value gradually as follows:

1. 1)Subject to the provisions of Article 20 of this Law, the equivalent rent value shall be determined in accordance with Article 18, either by agreement or by adjudication for the first extension year, and within the same period before each subsequent extension year; failure to do so shall result in forfeiture of the right to benefit from the contribution.
2. 2)The rent due shall increase from the date of entry into force of this Law annually at a rate of:
3. 3)15% fifteen per cent of the value of the difference between the rent in force before the entry into force of this Law and the equivalent rent value referred to above, for each of the first four extension years following the date of entry into force of this Law.
4. 4)20% twenty per cent of the value of the above-mentioned increase difference for each of the fifth and sixth extension years, until the rent reaches the value of the equivalent rent value referred to in item (a) above by the sixth extension year.
5. 5)The rent in the seventh, eighth, and ninth extension years shall equal the equivalent rent value referred to in item (a) above.
6. 6)The lease shall automatically terminate at the end of the ninth extension year.

1. 1)If the tenant is still in residence, he shall be entitled to request in writing from the owner, no later than three months before the expiry of the ninth extension year — failing which he shall forfeit his right — the conclusion of a new lease contract for a minimum term of three years at a rent equal to the equivalent rent value referred to in paragraph (a) of Article 15 above, provided that he proves within the same period that he holds a decision from the committee confirming that he satisfies the conditions for benefiting from the Fund's benefits in accordance with the mechanism provided for in this Law.
2. 2)Such a tenant shall be entitled to waive his right to request the conclusion of a new lease contract and to notify the owner in writing within the same period referred to above of his wish to vacate the leased premises before the period during which he is entitled to a contribution paid on his behalf by the Fund in monthly instalments as set out below.
3. 3)The owner may not invoke the tenant's written expression of a wish to vacate the leased premises unless the tenant has actually obtained the Fund's contribution.
4. 4)To obtain the contribution, the tenant must comply with the following:
5. 5)The tenant shall submit an application to the committee within the period referred to above for the contribution, free of all fees; submission of this application shall not suspend the time limit for payment of the rent increase resulting from the enforcement of this Law.
6. 6)The following documents must accompany the application:
7. 7)- A copy of the owner's letter notifying his wish for the tenant to waive the lease and vacate the premises.
8. 8)- A written undertaking to vacate the leased premises and deliver them vacant to the owner within three months from the date of notification of the committee's approval of payment of the contribution, and to continue during that period to pay the rent due.
9. 9)The committee shall decide, in light of the attached documents, on the amount of the monthly instalment and its due date, starting from the first day of the month following the actual vacation of the leased premises and its delivery, evidenced by a written declaration authenticated by both the owner and the tenant, or by the tenant alone before a notary public, up to the expiry date of the new lease contract.
10. 10)The committee shall communicate its decision to the Finance Department in the area where the leased premises are located for disbursement of the contribution in monthly instalments on their due dates.
11. 11)The tenant may assign these instalments to a financing lender of his choice, who agrees in exchange to pay the contribution amount in a lump sum; the loan given in respect thereof shall be deemed a residential loan and the tenant shall benefit therefrom from the exemptions provided for in Law No. 543 dated 24/7/1996.
12. 12)If the committee finds that the tenant does not fulfil the conditions for benefiting from the Fund's benefits, his lease shall automatically terminate from the date of the committee's decision.

In the event that the tenant vacates the leased premises at his own request in exchange for a financial contribution obtained from the Fund, provided that the conditions for benefiting from the Fund are met, the provisions of Article 27 of this Law shall apply.

