Can a tenant sublet the flat or let a family member take over the lease in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “Can a tenant sublet an apartment in Lebanon?” · “Can my son take over my old-rent lease?” · “Subletting without the landlord's consent in Lebanon” · “Does a lease end when the tenant dies in Lebanon?”

First, find out which lease you have#

Lebanon has two rent regimes. Residential leases signed before 23 July 1992 fall under the old-rent regime, and leases signed after that date are free contracts^[5,6,7]. New leases are governed by Law 159/92 and the leasing chapter of the Code of Obligations and Contracts, under which landlord and tenant set the rent and term freely^[1,2,3,4]. The date on your contract decides which subletting and takeover rules apply, so check it first. Here is how to tell if your lease is old or new.

Subletting a lease signed after July 1992#

Jaber Law Firm says subletting is allowed for the same use unless the lease forbids it^[3]. A clause in the lease that bans subletting prevails. Read your contract before anything else: if it says no subletting, the general rule does not help you.

The use of the flat has to stay the same. Choueh Law Firm says the premises must be used exactly as the lease states, for example as a residence or an office, or the lease may be terminated^[2]. Jaber lists using the place for another purpose among the grounds that cancel a post-1992 lease^[3]. No source we read says whether letting a flat to tourists by the night counts as a different use from a residence, so if that is your plan, read whether short-term letting is legal and ask a lawyer before you list it.

The sources also do not say who answers to the landlord for a subtenant's unpaid rent or damage in a new lease. Put it in a signed agreement, and ask a lawyer if the sums are large.

Subletting an old lease#

Under the pre-1992 regime the tenant may sublet only with the landlord's written consent or where the contract allows it. Even then, the lease stays between the landlord and the original tenant^[3], so the subtenant does not become the landlord's tenant.

Jaber Law Firm lists total or partial assignment or subletting without written approval among the grounds for evicting a pre-1992 tenant^[3]. Those grounds come from the 1992 law, and how far they still apply alongside the 2014/2017 law was not checked. The end of the extension does not by itself remove a tenant; landlords have gone to court for eviction orders^[8,9,11]. More in whether an old-rent tenant can be evicted now.

A family member taking over the lease#

Under the pre-1992 regime, if the tenant died or left, the spouse, ascendants and children who lived in the dwelling could take over the lease, provided they had entered it at the start of the lease^[3,7]. LCPS also says the right of occupancy could pass to family members. We found no source on whether this right survives under the 2014/2017 law, or after the extension ended in February 2026.

What remains of old leases at all is contested. The Metn appeals court, a lawyer quoted in the press and a landlords' adviser say that once the extension ends without the required steps, the lease falls under ordinary contract law and the tenant must leave or agree new terms^[6,8,12,13]. Lawyers quoted by Maharat and a Public Works Studio author argue that Art. 58 suspends the law until the Fund operates; the Metn appeals court held in June 2026 that it does not suspend the tenant's own deadlines^[8,11,14]. See what happens to old-rent tenants after February 2026.

For new leases, Jaber Law Firm says a post-1992 lease does not end on the death of the tenant or the landlord^[3]. We found nothing on a child or relative taking over a new lease while the tenant is alive, or on who exactly steps into the lease after a death. A lawyer who handles rent cases can tell you, with your contract in hand.