LEGISLATION WATCH- The House Housing Committee approved yesterday a temporary law to settle building code violations, Al Shorouk reports. The law, if passed, would sunset after three months. During that period, building owners would be required to submit a settlement request to a specialized committee. Authorities would be permitted to come to settlements on structures that meet structural integrity requirements and that are not built on state-owned or agricultural land, or land that is subject to the Antiquities Protection Law. Payments for approved settlements will be made as a lump sum. Market chatter had previously suggested the law would allow payments on settlements to be made via the building’s utility bills. The reconciliation drive is expected to earn state coffers c.EGP 72 bn from around 1.8 mn buildings that are in violation of existing codes, in addition to other code violations, the government says.

Background: Discussion of the bill began in February, but the committee had agreed soon thereafter that the legislation cannot pass without amendments to the Unified Building Code, as they are too closely intertwined. The current status of the Unified Building Code remains unclear — as does the reason for the committee’s apparent change of heart.