On the determination of the equivalent rent value:

1. 1)By agreement or by adjudication as the basis for the committee's decision in the event that the tenant requests from it a financial contribution from the Fund.
2. 2)If it proves impossible to determine the equivalent rent value by agreement or by adjudication between the lessor and the tenant within the first three months following the date of entry into force of this Law, the lessor may follow the procedure below:
3. 3)The lessor shall engage two experts from the list of sworn local experts in the political governorate at the court; one shall be an engineer or architect and the other a specialist in real-estate valuation registered in the experts' table.
4. 4)The two experts shall draw up a valuation report on the equivalent rent value of the leased premises in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 19 of this Law.
5. 5)The lessor shall, through a notary public, notify the tenant of the valuation report for the equivalent rent value; the tenant then has two months from notification of the report to either accept and adopt it as the basis for determining the equivalent rent value, or to submit a counter-valuation report by engaging two experts from the list of sworn local experts in the political governorate at the court, one being an engineer or architect and the other a real-estate valuation specialist in the experts' table.
6. 6)The two experts appointed by the tenant shall draw up a valuation of the equivalent rent value of the leased premises in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 19 of this Law.
7. 7)The tenant must notify the owner, through a notary public, of the valuation report prepared by the experts appointed by him within the two-month period referred to above, failing which he shall forfeit his right to object to the valuation sent by the owner or to obtain acknowledgement by means of a counter-report.

The report must contain, under penalty of nullity, the names and positions of the experts and their references in the experts' list, a statement of how they prepared the report, the date on which the valuation was carried out, and the methods adopted in conducting the valuation — from the surface area of the apartment to the type of construction and an average estimate of construction costs (popular, medium-to-popular, medium-to-luxury, luxury) — and the area adjacent to the apartment consisting of regulated or unregulated land where the floor is standard, including the selected valuation of the price per square metre in a freehold building and the leased building, a statement of any reduction in the average cost per square metre of the building caused by deterioration or misuse, or any increase in the building's value from improvements and upgrades introduced by the tenant with the owner's permission or with his knowledge, or contrary to his knowledge, and any data or official administrative assessments used by the experts in estimating the price per square metre. The report and its annexes must bear the signatures of the experts on every page, together with the date on which the report was prepared.

The equivalent rent value shall be determined on the basis of five per cent (5%) of the fair market value of the leased premises in its current condition, where it is privately owned.

Experts shall be liable for the content of the report they have prepared, for the accuracy of the supporting documents attached thereto, and for the precision of the valuation. For the purposes of applying this Law, experts appointed by either the owner or the tenant shall be deemed as if appointed by the judiciary.

Subject to the provisions of Article 32 of this Law, if the owner wishes to recover the leased premises for family necessity during the first four years of the extension period (years one through four), he must pay the tenant compensation of no less than four years' rent calculated on the basis of the equivalent rent value as determined. If the owner wishes to recover the leased premises during the first four years of the extension period (years one through four) for the purpose of demolishing the building in which the leased premises are located and constructing a new building in its place, he must pay the tenant compensation of no less than six years' rent calculated on the basis of the equivalent rent value as determined. In both of the above cases, the tenant who satisfies the conditions for obtaining a financial contribution from the Fund may apply to the committee for that contribution as set out below:

1. 1)The application shall be submitted together with the following documents:
2. 2)A copy of the determination of the equivalent rent value by agreement or by adjudication.
3. 3)A copy of the actual tender, or deposit before a notary public.
4. 4)The committee shall decide, in light of the documents, on the amount of the contribution that the Fund would have paid to the lessor on behalf of the tenant from the date on which the contribution became due until the end of the extension period, deducting therefrom what the Fund has already paid to the lessor by way of rent increases that arose on the rent under this Law, in addition to the amount of compensation that the tenant paid the owner in exchange for recovering the leased premises in either of the two cases provided for in this Article; the committee shall then communicate the balance to the competent Finance Department for disbursement to the tenant in equal monthly instalments starting from the first day of the month following the date of actual vacation of the leased premises and until the end of the extension period.
5. 5)Where the leased premises sought for recovery for family necessity or demolition were leased under either Law No. 29/67 or Law No. 10/74 in buildings that were considered luxury buildings, the compensation due to the tenant shall be reduced by half.
6. 6)The owner shall pay the compensation to the tenant either directly or by borrowing from any lender of his choice; the loan given to the owner shall be deemed a residential loan and the owner shall benefit therefrom from the exemptions provided for in Law No. 543 dated 24/7/1996.
7. 7)Non-Lebanese tenants who do not own a private residence in a building shall be excluded from compensation.
8. 8)In all of the above cases and in the event that recovery of the leased premises is requested during other extension years, the compensation shall decrease proportionally to the remaining period of the extension term at a rate of one-ninth (1/9) for each year elapsed of the extension period.

