Rent Bill gains momentum
A new law needs to be passed before rent control boards can be appointed.
A new Rent Bill is being proposed and will replace the Rent Ordinance of 1977, which has been found to be impractical to implement to control and regulate property rent.
Making the announcement, the minister of information and communication technology, Tjekero Tweya, said: “Government decided to stay the establishment and appointment of members of the Rent Board in order to repeal the ordinance with a new legislation to be known as the Rent Bill.”
Tweya said the ordinance in its current form was obsolete legislation which, if applied, would render the work of the rent board of no force or effect.
“Before independence, it made sense for an executive committee to preside over matters pertaining to the ordinance due to the control, divide and rule policy of the apartheid regime, but in an independent Namibia, there are systems and processes in place which are equally capable to administer and implement the ordinance,” Tweya said.
According to him, the bill will aim to unify, consolidate and amend the law relating to the regulation of rent and eviction of lessees and occupiers of residential dwellings; prevent the exploitation of lessees by the lessors due to high demand and limited supply of housing, and regulate the relationship between lessors and lessees and particularly the circumstances which unfair practices are committed by the lessors and lessees.
“The draft Rent Bill is currently undergoing constitutional scrutiny at the Office of the Attorney-General and shall thereafter be forwarded to various stakeholders for input and comments. Once the aforementioned process is completed and the bill is passed into law, members of the rent boards shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Rent Act and the general public shall be informed of such appointments and the establishment of the rent boards,” Tweya said.
The Affirmative Repossession (AR) group recently expressed dissatisfaction with the setting up of a rent control board, saying if it did not see progress by 19 February, it would conclude that the government was unwilling to implement the legislation. In a response to AR, the minister of industrialisation, trade and SME development, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, wrote: “We wish to reiterate our commitment to finding a lasting solution to the rental challenges that face our nation. We therefore wish to indicate that your letter is receiving our attention and we will respond in due course.”
At a media briefing early last month, AR activist Job Amupanda expressed disappointment with the government for taking so long to address the issue of high rent.
AR and government ministers held a meeting in April 2016, where they agreed that Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila should summon the Estate Agents Board to review and address escalating property prices before 1 August 2016.
Both parties agreed to speed up the implementation of a rent control board, as set out in Rent Ordinance 13/1977.
“The government kept zigzagging from 2015 to date. It keeps paying lip service to the matter instead of decisively implementing the provisions available in their rent ordinance,” said Amupanda.
*additional reporting by Nampa
OGONE TLHAGE
Making the announcement, the minister of information and communication technology, Tjekero Tweya, said: “Government decided to stay the establishment and appointment of members of the Rent Board in order to repeal the ordinance with a new legislation to be known as the Rent Bill.”
Tweya said the ordinance in its current form was obsolete legislation which, if applied, would render the work of the rent board of no force or effect.
“Before independence, it made sense for an executive committee to preside over matters pertaining to the ordinance due to the control, divide and rule policy of the apartheid regime, but in an independent Namibia, there are systems and processes in place which are equally capable to administer and implement the ordinance,” Tweya said.
According to him, the bill will aim to unify, consolidate and amend the law relating to the regulation of rent and eviction of lessees and occupiers of residential dwellings; prevent the exploitation of lessees by the lessors due to high demand and limited supply of housing, and regulate the relationship between lessors and lessees and particularly the circumstances which unfair practices are committed by the lessors and lessees.
“The draft Rent Bill is currently undergoing constitutional scrutiny at the Office of the Attorney-General and shall thereafter be forwarded to various stakeholders for input and comments. Once the aforementioned process is completed and the bill is passed into law, members of the rent boards shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Rent Act and the general public shall be informed of such appointments and the establishment of the rent boards,” Tweya said.
The Affirmative Repossession (AR) group recently expressed dissatisfaction with the setting up of a rent control board, saying if it did not see progress by 19 February, it would conclude that the government was unwilling to implement the legislation. In a response to AR, the minister of industrialisation, trade and SME development, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, wrote: “We wish to reiterate our commitment to finding a lasting solution to the rental challenges that face our nation. We therefore wish to indicate that your letter is receiving our attention and we will respond in due course.”
At a media briefing early last month, AR activist Job Amupanda expressed disappointment with the government for taking so long to address the issue of high rent.
AR and government ministers held a meeting in April 2016, where they agreed that Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila should summon the Estate Agents Board to review and address escalating property prices before 1 August 2016.
Both parties agreed to speed up the implementation of a rent control board, as set out in Rent Ordinance 13/1977.
“The government kept zigzagging from 2015 to date. It keeps paying lip service to the matter instead of decisively implementing the provisions available in their rent ordinance,” said Amupanda.
*additional reporting by Nampa
OGONE TLHAGE
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