HC issues rule over policy to fix area-wise house rents

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday issued a rule upon the government bodies concerned to explain as to why they should not be directed to enact a policy to fix area-wise house rents for all the cities across the country.

The HC bench of Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Justice Raziuddin Ahmed passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in this regard.

The local government secretary, authorities of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and other respondents were asked to comply with the rule within four weeks.

Lawyer Parvez Hossain appeared in the court proceedings on behalf of the writ petitioner. Earlier, Imtiaz Uddin, a resident of Azimpur area in the city, filed the writ petition, seeking the HC directives on the government bodies concerned to enact a policy for fixing area-wise house rents for all city corporations.

The petitioner sought directives for the immediate implementation of the House Rent Control Act 1991 along with the enactment of the relevant policy. He also sought directives on the requirement of depositing advance payments equivalent to one month's rent. However, the HC issued the rule only.

In 2015, another HC bench in a verdict ordered the government to set up a commission that would fix the maximum and minimum house rents in different areas.

The commission would record opinions of tenants and landlords as well as hold public hearings, if necessary, to identify their problems and forward suggestions, it added.

However, the directives were mostly defied, and tenants in the cities have been suffering continuously over house rent.

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