Effectively implement house rent laws
National Citizen Society urges govt
The government must ensure effective implementation of the existing house rent laws in the country to ease the sufferings of tenants, demanded speakers at a human chain yesterday.
They said these laws lack proper implementation with the authorities concerned not monitoring the issue properly.
National Citizen Society organised the human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital, said an official press release.
Its President Mohammad Nasir Uddin Munshi said house rents across the country have increased by 350 percent in the last 22 years.
According to the House Rent Control Act 1991, if the rent of any house is increased exceeding the “standard rentâ€, the excess amount is not realisable from the tenant, said journalist Shahid Shiraji.
Munshi alleged that most landlords in the capital charge five to six times the standard rent set by Dhaka city corporation and also do not pay taxes in proportion to the rent hike.
This situation could be controlled if the government could build houses to be leased out at lower rents over long periods, he suggested.
Shiraji said the house rent act directs landlords to provide receipts to tenants upon receiving rent from them, yet very few landlords follow this rule.
At the programme, National Citizen Society placed 14-point demand, including proper implementation of house rent laws and a mobile court to settle disputes between house owners and tenants.
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