Legislative affairs once again took center stage on the airwaves last night, with the nation’s talking heads focusing on the latest regarding the Old Rent Law and the newly-ratified Labor Law.

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ِAmending the Old Rent Law is a “bold move by the political leadership” to address a long-standing issue and restore balance to tenant-landlord relations, Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi said (watch, runtime: 4:21). The proposed amendments would help bring some 450k closed units back to the market, helping boost supply and ease rental prices, Ashraf El Sokary, head of the association of those affected by the old rent laws, told El Hadidi.

Not everyone’s on board: Sherif El Ga’ar, head of the Old Rent Tenants Union, voiced his discontent with the proposed amendments, especially that which sets a minimum rent of EGP 500 per month for residential units in rural areas, explaining that many homes in rural areas don’t even follow the old rent system, he told El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 3:57).

More flexibility could be coming: MP Amr Darwish told El Hadidi that his fellow MPs are weighing multiple ideas to ease the burden of the amendments on vulnerable tenants — including a rent-to-own system or tailored support programs for low-income renters (watch, runtime: 1:08).

ALSO ON THE AIRWAVES- The ratification of the revamped Labor Law marks a “turning point” for workplace relations and will deliver “positive outcomes,” Abdel Moneim El Gamal, head of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, told Al Hayah Al Youm’s Lobna Asal (watch, runtime: 6:45).

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