Zambia Law Development Agency (ZLDA) has proposed […]

Zambia Law Development Agency (ZLDA) has proposed the introduction of a standard that will create a balance between the landlord and tenants, stifling disputes and harmonizing the sector. In Zambia, one of the issues of contention in the housing market is high rentals, especially in urban areas like Lusaka in which the lack of clear standardization puts the tenants at risk of facing hikes from time to time, which, according to experts, benefits the landlord.

 However, commenting on the development in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Landlord and Tenants Information Referral Center Director, Roban Muke hauled the initiative but questioned whether enough consultations were made before such proposals were made.

 Muke reckoned that the standard rent was applicable a decade ago before privatization, when most of the houses were owned by the councils adding that the revision of the standard is inevitable.

“The introduction of the standard rent it used to look at properties that where owned by the council, township but this time people have built, which needs a revision of the standard rent,” he said.

At the same time, ZLDA proposed the introduction of a fast track court that will undertake and expedite cases between landlords and tenants.

 “Talking about the fast-track court that they have put in place under the district provision, there are a lot of issues in the Rent Act Cap 206 that must be dealt with because both landlords and tenants have issues, with landlords complaining about tenants abandoning properties without notice and tenants crying foul over harassment,” said Muke.

 He raised an alarm over the lack of thorough consultation, despite the agency revealing that they held a consultative meeting in various parts of the country. “We don’t know when and where that meeting was held because we were forced to participate and share our views as well,” lamented Muke.

Meanwhile, he observed that courts have handled cases where landlords obtain rent from new tenants while still having an agreement with a sitting tenant, and called on the agency to expedite the introduction of digital rent agreements.

 Article by Samuel Mutale