Can landlords raise rent or demand large advances from families displaced by the 2026 war, and what protections exist?

Also asked as: “Can landlords charge displaced families months of rent in advance?” · “Rent increases for displaced families in Lebanon 2026” · “What protections exist for displaced tenants in Lebanon?” · “Displaced families rent Lebanon advance payment landlord”

What displaced families were asked to pay#

In April 2026 the Lebanese outlet Khatt30 found displaced families being asked for USD 2,500 to 9,000 up front^[1] before they could move in. The sum covered rent, deposit, broker fee and several months in advance. Rents were more than three times earlier levels, and one flat in Aley was offered at USD 1,500 a month plus three months in advance. The author's sample is not representative, so treat these as reported cases rather than market averages.

Khatt30 also reports that housing rents sit outside any state oversight, and that no measure guaranteeing safe housing for the displaced had been adopted as of April 2026^[1]. We found no adopted law changing that by October 2026. Before a lease is signed, nothing we found stops a landlord from asking a high rent or a large advance.

What protects you once the lease is signed#

A lease signed after July 1992 is a free contract under Law 159/92^[2,3,4,7] and the Code of Obligations and Contracts, so you and the landlord agree the rent and the term between you. Once they are agreed, Adala Law Firm says the landlord may not demand an increase before the term ends, or during a tacit renewal. To charge more lawfully, he has to wait for the term to end and then ask you to leave or sign a new contract at a higher rent^[4]. More on when a landlord can raise the rent.

Two law firms say a post-1992 residential lease runs at least three years^[2,4,5], even if the contract says less. They give different legal bases: Jaber Law Firm relies on Art. 543 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts, Adala on Law 159/92, and Art. 543 may have been repealed. Jaber says the rule does not cover seasonal lets and employer housing^[2], which matters if you rent a summer house in the mountains. No source we read defines when a let counts as seasonal, so ask a lawyer. See the three-year minimum.

A lease binds even if it was never written down. Adala Law Firm says oral leases are binding and can be proved by receipts, witnesses and presumptions^[4]. Without paper, though, proving the rent and the term is much harder. According to one legal-information website, eviction always needs a court order and a landlord may not evict by himself; that website cites no law for this^[8].

Deposits, advance months and the broker fee#

Khatt30 describes three kinds of up-front money, each refunded differently. The agency commission is not refunded, a deposit (ta'min) may be, and advance months are deducted from later rent^[1]. Nothing guarantees that prepaid rent comes back if you leave early, and all of this is practice, not law.

Two law firms say Lebanon has no specific law protecting tenants' deposits^[2,3]. The refund terms you write into the lease are your main protection. See deposits and advance rent.

A broker's fee is set by agreement, an official tariff or custom, and under Arts 292-293 of the Commercial Code a judge may cut a disproportionate fee to a fair one^[9]. We found no official tariff for rental brokerage. Large cash advances are also what rental scammers ask for, so read how to avoid rental scams before you hand over money.

Municipal rules on hosting displaced families#

Khatt30 reports that some municipalities imposed prior control on renting to displaced people, which the article calls illegal^[1]. Majdal Anjar municipality in the Bekaa fined a resident who hosted a displaced family without informing it: over USD 1,000 fine (Majdal Anjar). We found no legal basis for such municipal rules. Ask the municipality where the flat is what it requires and get the answer in writing; a legal-aid organisation can tell you whether the requirement is lawful.

Separately, the owner must register leases at the municipality every year by 31 December, according to the Dahye municipalities union^[10]. A registered lease helps you too: to move an existing EDL meter into your name, EDL accepts a lease signed by the municipality^[11,12]. More on registering a lease at the municipality.