For tenants, the rent cheque is the monthly reminder of a slower, quieter inflation. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data, house rents in Bangladesh increased by around 27 per cent between July 2022 and the end of July 2026. That is the national average. In Dhaka, where demand is highest and supply of well-located flats is tightest, both the level of rents and the rate of increase are higher.
A recent Prothom Alo survey of Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Shekhertek, Moghbazar, Eskaton, Paribagh, Banasree, Jatrabari and Bashundhara found three-room flats renting for between Tk18,000 and Tk50,000 a month, with a service charge of Tk3,000 to Tk7,000 added on top. Two-room flats further from main roads, in places such as Basila in Mohammadpur, could still be found for Tk10,000 to Tk15,000 — a reminder that in Dhaka, a few hundred metres can be worth thousands of taka.
Why written agreements matter now
Tenants interviewed for that survey raised the same complaint again and again: in most cases there is no written agreement. Without one, a landlord can press for a rise at any time, verbally, and the tenant has little to fall back on. A written lease — rent, service charge, notice period, who pays for repairs, and how increases are handled — is not bureaucracy. In a market where rents have risen by more than a quarter in four years, it is the tenant's main protection.
- Agree the rent, service charge and increase rule in writing before paying an advance.
- Keep receipts for every payment, including the advance and service charges.
- Photograph the flat's condition on moving day, so deposit disputes have evidence.
- Check water, gas, lift and generator backup before signing, not after.
A rent rise hurts. A rent rise with no agreement, no notice and no paper trail hurts more — and it is the part tenants can actually fix.
What landlords should weigh
Landlords, too, have an interest in stability. A tenant who can plan is a tenant who stays, and vacancy between tenants — plus repainting, repairs and re-letting costs — often wipes out the gain from a sharp increase. In a city where compact, well-managed flats already earn the steadiest returns, a predictable rent and a written agreement are not concessions. They are good management.
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