Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has taken the initiative to publish area-based rent guidelines and rate cards to remove the long-standing rent opacity in Dhaka metropolis. DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz made the announcement at a roundtable discussion on the rights of tenants and landlords organized at Nagar Bhaban on Thursday.
Ejaz said that since the 1991 Rent Control Act has been practically ignored, the City Corporation will prepare its own guidelines, which may come into effect in the first half of December. It will clearly state the maximum rent that can be charged in each area.
The main proposals of the guidelines include—
• Ensuring free entry and exit for tenants.
• Obstruction in determining rent if fire and safety standards are not met.
• DNCC services to be stopped if holding tax is outstanding.
• Publishing a standardized format of tenant-landlord agreement on the website.
In addition, DNCC will take a strict role in controlling commercial activities in residential areas. The administrator said that many homeowners do not pay holding tax properly even though they earn income from rent; in such cases, the city will be responsible for informing the tenants about the tax-related information.
Concerned parties hope that this initiative by DNCC will reduce the long-standing chaos in determining rent in Dhaka; at the same time, it will create a safer and more orderly environment for both tenants and landlords.