Control high cost of rentals in cities

ALLOW me to express my view on the current accom-modation rentals being charged in the National Capital District.

Going through the advertisements and all the publicity in the newspapers and public notice boards, I think the fees being charged by landlords and real estate businesses are quite stag-gering.

It is obvious that most fees charged for rental homes and even for single rooms are out of reach for most working class Papua New Guineans.

Many landlords are now putting their houses up for rent at very high rental charges. For example, one self-contained unit costs K1,500 per week to rent.
Of course, private busi-nesses have to make money in order to survive and provide services to their customers but should there be a line drawn by the law makers on the rental fees charged by the real estate industry?

The very high rental charges cannot go on for a long time.

The only low cost accommodation can be found in the settlements.

It is time this monster of an industry is regulated for the benefit of our people.

Most working class people, especially the medium and low income earners, are struggling eto survive, yet they still pay taxes while still looking for better accommodation.

Something needs to be done to bring down the costs of home rentals to make it affordable for our people.

Struggling Servant
Waigani, NCD