Tenant’s Death Doesn’t End Tenancy

TDT | Manama

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The High Civil Court rejected a property owner’s bid to evict a foreign woman, ruling that the original tenant's death alone was not enough to make her occupation unlawful.

The owner argued that the woman was occupying the property without legal grounds and noted she had filed a criminal complaint over the matter, which remains under investigation by the Public Prosecution.

However, the court found that the woman’s occupation began lawfully while she was living with her late husband, who had rented the property from the owner under a lease signed on October 1, 2002.

Although the one-year lease later expired, the husband remained in the property with the owner’s knowledge and without objection, while she continued to collect rent. The court therefore considered the tenancy extended under the same terms in accordance with the law.

The court found no evidence that the owner had asked the woman to leave or notified her that the legal basis for her occupation had ended.

It ruled that the owner failed to prove the woman’s possession had changed from lawful occupation to unlawful possession and dismissed the eviction claim.

The court clarified that the ruling does not prevent the owner from taking the legally prescribed steps to terminate the tenancy and seek eviction if the required legal conditions are met.