The General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Sagara Kariyawasam, has voiced strong opposition to the government's proposed amendments regarding rental housing laws, warning that such moves could have detrimental effects on the housing market.
Speaking to the media, Kariyawasam emphasized that landlords require legal protection to feel secure in renting out their properties. He argued that if the law does not sufficiently protect property owners, they would be compelled to keep their houses closed rather than risk renting them out.
"A country's landlords must have legal protection. If that protection is absent, the result will be that landlords will simply keep their houses closed. They will not be motivated to let anyone use them or rent them out," Kariyawasam stated.
The SLPP General Secretary criticized the new legal framework being proposed, which he claims aims to make it difficult to evict tenants, even those who may be occupying a property forcibly. He contrasted this with the measures taken by the previous government, which he noted had introduced laws to ensure the security of landlords when renting out their premises.
"Now they are trying to bring in laws again that make it impossible to remove tenants or those staying forcibly in a house. This is a very bad situation," he remarked.
Kariyawasam further questioned the intent behind the proposed changes, asking if this was an attempt to allow individuals who have "never earned money" or held jobs to forcibly occupy other people's homes.
He asserted that while there are citizens in need of housing, providing shelter is the direct responsibility of the government. He urged the administration not to introduce acts or regulations that would effectively grant a legal right for individuals to stay in private properties against the owner's will.
"If there are citizens without houses, the government should take the responsibility of providing them with housing. Instead, we request the government not to bring in acts and laws that give the right to forcibly stay in houses," he concluded.