If the owner wishes to recover the leased premises for reasons other than family necessity and demolition, he shall follow the procedure below:

1. 1)Notify the tenant in writing of his preliminary wish to recover the leased premises within a period not exceeding two months from the date of determination of the equivalent rent value by agreement or by adjudication for the first extension year, and within the same period before each of the remaining extension years.
2. 2)Obtain the tenant's preliminary written consent to vacate the leased premises upon agreement on its value.
3. 3)In no event may either the owner or the tenant invoke the preliminary consent issued by either of them for any reason or before any authority.
4. 4)The owner shall pay the compensation to the tenant directly or by borrowing from any lender of his choice; the loan given to the owner shall be deemed a residential loan, and the owner shall benefit therefrom from the exemptions provided for in Law No. 543 dated 24/7/1996.
5. 5)The owner must tender and deposit before the notary public in the area where the leased premises are located the compensation agreed upon with the tenant.
6. 6)If the tenant consents to the tender and deposit, a notarised agreement on the vacation of the leased premises and its delivery vacant must be drawn up, and this shall continue for the agreed period from the date of the tenant's choice, during which the tenant continues to pay the rent due; the notary public shall pay the tenant 90% of the value of the tender and deposit in accordance with the relevant procedures, on condition that the remaining balance be recovered upon completion of actual vacation of the leased premises and its delivery, evidenced by written declarations from both parties or from the tenant alone before the notary public.
7. 7)If the tenant fails to vacate in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph within the period agreed for vacating and delivering the leased premises vacant, the owner shall deem the tenant thereafter to be occupying the leased premises without lawful justification; for each day of delay, a non-reducible coercive fine payable to the lessor, equivalent to five days' rent calculated on the basis of the equivalent rent value, shall be imposed, and the lessor may in that regard apply directly to the execution department having jurisdiction over the leased premises to order eviction by means of a deed accompanied by: a copy of both the notarised agreement and the tenant's statement on eviction, the actual tender and deposit before the notary public referred to above, the receipt for 90% of the compensation value, and this application shall be subject to the fixed fee.
8. 8)Decisions of the execution departments taken under the provisions of this paragraph shall not be subject to any form of appeal except by way of objection.

The owner of leased premises that were leased under either Law No. 29/67 or Law No. 10/74 in buildings that were considered luxury buildings may recover the leased premises in cases other than family necessity and demolition by paying the tenant compensation equal to half of the compensation due in the case of demolition as provided for in item 2 of Article 22 above. In that case, the provisions relating to the remaining period of the extension term shall not apply.

Subject to the provisions of Articles 22, 23, and 24 of this Law, the owner may in all recovery cases provided for in this Law tender and deposit before the notary public in the area where the leased premises are located the compensation determined under this Law or agreed upon by agreement, clearly indicating the proportional decrease applicable by reason of the remaining extension period. The recovery application shall be accompanied by the tender and deposit and evidence that the equivalent rent value has been determined by agreement or by adjudication. If the tenant consents to the tender and deposit, the procedure provided for in item 4 of Article 23 shall be followed, and the notary public shall then pay the tenant 90% of the value of the tender and deposit in accordance with the relevant procedures, on condition that the remaining balance be recovered upon completion of actual vacation and evidenced by written declarations from both the owner and the tenant, or from the tenant alone before the notary public.

The tenant who has received an amount equivalent to 90% of the value of the tender and deposit referred to in Article 25 above shall have a period of six months from the date of receiving that amount to vacate the leased premises, during which he shall continue to pay the rent due; thereafter he shall be deemed to be occupying the leased premises without lawful justification, and for each day of delay, a non-reducible coercive fine payable to the lessor, equivalent to five days' rent calculated on the basis of the equivalent rent value, shall be imposed.

