House rent increases are a nightmare for renters. Especially when the New Year comes, this panic escalates. Landlords increase the rent at will. In this case, they do not respect the law. Many renters do not know that there are specific laws in the country.
The House Rent Control Act 1991 covers the problems and solutions of house rent. There are certain things in the law for renting and renting a home.For example, there should be a written agreement between the landlord and the tenant where both parties will sign.
It will mention the rental period, name of the homeowner and tenant, address, mobile number, rental amount, electricity and water and gas bills, and many other things. Depending on the location and beauty of the house, how much money will be deposited, which should be mentioned in the contract.
The contract must be entered into a non-judicial stamp of taka 300 .But the reality is the landlords are taking advantage of the fact that most tenants do not know about such a law.
According to a survey by a non-governmental organization, 72 to 75 percent of the capital’s population lives in rented housing. It is said that people from outside Dhaka are forced to live in rented houses.
Another survey says that in the last 25 years, the cost of consumer goods has increased by 200 percent. But at the same time, home rentals have increased by about 400 percent.That is the rate of home rent growth is doubled compared to the cost of regularity.
This is uncomfortable for the average person, but no one thinks too much about it. Ignorance about the law is the main reason. As a result, the tenants are having to read the rent while staying in the house.
Increasing the rent of the house without turning around for years, compelling the tenant to leave the house without notice, as per the owner’s wishes, there are various allegations, including the condition of the agreement at the time of the lease. In this case, everyone needs to be aware of the law.
Not knowing the law of home rentals leads to misunderstandings between landlords and tenants. One of these is about paying rent. We usually rent it directly to the landlord.
In most cases, no receipt is given. Sometimes receipts are given but there is no mention of rental amount. But according to the law, the receipt is compulsory.
In addition, we are constantly facing another problem; And that is the rent increase. Homeowners increase rent for various reasons. But the law states that the landlord cannot raise the rent only if he wants.
Typically, home rentals cannot be increased in less than two years. After this period, it will be decided by a compromise between landlord and tenant. It can also be set by the regulator.
But none of this is acceptable. Another important thing is to make advance or deposit.Under section 10 and 23 of the Act, a house owner may not receive more than one month’s security deposit from his tenant in advance without the written order of the rent controller.
But, it is often seen that renters are usually paid two to three months in advance. Sometimes it is rented for more than a month. There is one more thing that most of us do not know. It is usually the landlord’s responsibility to repair the home.
However, in most cases, some homeowners do not want to do some repair work. It imposes a rent on the tenant, which is by no means insignificant. This is the expectation that tenants, and especially homeowners, will be aware of.
Shahadat Rana: Journalist