Beware tenancy law changes

Did you know that Macau real estate law has been amended? Specifically, Civil Code Articles 969-1056 relating directly to lease agreements have been revised and whether you rent or lease property in Macau you need to be aware of the changes.
After receiving increased pressure to address rising property prices, the Macau Government reviewed seven Articles in the Civil Code, with five eventually passed on August 21, 2017. With the population of Macau continuing to grow, action was required to address landlord and tenant concerns and the newly revised Articles will go into effect on February 21, 2018, affecting commercial, residential, industrial, and agricultural agreements.
In summary, the new Articles require that all rental contracts be notarised as a measure to address the operation of illegal inns and other illicit situations in the property market. The new law also extends the standard period for rental agreements from two to three years, meaning that the landlords of commercial and residential properties cannot solely terminate the rental agreements with their tenants within three years. Along with making it easier for landlords to evict unruly tenants, the new laws also provide for arbitration in rental disputes.
I appreciate that the new laws provide protection to both tenant and landlord, but I find a three-year lease agreement to be problematic. As an international city that recruits many foreign workers, it is desirable for some workers to sign one-year lease agreements. When a foreign worker first arrives in Macau, it is daunting to commit to living in one location for two years, let alone three.
Should someone desire to move to a different part of the city or to a different complex, they are prevented by this long commitment of renting property in Macau. Of course, many leases have break clauses but it may come at the cost of two months rent, which in some cases can be extremely costly. In my experience of living in other cities around the world, renting month to month was possible and easy to find but here in Macau it is almost unheard of and finding a one-year lease is even more difficult.
As stated, I am pleased that the new laws give long term residents more security when renting . . . but for the transient community, three years is too long to commit to one apartment, in my opinion.