1 - During the extension period referred to in item 1 of Article 15 of this Law, if the tenant who satisfies the conditions for obtaining a financial contribution from the Fund wishes to waive his lease and vacate the leased premises, delivering them vacant to the owner before receiving a financial contribution to be paid on his behalf by the Fund in monthly instalments as provided for in this Law, the owner shall be notified in writing of this wish within a period not exceeding two months from the date of determination of the equivalent rent value by agreement or by adjudication for the first extension year, and within the same period before each of the other extension years. The owner may not invoke the tenant's written expression of a wish to vacate the leased premises unless the tenant has actually obtained the Fund's contribution.

1. 1)The value of the contribution must be calculated after estimating the beneficiary's monthly family income based on the total of the monthly income of the spouses only, excluding all other members of the beneficiary's household.
2. 2)The value of the contribution to be paid in monthly instalments as provided for in this Law shall equal the total of what the Fund would have paid in monthly contributions to the lessor on behalf of the tenant, as provided for in Article 10 and the following articles of this Law, had the tenant continued to occupy the leased premises, from the date the contribution became due until the end of the extension period referred to in item 1 of Article 15 of this Law.
3. 3)Subject to the provisions of Article 10 of this Law, the monthly instalment amount in each extension year shall equal the monthly contribution that the Fund would have paid to the owner on behalf of the tenant, beginning with the annual increase that arises on the rent under this Law.
4. 4)To obtain the contribution, the tenant must comply with the following:
5. 5)The tenant shall submit to the committee an application for the contribution, free of all fees; submission of this application shall not suspend the time limit for payment of the rent increase resulting from the enforcement of this Law.
6. 6)The application must fulfil the following conditions:
7. 7)b-1- It must be submitted within a period not exceeding two months from the date of the owner's notification of his wish for the tenant to waive the lease and vacate the leased premises.
8. 8)b-2- The following documents must accompany the application:
9. 9)- A copy of the lease contract or any document evidencing the lease.
10. 10)- A copy of the determination of the equivalent rent value by agreement or by adjudication.
11. 11)- A copy of the letter notifying the owner of the wish to waive the lease and vacate the leased premises.
12. 12)- A written undertaking to vacate the leased premises and deliver them vacant to the owner within three months from the date of notification of the committee's approval of payment of the contribution, and to continue during that period to pay the rent due.
13. 13)The committee shall decide, in light of the attached documents, on the amount of the monthly instalment and its due date, starting from the first day of the month following the actual vacation of the leased premises and its delivery, evidenced by a written declaration authenticated by both the owner and the tenant, or by the tenant alone before a notary public, up to the end of the extension period provided for in item (a) of Article 15 of this Law.
14. 14)The committee shall communicate its decision to the Finance Department in the area where the leased premises are located for disbursement of the contribution in monthly instalments on their due dates.
15. 15)The tenant may assign these instalments to a financing lender of his choice, who agrees in exchange to pay the contribution amount in a lump sum; the loan given in respect thereof shall be deemed a residential loan and the tenant shall benefit therefrom from the exemptions provided for in Law No. 543/96 dated 24/7/1996.

Notwithstanding the provisions of laws relating to financial affairs that require the production of a financial or municipal tax clearance, the payment of the contribution to the owner and to the tenant may not under any circumstances be made conditional on the production of a financial or municipal tax clearance.

Upon the death of the tenant or his abandonment of the leased premises, the following persons shall succeed him by operation of law in benefiting from the original or extended lease contract, as the case may be, on all its other terms or as amended by operation of law:

1. 1)The tenant's spouse who was lawfully present in the leased premises before 23/7/1992, and those who succeed him.
2. 2)His children who entered the leased premises with him at the time the lease commenced and who continued to occupy it without interruption.

Judicial proceedings to enforce eviction and everything appurtenant thereto shall be subject to a fixed fee. All transactions shall be exempt from any proportional fees and from stamp duties on all notarial acts relating to valuations and their notification, notices, tenders, and deposits.

