In the late 1940’s after World War II, to avoid tenants from being thrown out of their homes and exacerbating the economic and social distress of the time, the Lebanese government issued an exceptional law stating that all rental contracts would be extended until a new law is issued in that regard; and, until 1992, all those new laws only extended the old one. This meant owners could only repossess their properties under two circumstances: for family needs or demolition, while paying a compensation fee of 25 to 50 percent of the value of the property, the exact amount determined either between the two parties or by the courts. In 1992, two laws were issued distinguishing between contracts made before 1992 and the ones made after: Law 160/62 extended the former rental law and applies to contracts made before 1992. The second law (159/62) applies to contracts made after 1992,
