P O L I C Y L A B S

One of the first initiatives to bridge the gap between the supply and demand for affordable rental housing was the introduction of the Rent Control Acts (RCAs) to protect the urban poor from steep increments in rentals and forced evictions. [...] The Act fosters a balance between the rights of the landlord and the tenant and the adjudication process for resolution of disputes is also swift. [...] The enforcement of the contract is administered by the three authorities – the executive authority (primarily responsible for the enforcement of the contract), the rent court (deals with the issues of disputes over rental payment) and the rent tribunal (mostly deals with cases of vacation of property). [...] The major shortcomings of the programme were administration and lack of longevity, the planning mechanism was unable to deliver the land for affordable housing and measures to build the capacity of the community housing sector. [...] The objectives of RAY included provision of basic amenities to the existing slum, redressing the failures of the formal system and tackling the shortages of urban land and housing that keeps shelter out of reach to the urban poor.