The Addis Ababa City Administration has issued a directive (Directive No. 7/2024) governing the administration and supervision of the rental of residential houses in the city. The Directive is issued pursuant to Article 29(2) of The Residential Housing (Property) Rent Control and Administration Proclamation No. 1320/2024, having the primary aim of standardizing rent agreements by providing a model residential rent agreement, establishing a complaint mechanism, and the overall administration of rent on residential houses.
The Directive contains six sections covering registration and authentication of a rent agreement, the contents of the rent agreement, the duties and responsibilities of sub-cities and Woreda Housing Administration Offices, penalty measures, and a model rent agreement. Accordingly, Article 4 of the Directive states that a residential rent agreement must contain at least: the name and address of the lessee and the lessor, the address of the residential house, the rent payment (rental price), the condition and other details of the house, and terms and conditions agreed by the lessee and lessor in compliance with the Directive.
A residential rent agreement fulfilling the above requirement shall then be registered both in hard and soft copies. The registration process requires the contracting parties to bring the rent agreement, and a valid identification (i.e., a residential ID, work ID, driving license, or passport). If the registration is to be processed through an agent, then a valid power of attorney is also required. In addition to that, the lessee must bring a document showing that he/she has a right to rent the house, i.e.,. a title deed.
The Directive also provides a list of issues on which the Woreda offices can accept complaints under Article 17. The first issue identified by the Directive is renting a residential house without a valid contract. Demanding a higher rent fee than the amount stated in the rent contract, increasing the rent amount, violating the provisions of Proclamation No. 1320/2024, terminating the rent agreement against the provisions of the Proclamation, keeping a residential house without providing a rent service for more than 6 months, and using the residential house for illegal purposes are also other issues on which complaints can be filed.
The procedure for submitting a complaint is also incorporated under the Directive. Complaints can be submitted in person at the office, by phone, in writing, or through any other available communication channel, as can be inferred from Article 18. Upon receiving the complaint, the office keeps a record of the name and address of the person who brought the complaint, the address of the residential house on which a complaint is brought, the name and address of the lessee and the lessor, and the date on which the issue giving rise to the complaint occurred.
The offices at the Sub-city and Woreda levels will have, among others, the mandate of overseeing the implementation of the Directive, creating awareness, implementing a modern registration system, and enforcing the administrative measures provided in the Directive. The final section of the Directive provides administrative measures for the violations stated under Article 17. The measures include penalties ranging from the payment of one month up to three months of the rental price. Directive No. 7/2024 is in effect as of May 30, 2024.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed do not reflect the official policy or position of DABLO. The writing is not intended to be, and should not be used as, a substitute for taking legal advice in any specific situation.
Download the full version of the Directive here:
