The Development Law and Lease Law which were published in 2014 and featured in our previous updater, came into effect on 7 February 2015. A number of supporting laws have recently been published and which we have summarised below:

  • Law No. 6 of 2015 confirms that the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning has been appointed as the concerned Authority for the purposes of the Development Law.
  • Ministerial Order No. 9 of 2015 confirms the fees applied to registering leases in accordance with the provisions of the Lease Law. The fees for registering a residential lease will be BHD 5 and for commercial leases will be BHD 10.
  • Ministerial Order No. 10 of 2015 includes details of the process and procedure required to file a claim with the Development Law Disputes Committee and which falls under the remit of the Development Law together with an overview of the case management procedures.
  • Ministerial Order No. 11 of 2015 includes details of the process and procedure required to file a claim with the Lease Law Disputes Committee and which falls under the remit of the Lease Law together with an overview of the case management procedures.
  • Ministerial Order No. 13 of 2015 sets out details of the members of the Lease Disputes Committee.
  • Ministerial Order No. 15 of 2015 establishes the Office of Lease Registration (OLR) and outlines the procedures for registering leases as required by the Lease Law. This law briefly sets out that the OLR will be situated in the Capital Secretariat and in each of the Municipalities. Leases will be capable of being registered electronically. The Order also sets out what information will be included in the register (these include details of the parties, date of lease, term and permitted use).

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.