Study reveals that landlords overcharge tenants

The National Business

A RESEARCH has discovered that some landlords are overpricing rent for their properties.
The research by the National Research Institute (NRI) intern Evelyn Malala highlights concerns raised by tenants, and what the government can do to address them.
“Access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing is a basic human right,” it said.
“However, access to affordable housing in cities including Port Moresby has continued to be a long-standing issue.”
Concerns raised by tenants include:

  • LANDLORDS tend to overprice houses for rent by fixing the rent arbitrarily;
  • MOST real estate agents advertise houses for rent without providing important information such as floor size, age of the house, and maintenance history of the house; and
  • SECURITY-related costs are often passed to tenants which further increases house rent.

The research however, suggests that the Government address the concerns by:

  • PROVIDING a more conducive environment for private developers to build more houses;
  • GETTING the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) to regulate house rentals;
  • GETTING the ICCC to regulate advertisements on houses for rent; and,
  • DOING more to address the law and order problems.