Morocco Considers Rent Relief for Vulnerable Tenants Amid COVID-19 Crisis

The objective of the parliamentary group is to postpone, until the end of the covid-19 health crisis, the payment of rents for tenants most affected by the lockdown. An amendment will be made to Law 67-12 which governs the contractual relationship between landlords and tenants of premises for residential or professional use.

The Socialist Parliamentary Group intends to add a new article to Chapter 4 of Law 67-12. This is Article 30 bis, to specify that unpaid rents be considered an ordinary debt subject to the legal procedures in force in this matter. Unpaid rents should not be considered as negligence that could lead to eviction proceedings. The consequences of the covid-19 pandemic in all sectors of activity in the kingdom justify this proposal by the Socialist Parliamentary Group.

The bill specifies that this is a temporary exemption and that the unpaid rents will have to be repaid as a debt, upon return to normal of the situation. It concerns citizens whose social and financial situation has been deeply affected by the preventive measures taken by the authorities. Because, due to the health crisis, many tenants will no longer be able to pay their monthly rents. This proposal also aims to prevent tenants from being evicted for non-payment of rent, argued the presentation note of the proposal.

The Socialist Parliamentary Group has warned against the eviction of a residential property, especially during this pandemic period.