Landlords Permitted To Take Tenants’ Property To Recover Rent Arrears In New Landlords &Tenants Law 2022

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By Uganda Online Media

Kampala: Parliament has passed the new Landlord and Tenants bill, 2021 which gives landlords access the tenants’ premises and takes possession of their property to recover accumulated rent arrears.

According to the new law, the landlord should issue a notice of 30 days to the tenants who default on rental payments.

“Provided that where the default shall continue for a period of more than 30 days, the landlord shall be entitled to re-enter the premises and take possession thereof, in the presence of the area local council officials and the Police, without prejudice to the right to recover the rent arrears,” the bill states.

The bill intends to regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants, to reform and consolidate the law relating to the letting of premises, and provide for the responsibilities of landlords and tenants in relation to the letting of premises.

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The Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Hon Robert Kasolo who presented the report on the bill said that the Bill makes it mandatory for the landlord and tenant to enter a tenancy agreement before occupying a premise.

The lawmakers also passed a provision in the law where the landlord issues a 60 days notice prior to increasing the rent charges.

Click Here To Read To Read Full Details Of The Bill

“Increment of the rent should not exceed 10 per cent of the rent remitted at the when landlord considers revising the rent charges,” the bill states in part.

The House also passed a provision that the currency of transaction between landlord and tenant shall be Uganda Shillings.

The Bill grants a tenant the possibility to agree with a landlord on paying an amount equivalent to the dollars.

This resolves the previous contention between landlords and tenants as the former demanded that their clients remit rent in dollars.

The new law will also see penalties for landlords who are found liable for unlawfully evicting their tenants. This conditions the landlord to compensate a tenant three months equivalent of rent dues.

The new law will also see a restriction of increment on rent being put to not more than 10 per cent annually.

Furthermore, the law proposes that notice for the increment of rent should be issued 60 days before its implementation.

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