Rights Are Not Granted—They Are Seized… No to the Tenant Eviction Law

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

The capitalist government is escalating its assault on poor tenants. It remains determined to pass the Old Rent Law, which seeks to liberalize the landlord-tenant relationship based on market logic—blatantly ignoring the fundamental housing rights of millions of Egyptians.

According to the new version submitted by the government to the House of Representatives yesterday, the main features of the law confirm a continued drive to evict tenants through:

● Imposing a temporary transitional period (seven years for residential use and five for non-residential), ending with the forced evacuation of tenants.
● Imposing exorbitant increases in rental value (up to 20 times in high-end areas) without considering income levels.
● Forming committees to divide neighborhoods according to levels of affluence, paving the way for justifying rent hikes and privileging wealthy areas over poorer ones.
● Granting landlords the right to evict tenants if the unit remains vacant or the tenant owns another property.

The government claims that these amendments comply with the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling. However, the ruling did not call for eviction—it merely stated that rent values should not remain fixed. What is happening now is a blatant attempt to appease the brokerage lobbies and large-scale landlords at the expense of housing rights.

We reaffirm the following:

1. Our total rejection of the draft is laWe rejection of ending contracts after a specified transitional period, with a firm demand to maintain contract continuity for one generation, as stipulated by the Supreme Constitutional Court’s rulings in 2002 and 2011.
3. We reject unfair rent increases not linked to income levels to curb speculation and prevent exploitation of the economic crisis or the increased demand for rentals due to regional wars (such as the influx of refugees)—a practice applied in most capitalist countries.
4. Our call for comprehensive reform of the rental system, both old and new, is the recognition of housing as a right for all.
5. The enactment of a law incentivizes owners of vacant units—estimated at 12 million according to official statistics—to rent them out to restore balance to the housing market.

We call upon all tenants’ associations, unions, and civil society organizations to escalate public anger through protests, conferences, and sit-ins. Housing rights can only be won through struggle, not through closed-door negotiations.
Apartments belong to those who live in them… No to the Eviction Law!