The Egyptian government will not abandon tenants living under the country's long-standing "old rent" system and is working to provide alternative housing, two ministers told parliament on Monday during a debate on a proposed new law. Local Development Minister Manal Awad and Housing Minister Sherif El-Sherbiny addressed a plenary session of the House of Representatives, chaired by Speaker Hanafi Gebaly, which was discussing a government-drafted bill to amend rent laws and reorganise the relationship between landlords and tenants. The ministers' remarks came in response to questions from members of parliament about the fate of tenants, particularly those with low incomes, under the proposed changes. "The Egyptian state and the government will not abandon the old rent tenants when the law is applied," Awad said, reassuring parliament that the state has successful precedents in providing housing, citing its experience in clearing informal settlements and providing a decent life for residents of unsafe areas. Awad confirmed that there were vacant plots of land of various sizes available in all governorates. She said this land, which was recovered by the state under a 2017 law, is in the possession of the governorates and is suitable for development. The local development minister added that she would provide parliament with a detailed and audited statement of the available land in each governorate on Tuesday. She also said her ministry would coordinate with other state bodies, such as the Agricultural Reform authority and the Ministry of Endowments, to secure more land for housing projects, especially in governorates that lack a desert hinterland. Participating in the same session, Housing Minister Sherif El-Sherbiny said the government was keen to achieve a fair balance between the rights of owners and tenants while protecting vulnerable groups. "The ministry is keen to achieve social balance in the application of the draft law, and all cases are being taken into consideration with great care during the preparation of the proposed implementation mechanisms," El-Sherbiny said, adding that tenants' income levels and social conditions would be considered to ensure fair solutions. The housing minister revealed that his ministry is studying the possibility of excluding certain properties from the new regulations. These include residential units that have been kept closed and unused, as well as cases where tenants are found to own more than one other habitable unit. El-Sherbiny said these measures would "ensure the redirection of housing resources to the most needy and genuinely prioritised groups" and would "prevent the freezing of unexploited real estate resources." He confirmed that his ministry would coordinate with the Ministry of Local Development to study the provision of necessary land to support housing efforts. The alternative units to be provided would vary in price and size to suit the financial capabilities of those eligible, El-Sherbiny said, adding that "absolute priority will be given to the categories most in need of care to ensure social justice." He concluded by affirming that the housing ministry "is working on flexible and comprehensive implementation plans to provide the required units… with the government's commitment to achieving a complete balance between implementing the upcoming law and providing suitable alternatives."