The tenant may not assign the leased premises or sub-let them, in whole or in part, except with the owner's written consent and on such terms as may be agreed. If the original tenant assigns the leased premises and this was expressly permitted in the original or extended lease contract by operation of law, the assignee shall benefit from the statutory extension and shall succeed the original tenant, and the direct lease from the owner shall terminate. In the event of total or partial sub-letting with the owner's express consent in the original or extended contract, the intermediary rental relationship between the owner and the original tenant shall terminate, and the term of the sub-lease shall end upon the expiry of the original lease. Sub-leases concluded from 23/7/1992 onwards shall be governed by freedom of contract in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 92/159. Both the owner and the original tenant may request the joinder of the sub-tenant in any action brought without the original tenant, so that any judgment rendered without the original tenant shall be binding on the sub-tenant; the sub-tenant shall nonetheless be entitled to claim compensation from the original tenant in the event of the latter's proven bad faith, fault, or negligence.

a) Subject to the provisions of Article 22 of this Law, the owner may request recovery of the residential leased premises for his own use or for the use of one of his relatives, provided he establishes a family necessity compelling him to recover the premises, and that neither he nor the person for whose benefit recovery is sought has another suitable and habitable residence, of a standard comparable to that of the leased premises sought to be recovered, that is unoccupied and available within the boundaries of the same municipality or an adjacent municipality. The owner may also request recovery of leased premises adjacent to his own residence, whether horizontally or vertically, provided the purpose of recovery is to annex the recovered premises to form a single integrated residential unit meeting a family need. Persons who own three-quarters of the shares of the leased real property on a co-ownership basis, and the owner who obtains the written consent of his co-owners to secure that majority, shall benefit from these provisions. b) The owner of a hospital, educational, teaching, charitable, or similar institution, who has let a part of it or a part of the adjacent premises for residential purposes, may recover that part in addition to its original use for the purposes of the institution. c) The owner may request recovery of the leased premises for the purpose of demolishing the building in which they are located and constructing a new building in its place. Where the purpose is to add one or more floors, he may request recovery of the building standing on a parcelled area, provided that building occupies less than half the surface area permitted under the Building Law. In such cases, the owner may bring a single recovery action against all tenants and must establish that the property on which the new building is to be constructed is suitable for building in accordance with the Building Law and urban planning requirements. d) The provisions of this Law shall apply to pending recovery actions in which no final judgment had been issued before the date of entry into force of this Law.

The owner who has recovered his leased premises pursuant to the provisions of Article 22 of this Law shall be required to pay the tenant additional compensation equal to half the value of the compensation he paid the tenant, without the tenant being required to prove the harm suffered, in the following cases:

1. 1)If the leased premises were recovered for one of the two purposes referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Article 32 of this Law and the owner uses them without lawful justification and contrary to the stated purpose within one year from the date of eviction, or does not continue to use them without lawful justification for at least three years.
2. 2)If the leased premises were recovered for demolition and reconstruction pursuant to the purpose referred to in paragraph (c) of Article 32 of this Law, and the owner does not commence construction without lawful justification within eighteen months from the date of eviction of the last tenant, or does not complete it within a period not exceeding five years from the date of commencement of work without lawful justification, or if the owner uses the recovered premises for residential purposes or for his personal benefit or lets them to third parties during the period referred to above.

