What Ethiopian law says
| Rule | Source |
|---|---|
| The proclamation applies to residential house rent contracts in urban centres accountable to the regions and to the Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations; hotel, resort and guesthouse rentals are among the exclusions. | Rent Control and Administration Proclamation No. 1320/2024, Article 3 |
| Every residential rent contract must be in written form and be authenticated and registered before the regulatory body. This also applies to renewals. | Article 4 |
| The proclamation also regulates the minimum term of a contract, rent increases, advance payments and termination. Read those articles in the current text before agreeing on figures. | Parts Two and Three |
| The Civil Code’s provisions on contracts in general and on contracts of lease apply to issues the proclamation does not cover. | Proclamation No. 1320/2024 |
Clause outline
Use these headings as the structure of your document. They are a drafting checklist, not finished legal wording.
- PartiesHouse owner and tenant: full names, addresses and identification details.
- The houseAddress and description of the house or unit, its fixtures and the condition at hand-over.
- Term and renewalStart date, term and renewal, consistent with the proclamation’s rules on duration and renewal.
- Rent and paymentRent amount, payment dates and method, and any advance payment within the proclamation’s limits.
- Rent changesHow and when rent may change, following the regulatory body’s decisions under the proclamation.
- Use, repairs and utilitiesPermitted use, who repairs what, and who pays utilities and service charges.
- Subletting and alterationsWhether either is allowed and on what conditions.
- Termination and hand-backGrounds and notice for termination as the proclamation allows, inspection and return of the house.
- RegistrationUndertaking to authenticate and register the contract, and any renewal, with the regulatory body.
- SignaturesSignatures of both parties and any witnesses.
Before you sign
- Check whether the house is in an area covered by Proclamation No. 1320/2024.
- Confirm the term, advance payment and any rent increase against the proclamation’s current text and the regulatory body’s published decisions.
- Plan the authentication and registration step: an unregistered contract does not meet Article 4.
Draft it with jLaw
Give jLaw an instruction like this one. It drafts the document, cites the provisions it relies on and delivers revisions as tracked changes.
“Draft a residential house rent agreement for a two-bedroom apartment in Addis Ababa that complies with the Rent Control and Administration Proclamation No. 1320/2024, and list the articles on term, advance payment and registration.”
Frequently asked questions
Does a house rent agreement in Addis Ababa have to be registered?
Yes. Article 4 of the Rent Control and Administration Proclamation No. 1320/2024 requires residential rent contracts within its scope, which includes Addis Ababa, to be written, authenticated and registered before the regulatory body.
Which law applies to points the rent proclamation does not cover?
The Civil Code’s rules on contracts in general and on contracts of lease, as Proclamation No. 1320/2024 itself provides.
This page is general legal information about Ethiopian law, prepared from the published texts it cites. It is not legal advice and does not confirm whether a provision is still in force or has been amended. Federal laws are published in the Federal Negarit Gazeta in Amharic and English, and the Amharic version prevails where they differ. Consult a qualified Ethiopian lawyer about your situation.