Sagar Biswas :
Targeting the New Year, some house-owners in Dhaka city have increased house rent in the first month of January pushing the middle and low-income groups of people in a miserable situation.
Although the High Court had ordered to form a ‘controlling body’ to harness the skyrocketing of house rent, the decision was not materialized
by the authorities concerned in the last one and a half years due to reasons best known to them.
There are widespread allegations that, the concerned departments of the government and the city corporations, both Dhaka south and north, are apparently indifferent about the ‘basic problem’ of the city residents.
A private bank official Zakir Hossain lives in city’s Azimpur along his wife and two children in a two-room flat with monthly rent Tk 18,000. In the New Year, his house owner has increased Tk 1,000 per month from January without showing any reason.
It’s a common scenario in the city where house rent increases every year making the tenants helpless. In many cases, the landlords do not give any counterfoil of money receipt and also copies of gas-electricity-water bills. Some house owners allegedly used to take money from the tenants without showing any bill as their wishes.
On the other hand, choosing a new house is also not easy for the tenants. As an example, it’s a two-room flat on the third floor of an apartment building at Shewrapara in the city’s Mirpur where monthly rent is Tk 20,000. It also includes service charge Tk 4,000 and gas-electricity-water bill extra.
“Not only that, the tenant will have to pay three months’ rent in advance. Besides, the rent of each month should be paid within five days of the first week. Excessive guests will not be allowed. Family members should not be more than five persons. The landlord must be informed two months before quitting the house,” Azmal Hossain Khan, an associate professor of a private university, said sharing his experience.
According to information provided by Consumers Association of Bangladesh [CAB], the house rent had increased 350 percent from 1990-2011. From 2012 to 2016, the increasing was 370 percent. In a total, the house rent has increased 388 percent in last 25 years. That means, each year the rent is increasing 16 percent.
On July 2, 2015, the High Court had issued directives to the government to form a commission by the cabinet secretary to fix ‘maximum and minimum’ standard house rents in the city.
Apart from giving recommendations for updating the Premises Rent Control Act 1991, the proposed Commission’s other task was holding discussions with house-owners and tenants to identify the problems. At the same time, the court had asked the police to take steps regarding house rent-related complaints.
The HC also had asked the government to appoint a ‘house rent controller’ at every ward for hearing allegations and settling issues until the Commission is formed. But it did not work till the date.
In this situation, the concerned departments of government and city corporations are blaming each other. Government says it’s not their duty, on the other hand the city corporations say they have not enough power to bring discipline in this sector.
As per an approximate estimation, only about 20-25 percent of the total inhabitants of Dhaka have their own houses, the remaining 75-80 percent [about 1.5 crore] people live in rented houses.
As a result, the demand for rented houses is increasing with the rising population while the owners are taking advantage. The situation is also the same in other cities, including Chittagong. Usually, 60 percent of the tenants’ total income goes to house rent every month.
CAB General Secretary advocate Humayun Kabir recently said: “The government initiative in this sector is very poor. Some house owners are increasing rent as their wishes. But they do not know that they could face punishment for such act.”
The mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Syeed Khokan, however, said that they are working to create awareness among the people on the issue.
Targeting the New Year, some house-owners in Dhaka city have increased house rent in the first month of January pushing the middle and low-income groups of people in a miserable situation.
Although the High Court had ordered to form a ‘controlling body’ to harness the skyrocketing of house rent, the decision was not materialized
by the authorities concerned in the last one and a half years due to reasons best known to them.
There are widespread allegations that, the concerned departments of the government and the city corporations, both Dhaka south and north, are apparently indifferent about the ‘basic problem’ of the city residents.
A private bank official Zakir Hossain lives in city’s Azimpur along his wife and two children in a two-room flat with monthly rent Tk 18,000. In the New Year, his house owner has increased Tk 1,000 per month from January without showing any reason.
It’s a common scenario in the city where house rent increases every year making the tenants helpless. In many cases, the landlords do not give any counterfoil of money receipt and also copies of gas-electricity-water bills. Some house owners allegedly used to take money from the tenants without showing any bill as their wishes.
On the other hand, choosing a new house is also not easy for the tenants. As an example, it’s a two-room flat on the third floor of an apartment building at Shewrapara in the city’s Mirpur where monthly rent is Tk 20,000. It also includes service charge Tk 4,000 and gas-electricity-water bill extra.
“Not only that, the tenant will have to pay three months’ rent in advance. Besides, the rent of each month should be paid within five days of the first week. Excessive guests will not be allowed. Family members should not be more than five persons. The landlord must be informed two months before quitting the house,” Azmal Hossain Khan, an associate professor of a private university, said sharing his experience.
According to information provided by Consumers Association of Bangladesh [CAB], the house rent had increased 350 percent from 1990-2011. From 2012 to 2016, the increasing was 370 percent. In a total, the house rent has increased 388 percent in last 25 years. That means, each year the rent is increasing 16 percent.
On July 2, 2015, the High Court had issued directives to the government to form a commission by the cabinet secretary to fix ‘maximum and minimum’ standard house rents in the city.
Apart from giving recommendations for updating the Premises Rent Control Act 1991, the proposed Commission’s other task was holding discussions with house-owners and tenants to identify the problems. At the same time, the court had asked the police to take steps regarding house rent-related complaints.
The HC also had asked the government to appoint a ‘house rent controller’ at every ward for hearing allegations and settling issues until the Commission is formed. But it did not work till the date.
In this situation, the concerned departments of government and city corporations are blaming each other. Government says it’s not their duty, on the other hand the city corporations say they have not enough power to bring discipline in this sector.
As per an approximate estimation, only about 20-25 percent of the total inhabitants of Dhaka have their own houses, the remaining 75-80 percent [about 1.5 crore] people live in rented houses.
As a result, the demand for rented houses is increasing with the rising population while the owners are taking advantage. The situation is also the same in other cities, including Chittagong. Usually, 60 percent of the tenants’ total income goes to house rent every month.
CAB General Secretary advocate Humayun Kabir recently said: “The government initiative in this sector is very poor. Some house owners are increasing rent as their wishes. But they do not know that they could face punishment for such act.”
The mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Syeed Khokan, however, said that they are working to create awareness among the people on the issue.
