Reflections on Future Challenges to Housing, Land and Property Restitution for Syrian Refugees

NRC interviewed 580 Syrian refugee households in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to assess their potential Housing, Land and Property (HLP) claims inside Syria if they were to return home.

The findings indicate a complex situation. There are high levels of ownership assertions which are not matched by supporting documents for a variety of reasons, including loss during forced displacement and historical cultural practices regarding transfer of title within families. Future restitution and compensation processes will therefore need to take into consideration the complexity of the pluralist nature of HLP rights prior to the conflict and also ensure that there are remedies for HLP violations that have occurred during the conflict.