Renting an apartment in Lebanon: the lease, the deposit and the checks

In Lebanon, a home lease runs at least three years by law, even when the contract says one, and most rents are set in fresh dollars. On top of the rent, the tenant usually pays a one-off stamp duty of 0.4% of all the rent due under the lease and, as the occupant, a yearly municipal fee of 6.5% of the year's rent. Building fees, the generator, water and electricity are extra. Before you sign, check who owns the flat and put every promise in writing.

What the lease should say

The lease names the flat, the rent and the duration (Article 533 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts). A verbal lease is valid, but its terms are hard to prove in a dispute, so ask for a written one.

The three years come from Law 159/1992, which rewrote Article 543 for leases signed since 23 July 1992. A lease written for less still runs three years, with the rent fixed. Seasonal rentals and housing provided by an employer are the exceptions. Many landlords still write one-year leases and raise the rent each year. You don't have to accept a raise during the three years, and paying it can count as agreeing to it.

Put these in writing:

1. Both parties, and the owner if someone else signs for them.
2. The flat: building, floor and plot number.
3. The rent, its currency, the payment date and the start date.
4. The deposit and when it comes back.
5. Who pays the building fees, the generator, water, electricity and the municipal fee.
6. For a furnished flat, a signed inventory.
7. How either side can leave early, and with what notice.

During the 2026 displacement, Daraj reported a landlord asking a displaced tenant for three months' rent up front. If you pay in advance, write in the lease which months it covers.

Tip: Pay by bank transfer, or against a signed receipt, and keep the receipts with the lease.

Registering the lease and the stamp duty

The landlord must register a written lease at the municipality where the flat is, or with the mukhtar where there's no municipality, by 31 December (Law 60/1988, Article 6). The municipality uses the rent in it to charge the yearly municipal fee. Ask for a copy once it's registered.

Every contract that states an amount pays a 0.4% stamp duty. For a lease it's charged once on all the rent over the term: $1,000 a month for three years is $36,000, so $144. The tenant pays it unless the lease says otherwise.

A registered lease proves you live there. EDL asks for a title deed or a lease signed by the municipality before it transfers a meter to a new subscriber, and General Security accepts a title deed or a lease as proof of housing for some annual residence permits. A lease longer than three years binds a buyer of the flat only if it's registered at the Land Registry (Article 543).

The deposit and the agent's fee

The deposit (التأمين). No law in force sets the amount, so it's whatever you agree. Write down what it can cover, such as unpaid bills or damage beyond normal wear, and when it comes back after you return the keys.

The agent's fee. If you rent through an agency or an independent agent, agree the fee and who pays it before the first visit. No law in force sets it. A draft law on brokers, proposed in Parliament, would set it at 2.5% of the lease's total value, and at least one month's rent unless agreed otherwise.

What you pay on top of the rent

For a flat at $1,000 a month on a three-year lease:

The municipal fee is 5% of the rental value for a home plus 1.5% for sewers and pavements (Law 60/1988), charged to the occupant and paid in pounds at the Banque du Liban rate. If no lease is registered, or the rent looks too low, the municipality estimates the rental value itself. More in property tax in Lebanon.

What to check before you sign

1. The owner. Get a title extract (إفادة عقارية). The owner on it should be the person signing, or have given them a power of attorney.
2. Power. Ask how many hours of EDL power the area gets and whether the meter has arrears. EDL won't transfer a meter or refund its deposit until arrears are paid.
3. The generator. Ask the amps, the hours, and whether it's metered or a flat fee.
4. Water. Ask how many days a week it comes, and who pays for a tanker in summer.
5. The building. Ask the committee or the concierge (ناطور) for the monthly fees and what they cover.
6. The condition. Test the taps, water heater and sockets. Get repairs done before you move in, or listed in the lease.
7. Photos. On move-in day, photograph every room and meter reading and send them to the landlord, so both of you have a dated copy.

To compare rents, see rent prices in Beirut, then search flats for rent in Beirut or across Lebanon.

Leaving the flat

You can leave at the end of the term written in the lease. If it was written for less than three years, you can also leave at the end of any year of the extension: tell the landlord two months before that year ends, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or through a notary (Article 543). It's safer to send the same notice before the written term ends, too. Leaving at another time needs the landlord's agreement, so write an early-exit clause into the lease.

No landlord can evict a tenant without a court order. The rules on renewal, notice and increases are in rent law in Lebanon.