Renting a room or flat within the capital has become almost impossible, as the valley is over populated with tenants. According to the Nepal Housing and Population Census report 2011, 40.22 per cent of the population lives in rented houses in urban areas. Kathmandu district has the highest at 58.65 per cent of households living in rented houses. As a result, tenants are forced to compromise even with the most basic facilities that they are supposed to have.

Due to the government indifference to introduce proper rental policies and affordable housing schemes, a majority of tenants are forced to live in miserable conditions. Reportedly, the demand for affordable rental space for low-income families is high in urban areas. However, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has promised a proper rental code of conduct which is expected to be introduced by the end of this fiscal.

Tara Devi Magar, who has been living in a rented room at Kalimati for over a decade now, suffers unsolved problems of drinking water, sanitation and toilet. A fruit vendor by profession, Magar pays Rs 4,500 per month for three rooms. “Despite paying rent on time, we are compelled to adjust with poor facilities provided by the house owner,” she complained, adding that they are deprived of the basic facility of drinking water and are compelled to share the toilet with other tenants.” Blaming the landlord for not addressing their problems, she said, “The landlord immediately asks us to leave the when we complain about the poor facilities.”

Sita Maya Tamang faces a similar situation for the last two decades. She has been living in a rented room at Teku. “Getting a room in Kathmandu is no less than a Herculean task. So, we have no other option than to silently accept the terms and conditions applied by the landlord,” she shared. According to her, she pays Rs 3,000 per month for a small room. “The government should come up with a clear rental policy to address the existing problem of both renters and landlords,” she urged.

“We provide basic facilities like water and toilet to tenants. However, we need to ask them repeatedly when it comes to their responsibilities like keeping the living space clean,” said Laxmi Maharjan, owner of a house at Ason. Complaining that they are also being victimised from the unruly behaviours from tenants, she said, “We hope the rental code will oblige tenants to fulfill their part of responsibilities.”

Admitting that the government could not address rental issues, Suresh Prakash Acharya, Joint Secretary at MoUD, said, “We are drafting the ‘Rental Code of Conduct’ to make both landlord and tenants more accountable and responsible.” He added that a proper rental policy has become the need of the hour. “With the introduction of a code of conduct, most rental issues will be solved,” he opined. According to him, the code will guide the minimum requirement for rental space, agreement format, rent charges, tax, registration of tenants, et cetera. He informed that the draft is in the final phase and they plan to introduce it by the end of this fiscal.

source: the himalayan times,13 dec 2014