BEIRUT: A group of people Thursday briefly blocked a road in a Beirut neighborhood to protest the new rent law, which was passed by Parliament a day earlier.
Tens of demonstrators gathered in Wataa al-Msaitbeh to voice their opposition against the controversial law, which they say will displace hundreds of families.
More than 200,000 apartments, mostly in Beirut, are rented under an old law that governs lease contracts enacted before 1993. Inhabitants pay minimal rent fees that often amount to less than LL1,000,000 annually.
Under the new law, rents would increase over six years until they reach 5 percent of the current market value of an apartment. Owners have the freedom to either sell the apartment or lease under a new contract and price.
The Daily Star