Complaints mount this year as some landlords hike rents regardless of COVID-19 pandemic

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/17
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To prevent unreasonable rent hikes and associated fees, Taiwan's authorities have drafted a law to protect monthly and daily tenants during their lease terms; the law, which was announced July 15, is expected to soon take effect.

The new legislation will also protect landlords by enabling them to make claims over malicious damage caused by tenants, said Taiwan's Department of Consumer Protection on Wednesday (June 17). Tenants need to get approval from landlords before renovating, and they have to pay for any damage resulting from it.

There have been complaints this year of some landlords demanding rent increases, which has impacted those tenants who are feeling an economic strain amidst the backdrop of the pandemic.

To address the problem, the law stipulates that landlords should not increase the rent during the lease term, but they can extract rent that is owed, compensation for property damage, and cleaning fees for messy move-outs from the security deposit.    [FULL  STORY]