Curfews, roof bans and guest control: The life of unmarried tenants in Dhaka city

Samuel Adhikary, a professional photographer and musician, makes a fairly healthy living in Dhaka city, thanks to the two different sources of income. He has, however, for the last few months, been living in shared accomodation, owing to an inability to find a suitable place to rent.

Despite being able to afford a sizable apartment at any of the nicer neighbourhoods in the city, he has been facing a barrage of refusals from landlords, simply because of one thing: he is unmarried.   

"Finding a home for someone who is single is very stressful. I have always liked my own space and wanted to find a small apartment to live by myself. However, landlords are not too keen on renting out a whole apartment to one bachelor."

He added, "Some would not even believe a bachelor like me can afford an entire apartment while others assume the worst possible future scenarios one can think of." 

While Samuel is being outright refused an apartment, Amal Chowdhury, a research assistant at BRAC University, who was lucky enough to find a place in Mohakhali, has been facing a different set of problems, such as not being allowed into her own house if she arrives beyond 11pm.  

"They [building authority] make it seem like everyone has to follow the rules but the security guards open the gates for any other building tenant except for the bachelorettes."

Amal has been living in the apartment for the past three years. When asked why she still chooses to stay here, she said, "I live here solely because of the facilities - spacious rooms, tight security, lift, etc. However, it seems like our security guards only have one task - to keep tabs on the single tenants' activities. It can be nerve-racking."

The biggest concern of landlords in general, when it comes to single-living, is tenants having members of the opposite sex over. Landlords are also not shy about admitting they are wary of renting apartments out to people who are single.

"We impose more rules and regulations on bachelors than families solely because of the growing concerns related to drug consumption among our youth, and also because of the cultural bias against a single man and women meeting each other at a bachelor's home," said Asif Arefin, whose family owns a residential building at the Uttara Model Town. 

Dhanmondi resident Syed Mustafiz Mustafa has been lucky to find a shared space in Dhanmondi but is unfortunately not allowed to go to the roof, even though he lives on the top floor. And of course, the sight of any woman in his apartment would be a 'scandal'. 

"We cannot have any female guests over in our apartment, be it our family members or friends. We even have to maintain a quota on how many male guests we can have over. It can be hard to digest the fact that we are treated like second-class citizens even though we pay more rent than family tenants," said Mustafa.

"Even when I have female friends over, flat owners often raise concerns as to why we have 'so many' guests coming over. This can be really annoying at times," added Amal.

While Amal has somewhat adjusted to her circumstances, Mustafiz, is still aggrieved and often thinks about pushing back on such discrimination.

Photo: Noor A Alam

"I thought of confronting my landlord, however, my housemates advised me against it as they did not want to upset the landlord and [then] be forced to leave the home."

Is there any legal recourse?

Mustafiz's housemates' fears raise a legitimate question: can landlords evict tenants if they do not abide by the property owner's rules and regulations? 

The Business Standard reached out to Barrister Faran Md Aaraf, lecturer at the University of Asia Pacific, for an answer. 

He said, "Tenants are bound to abide by any rule or regulation included as a clause in the lease contract presented by the landlord. Yet, tenants are not guests; paying for the property allows them certain rights over the property. 

However, if the landlord does not include clauses in the lease contract that restrict tenants from having guests of the opposite gender over at home, spending recreational time at the roof, entering and exiting premises at any time, but asks tenants to vacate the premises for doing so, tenants can file a lawsuit against the landlord and get a stay order."

When asked whether she has any such contracts (more commonly known as a lease or rent agreement) with her landlord, Amal Chowdhury said, "We do not have any written agreement with our landlord. Finding this apartment was very difficult and the fact that we got such a lovely home here in Mohakhali means a lot. Thus, we did not bother to ask for written contracts." 

According to Aaraf, "Tenants may leave a tenancy due to imposed restrictions by landlords. However, if the tenant files a lawsuit, they have way more to win than the landlord; if the lawsuit lasts for five years, the landlord will not be able to kick the tenant out in the meantime. 

But filing a lawsuit can be an arduous process; many do not want to deal with the hassles of following the legal path."

Even so, it is imperative that the tenant have proper documents such as monthly or yearly rent payment invoices or copies of bills paid to the landlord in order to present a solid case, according to the barrister. 

The mediators 

The number of queries for single-living accommodation received by Bproperty in the second half of 2021 was approximately double than that of the first half, according to Mahzabin Chowdhury, Head of Marketing and Public Relations, Bproperty (property solutions provider). 

"We have incoming queries for single-living mainly from students and young professionals," she added. 

Photo: Noor A Alam

When asked if the situation for single tenants is any different while seeking rentals through Bproperty, Mahzabin said, "It is unfortunate that there is a stigma about single tenants. 

The wrongdoings of some continue to adversely affect all. That is why such stigma will not blow over overnight, and compromises will need to be made on both sides. It will take time."

She added, "Even though we are only getting started, many landlords today understand that imposing strict rules and regulations is not necessarily the best way forward. Many are ready to meet in the middle. 

However, there could still be a few stricter than usual rules for single tenants in the beginning to help landlords transition into a more acceptable notion."