VIJAYAWADA: In a bid to protect the interests of both the landlords and tenants, the State government has decided to amend The Andhra Pradesh Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control (Amendment) Act, 2005. The decision was taken by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at a recent cabinet meeting.
Though Naidu directed the law department advisors to formulate guidelines to amend the Rent Control Act-2005, there is no clarity yet on how to go about it. Official sources said the amendment bill is unlikely to be tabled in the next Assembly session. “It may be introduced only during the budget session of the State Assembly in February next year,” they said.
In the last 12 months, a majority of the property owners in Vijayawada city have revised the rental values in violation of the Rent Control Act much to the dismay of the tenants, both commercial and residential. In some cases, tenants have been asked to vacate the premises without prior intimation or at a very short notice. Against this backdrop, many are not sure how the the proposed amendment will help.
“I am not sure of the effective implementation of the Rent Control Act, even if it is amended by the State government,” said K Visweswara Rao, a tenant in Madhura Nagar. “The rent we pay for a 2BHK where we live is steep. My flat owner did not even evince interest in entering into a written agreement with me before renting the house. Instead of providing drinking water facility freely, he is charging Rs 200 per month as additional charge,” he complained.
Speaking to Express, CPM State secretariat member Ch Babu Rao said that most individual tenants are unaware of the Act and fall prey to greedy house owners. Strict implementation of the Act is a bane for both tenants and owners in the present scenario but the government benefits from it at the end of the day, he said. The State government proudly says that land prices have gone up in Krishna and Guntur districts after the announcement of the State capital Amaravati. “This has changed the mindset of the house owners and most of them are fleecing their tenants to pay rent as per the market value,violating the Rent Control Act-2005,” he explained.
Besides making amendments to the Act, the State government should also focus on promoting the housing sector on a large scale in the State to reduce the number of tenants. With this, the property owners would be forced to offer houses at an affordable price following decline in demand, Babu Rao suggested.
Taxpayers’ Association general secretary MV Anjaneyulu said the Rent Control Act is favourable to landlords.