DNCC to Hold Its First-Ever Meeting with Tenants and Landlords

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is set to host its first-ever joint meeting with tenants and landlords. A roundtable discussion titled ‘House Rent in Dhaka City’, involving homeowners and tenants within DNCC’s jurisdiction, will be held on 27 November at 1:30 pm at the Nagar Bhaban premises. The session will be presided over by DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz.

DNCC Secretary Muhammad Asaduzzaman stated that the meeting will focus on current issues surrounding house rents in Dhaka and possible solutions.

A study conducted by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), an organisation working on consumer rights, shows that house rent in the capital has increased by nearly 400 percent in the past 25 years. Compared to the rise in essential commodity prices during the same period, the increase in house rent is almost double.

Another CAB statistic reveals that 27 percent of Dhaka’s tenants spend around 30 percent of their income on rent, 57 percent spend about 50 percent, and 12 percent spend nearly 75 percent of their income to pay house rent.

According to the 2023 Food Security Statistics of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), 72 percent of residents in city corporation areas live in rented houses, while only 25.85 percent live in their own homes. Outside city corporation areas, just 18 percent of urban residents live in rented accommodation. Additionally, from October to December 2023, house rents in urban areas increased by 5.89 percent.

Currently, Dhaka is home to around 25 million people. Each year, about 612,000 new residents move to the capital—roughly 1,700 people per day. Dhaka also holds the record for the highest population density in the world, with around 43,500 people per square kilometre.

Khaborwala/TSN