KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to regulate home rentals and better protection for landlords and tenants, said Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutalib (pix).
He said the Residential Tenancy Act is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next year.
He said the Bill will take into account the interests of the landlord and the tenant, and would also ensure that the landowner does not simply increase rentals or evict the tenant.
“The Bill aims at balancing the importance of the obligations between landlords and tenants, as well as resolve disputes between the parties concerned,” he said in his reply to Chang Lih Kang (PH-Tanjong Malim) during the Question and Answer session.
Chang had asked about the ministry’s efforts to ensure that the home rental market is affordable to most people.
Ismail said the Act once passed could serve as an intermediary between the parties involved.
He said currently the rental market is not monitored by any particular agency but instead, it is determined according to assessment rates, location, accessibility and distance from public transport.
Ismail said the Bill will protect tenants from being forced to vacate premises without proper notice and act as a framework for the rental property market.
He added the Residential Tenancy Act has been implemented in many developed countries to protect the landlords and tenants with a proper tenancy agreement.
