Saniur Rahman, a recent graduate from the University of Asia Pacific, constantly worries about one thing: rent.
A bachelor, Saniur shares a four-room rooftop house with eight others in the capital's East Rajabazar.
"We have to pay Tk30,000, along with an additional Tk2,000 in service charges. The rent is too high," he said.
"During university admission periods, landlords tend to increase rents anticipating demand. In our building, rents are affordable for families compared to bachelors," Saniur said.
"We had to fill out a police verification form provided by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) but the landlord did not complete any formal tenancy paperwork. He just collected our NID copies," he said.
While Saniur's financial woes are compounded by the fact that he is a bachelor, high rent is an all too familiar problem for most in the capital Dhaka.
Roughly 75–80% of people rent their homes in Dhaka, according to media reports.
And for those renters seeking recourse, Bangladesh has absolutely no remedial process to offer, except on paper.
Present on paper, absent in practice
The House Rent Control Act, 1991, was adopted to protect both tenants and landlords.
The Act spells out fundamental rights of tenants; for example, if a landlord refuses to do urgent repairs, the tenant is allowed to fix the problem themselves and deduct the cost from the rent.
But the process is unclear.
According to the Act, tenants have to involve the Rent Controller before deducting the money.
The Act also encourages signing a rental contract and issuing rent receipts.
Again, the Rent Controller could be involved in this case.
Except, no one really knows who the Rent Controller is or even if such a position exists.
Farasuddin Ahmed, a landlord from Lake Circus, told the Dhaka Stream he was hearing the terms "Rent Controller" and "Deputy Controller" for the first time.
"It is difficult to know how many rent controllers have been appointed. There is no rent controller in this area. I have never heard of one before," he said.
In reality, senior assistant judges from the local judiciary are often assigned the role of the Rent Controller.
Sometimes upazila or city corporation officials may assist with rent-related matters if disputes arise, District Judge Court Lawyer Adv Nasir Uddin said.
How to get remedy
While little of the House Rent Control Act is known, the process of seeking remedy still exists.
District Judge Court Lawyer Nasir Uddin told Dhaka Stream that under the Premises Rent Control Act, 1991, tenants can go to the court of rent controllers if they are deprived of their rights.
"But it is really astonishing that approximately 90% of the tenants are unaware of the law," he said.
Supreme Court lawyer Sayed Ahmed told Dhaka Stream that under the House Rent Control Act, 1991, landlords in Bangladesh can raise rent once every two years at a reasonable rate.
"Tenants are protected from excessive hikes by fines imposed on landlords who overcharge," he said.
What else the law says
The House Rent Control Act, 1991 defines the meaning of controller, landlord, premises, standard rent, tenant, rent, and rule.
But there are some gaps that leave out many types of modern rentals.
For example, per-bed rooms in shared flats, mess housing, hostels, and informal rentals through brokers do not fall under the law's definition.
Sections 7–9 regulate rent increases mainly on grounds of property improvements, furnishings, or increased taxes. However, the absence of an indexed annual cap lets landlords bypass the intent by reclassifying units or adding arbitrary fees.
According to section 7 of the House Rent Control Act, 1991, the rent cannot be increased before two years.
The regulator can reschedule the rent every two years based on applications from either the landlord or tenant in case of disputes.
If a landlord collects additional rent beyond the approved amount, they can be fined up to twice the standard rent for the first offense and up to three times for subsequent offenses.
The act also prohibits landlords from taking more than one month in advance rent or any premium or security deposit without the Rent Controller's permission.
In Dhaka and other cities landlords routinely demand two to three months' rent advance and often labeling those as "security" or "service charges".
But such definitions are also absent in the Act.
The concept of "standard rent," mentioned in section 15 is outdated and rarely operationalised due to the absence of updated valuation methods and delayed rent-fixation processes.
In terms of evictions, tenants are protected as long as they pay the rent and follow tenancy agreements
According to the Act, there is a provision on "default" rent payment.
However, the law doesn't clearly say how long a tenant can be late before it counts as default, which means, even a small delay in payment can be treated as a legal reason for eviction.
The Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition in 2010 and the High Court issued a rule on 18 May of that year to enforce rent control laws.
But even by 2020 this order has not been fully implemented.
How high is too high?
Although the Act establishes a threshold on rent, it doesn't explain how much rent can be, or how such a rent control can be properly established.
Vice President of the Real Estate & Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) Haji Delowar Hossain told Stream that there is no regulatory body to fix house rents in Bangladesh.
"Everything depends on the landlords and rents vary based on the location. For example, a three-bedroom flat on New Market's main road may have a rent of Tk40,000 but the same flat on a narrow road or farther from the main road could cost only Tk25,000," he said.
The authorities are also keenly aware of this.
Speaking to UNB, Mohammad Ejaz, Administrator of the Dhaka North City Corporation, said, "It's truly unfortunate when 65% of a person's income is spent on house rent. We will take measures to bring rent under control. Furthermore, steps will be taken to amend and update the House Rent Control Act of 1991."
Amendment is, indeed, necessary.
In this regard, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Mashiur Rahman said, "The law should include stronger provisions for contract formalities, rent control, eviction procedures, and protections for vulnerable tenants like bachelors. It must also ensure the appointment of regulators at the local level for effective dispute resolution."
Furthermore, the Act does not align with related laws like the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009.
Supreme Court Lawyer Sayed Ahmed told Stream that strengthening enforcement and aligning the Act with other consumer protection laws will create a fairer rental system, which will protect both tenant and landlord rights
"Without such amendments, the Act will continue to fail in achieving its purpose, leaving tenants vulnerable and landlords unregulated," Sayed Ahmed said.
The Population and Housing Census 2022 reported that 44 million people live in Dhaka.
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