The right to extension shall be forfeited and the tenant shall be ordered evicted in the following cases: a- If the tenant fails to pay the rent due within two months of being personally served, or served through an adult member of his family residing with him, provided he was notified by means of an acknowledged open-faced registered card, or by a notarial letter, or by a notice issued by the execution department in accordance with the provisions of Article 51 of this Law. The addressee must, within two months from the date of entry into force of this Law, designate a place of domicile; failing this, the service procedures provided for in the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply. If it proves impossible to effect the notifications referred to in the preceding paragraph, notification shall be deemed made by publication in two local newspapers designated by the urgent matters judge, after establishing the impossibility of personal service, upon application by the lessor by a petition not subject to any fees or stamps of any kind; a copy of the notice shall be affixed to the door of the leased premises by a process-server, and the two-month period shall run from the date of the last publication or affixing. If it proves impossible to serve a notice issued by the execution department, notification shall be deemed made by publication and affixing in accordance with the relevant procedures, by a decision of the head of the execution department. The tenant shall bear the costs of these procedures. b- If the tenant misuses the leased premises by making alterations or modifications not resulting from normal use, or uses them or permits their use in a manner incompatible with the terms of the contract without the lessor's written consent. The exercise by the tenant who is a liberal professional of his profession within the leased residential premises, due to having been compelled to leave his professional premises, shall not be deemed misuse; in that case, the owner may not demand any compensation from the tenant, nor may the tenant demand additional compensation from the owner in recovery cases. Improvements carried out by the tenant at his own expense shall not be deemed misuse, provided they do not impair the structural integrity of the building. Installation of lifts, water tanks, heating or cooling systems, or hot water systems shall be considered in this category. Likewise, works to adapt the leased premises or the building entrances for the needs of a person with a disability residing therein, in accordance with the standards of the law on the rights of persons with disabilities in relation to buildings and facilities, shall not be deemed misuse, provided such works are technically feasible and do not impair the structural integrity of the building. Except for simple surface decoration and finishing works and the installation of individual cooling or heating units, the tenant wishing to benefit from the provisions of this Article must first seek the lessor's authorisation before the urgent matters judge, specifying all works he intends to carry out, to enable the court to assess their lawfulness and appropriateness. The tenant must take out insurance proportionate to all risks that may arise from the works he performs, and the costs of those works themselves, and the cost of restoring to their original condition those parts of the building damaged by such works, without having the right to have recourse against the owner for recovery of those costs or any part thereof, either during the tenancy or upon its termination. The value of improvements resulting from the works referred to in this paragraph shall not be included in the calculation of recovery compensation.

1. 1)If the tenant assigns or sub-lets the leased premises, in whole or in part, without the lessor's written consent; in that case the sub-tenant or assignee must be joined in the proceedings.
2. 2)If the tenant constructs a building elsewhere, or occupies or acquires ownership of a building that is vacant or occupied, suitable and habitable, of a standard comparable to that of the leased premises he occupies, in the same city or village, and where the tenant would not consider the leased premises for more than a month.
3. 3)In that case, the spouse, minor children residing with the tenant, and the tenant's adult children who are his dependants shall be deemed a single person for the purposes of applying the provisions of this paragraph, unless any of the children is in a situation of family necessity as referred to in paragraph (a) of Article 32 of this Law, subject to actual residence within one year from the date of completion, acquisition, or vacancy of the building, and continued residence for a minimum of three years.
4. 4)The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply where the tenant or any person deemed a single person with him acquires property for use as a commercial or tourist office or for the practice of a liberal profession and actually uses it for that purpose within six months of the date of acquisition and continues to do so for a minimum of three years.
5. 5)If the tenant abandons the leased premises for one year without interruption, despite continuing to pay the rent.
6. 6)Lebanese citizens employed or working in official Lebanese missions abroad shall be exempt from the provisions of this item.
7. 7)If the tenant abandons the leased premises for six consecutive months starting from his own volition and with the owner's knowledge, as evidenced by the building, the lessor shall notify the tenant of the non-payment notice or of the option to continue, either at the tenant's address as known to the lessor in the building, or by registered letter or open-faced registered card with acknowledgement of receipt in accordance with the service procedures set out in paragraph (a) of this Article.
8. 8)If the non-Lebanese tenant does not actually occupy the leased premises for six consecutive months despite paying the rent.

The tenant subject to the provisions of this Law who acquires ownership of the premises he occupies shall be exempt from:

1. 1)Waiver, mortgage registration, and mortgage release fees relating to the premises he occupies.
2. 2)Stamp duties on contracts, documents, and transactions drawn up in connection with the purchase of the said premises.
3. 3)The built property tax on the said premises for ten years following the date of purchase.
4. 4)The owner shall likewise, in that case, recover all legal fees due on the condominium subdivision transaction, as well as stamp duties on all transactions and contracts carried out for that purpose, provided that he produces to the Ministry of Finance, within three months from the date of completion of that transaction, the documents proving that the premises were occupied by the occupant. The recovery rate shall be proportional to the share of residential units that were divested.

The tenant who vacates the leased premises during the extension period in accordance with the provisions of this Law shall benefit from the exemptions provided for in the preceding Article in respect of the premises he acquires.

Subject to the dates set for the release of lease contracts as provided for in Article 15 of this Law, priority in the granting of residential loans shall be given by both the Housing Bank and the Public Housing Corporation to tenants subject to its provisions.