Draft bill on tenancy rights gets approval from Haryana CM
GURUGRAM: Urban Local Bodies minister Kavita Jain confirmed on Friday that the chief minister has approved the draft of the proposed Haryana Urban Tenancy Bill, 2018, which provides a framework to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants in the state.
The earlier Haryana Urban (Control of Rent & Eviction) Act, 1973, had become irrelevant since it had not been amended and no longer met the demands of growing cities, Jain said, adding that if the bill becomes an Act, it will safeguard the rights of the leasor and the lease, both.
Rights and responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant have been fixed in the draft bill and it will soon be presented in the assembly to be passed as an Act, an official said. The bill also calls for creation of a tribunal and a rent court for quick resolution of conflicts.
The development gains significance for Gurugram, which sees a high influx of people from different parts of the country, since its implementation will affect the tenants and landlords. There have been many cases of fights between landlords and tenants over a range of issues, from difference of opinion on lifestyles to mode of rent payment.
In August 2017, a fight had ensued between the Essel Towers’ Pilot Court society members and the tenants after guests of all tenants in the building were not allowed to enter the premises. The society had also issued a notice to the owners asking them to not rent out flats to single tenants. Moreover, the Essel Towers RWA had circulated a notice stating that people of the opposite sex could not visit each other unless they were immediate family members.
“In my colony, some days back a tenant filed a police complaint against the landlord. While giving possession of the flat, the landlord had told the tenant that there was a minimum lock-in period and if he were to leave the accommodation before that, the token amount would not be returned. The tenant accepted all conditions, but when the landlord refused to return the token amount he chose to file a police complaint. If this bill becomes a law, landlords and tenants, both, can avoid conflicts like these,” Dinesh Vashisht, president of the residents’ welfare association of sectors 3, 5 and 6, said.
City’s large population of tenants also hopes that the proposed bill will check their exploitation by landlords.
“It would be good to have some government regulation which defines and limits the powers of landlords. This will ensure that tenants are not exploited. Many landlords abuse their power,” Asad Ali, a resident of DLF phase-1, said.