Forum for Good Governance, Gender Equity and Justice International has asked government to come up with a mechanism that will control the rate of housing rentals in the country.
Forum president Philemon Phiri says Zambia has a challenge with shelter which is part of the three basic rights of all citizens in the country.
Mr. Phiri told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that government should come up with a law that will compel landlords to pay tax to government if they wish to continue overcharging people that rent their houses.
He said when government decided to sale off some housing units during Dr. Chiluba its hope was to ensure that people have a decent life by empowering them with houses at a cheaper rate.
He said it is worrying to note that government and other housing authorities have kept quite over the issue while housing allowances for people in the country are far much less to afford its people a decent shelter.
He noted that it is unfair for any land owner to overcharge their clients for the house which was cheaply sold to them.
Mr. Phiri further commended government for its fight against corruption but said government should consider fighting corruption from a lower level.
He alleged that corruption was still high at the local government level especially in the allocation of land.
He, however, urged people who have been given plots to ensure that before they build any structures they comply with the land survey issued by the local council to avoid building on unsafe land as they risk their property being demolished by government in future.
He noted that government should step up sensitization on the dangers of building on top of cables and pipes because many people have built on such areas out of ignorance.
ZANIS
Government should build more houses. Its the best way to control the escalating housing rentals.Â
Free market economy demands that people are free to charge they price they want, demand and supply must regulate themselves and an equilibrium should be reached, reflecting the actual price, as long as the demand is higher than supply, prices will always be high.
How should then the Gvt come in? Putting a cealing price? That is what we run away from when we shoose free market economy…
well said!
bad advice to govt. rules of supply and demand apply in a liberal economy you can as well ask them to regulate the cost of building materials. dull indeed
lol.. it seems this person cannot use common sense!! lol!! regulating rentals! ha! what a joke
I am not sure what the theme of the article is, and the point or points Mr Philemon Phiri is making here. But I want to comment on the issue of paying taxes on house rentals. This is one area government keeps losing revenue, and I support Mr. Phiri’s suggestion that government should come up with legislation to compel landlords to start paying taxes.If such a law does exist, it should be enforced. I know that there’s a  ZRA fee that we pay before Ministry of Lands starts processing title deeds(Property transfer fee), but this is charged only once, and when you rent out your house, the landlord gets all the proceeds and nothing goes to government. Well, we need to work on our systems, as at now there are no credible systems in our country
ba Phiri you need to return to night school; if Govt tax landlords they will simply increase the rental and slap the cost on tenants…nd this is actually happening now.
Iti is local authories that should be strengthened to administer taxes from a locality. Landlords are indeed minting without paying tax.
I like the article in the sense that it has drawn attention to the housing issue in Zambia. In terms of the points raised, I can only pick on the advice to builders to make sure that they build on legal land. Not anywhere like on top of water pipes or Zamtel cables. Country and Town planning should be strengthened in Councils. Otherwise we are in a free market economy. Only solution is to build ifimayanda ifingi!
Let’s just build amayanda ayengi which are nicely planned, well arranged, serviced with straight roads, piped water, sewer systems and streets lined with trees and street lights. With sufficient yard space for children to play. Not the way we are suffocating ourselves in concrete fences with barely no space for parking 2 cars, let alone make a garden. Zambia has plenty of land. Why this stupidity?
eeh!
I like old residential areas left by the colonialists like woodlands, Ellain Brittel in L/stone. Woody, big yard, quiet, proper house numbers. We Africans would rather cram ourselves in a komboni or even if we had money, build a big house in a small yard and cut all trees except for guava, mango etc. Why are allergic to luxury even when we have the land? Let’s live well Zambians, chalo cesu bakaamba.
I always wonder why the government does not build more houses. If there was political will, provision of decent housing for its people should be easy for GRZ to do. You want us to come back but where will you house us? In Kwa …..? No no no no no no no, we all want to live in Ku …..!
Correct and incorrect observations in the article. While I appreciate the fact that rentals are high, it is important to realise that our economy is liberalised and that implies that the issue of demand and supply is what determines the price of any commodity. Thus, asking government to regulate prices or rentals does not solve the problem but the solution lies in building more houses by all stakeholders i.e. Local Government, Central Government, NGOs and the Private Sector.
Government will not pay school fees for my children,free market economy tell sellers of building materials to bring them down
the NGO is stupid at best.rent is high because houses are few compared to demand.
Mr. Phiri has actually said great things here, but as usual emotional posters whom we well know are insulting his freespeech right. In America local, state and federal government collect revenue in tax form from citizens, to fix roads; street lighting fire services and municipal development. So you clowns attacking a person that at the least is considerate of his fellow Zambians and progression should be quick to listen and slow to speak.
Take a step back and you shall realize that mr. Phiri has a great point. Thank you sir for expressing yourself and using your right to free speech. Posters don’t be drones and insult him because you are a drone. We need a form of sanity in all and every aspect of life.
I have taken note of your comments and I will table it down with other Civil leaders. Shelter is one of the basic Human Rights others been food and clothings. Basic Human Rights must be made affordable by every persons. Just as the government in a free marketing system is able to regulate the prices for mealier meal and maize; why cant do so on shelter. The Jesuits basket have said that Zambia’s rentals are too high in Africa. In Chelstone a decent 3 bed roomed house goes at a minimum K1,500,000=00 per month. In Ndola’s Ndeke Township, the houses that were bought at K650,000=00 in Chiluba’s government are put at K850,000=00 and above rentals per month. Look Shelter is a Basic Human Right, it should be made affordable by all whether aged, disabled, unemployed etc.
these silly landlords in kabwata are exploiting people..come up with that asap!!
Its Competition Commission’s job where are they…sitting getting paid for nothing….they monitor competitiveness of prices….their existence is because perfect competition is merely theoretical by nature
The Houses dont belong to the government, if the house is mine, i will charge the way i want to, they can regulate the rent on the houses they own, which are not many, since most govt owned staff has been sold, the new govt must invest in infrustracture development and then they can regulate the prices on the property they own, you cried democracy and free market, here it is!!!Â
I agree with Mr phiri,government shud intervene by imposing an immediate freeze on rentals until they build the required number of houses to mitigate on the current crises were they has been hardly any increase in housing units through construction while the population has continued to increase,the landlord is now above the law due to the huge demand in houses,he increases rentals without following the provisions of the law,no 3 months notice,maintenance,adding value to the property,evicting without notice,when challenged legally or otherwise eviction is a must,renting out rooms to many families under one roof.Our desparate situation needs not be guided by market forces or greed.
I agree with Kateba’s and others feedback. Marketing of purchasing and supplier does not come in on basic requirements that must be made affordable to all despite economic status. That is why the Government subsdies certain items so that all can manage to acquire. Do not be proud of purchasing a subsdised house and fight for market value, so do you claim. what market value would a house built in Kimasa in Solwezi, Chifubu in Ndola or Chilenge in Lusaka. Look at Wusakile houses in Kitwe; which market value are they talking about. In South Africa respect water as a basic need; Look how people honour such a need. Let us build Zambia; and avoid corruption behavoural disorder.
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