Rent Control Legislation and the National Housing Corporation in Tanzania, 1985–1990

Abstract

Many countries use rent control as an important tool of housing policy. While in some countries rent control does not apply to publicly owned estates, in others, including Tanzania, it does. This article considers the efforts of the Tanzanian National Housing Corporation (NHC) to charge higher rents within the aegis of Tanzania's rent control machinery, soon after the implementation of the 1984 Rent Restriction Act.' The article begins by presenting an overview of the shelter problem in Third World countries, and then considers some aspects of Tanzania's economic situation, focusing on national economic problems since the mid 1970s. Tanzania's experience in shelter provision is discussed and compared to some African and other countries. The evolution of rent control legislation in Tanzania is presented next, followed by the history and achievements of the NHC. A case for higher rents for NHC properties is argued, and NHC's efforts to obtain these are discussed. The article concludes that the NHC's contribution to the nation's housing stock is likely to remain limited, in comparison to self help housing. The NHC, however, is an important national political symbol, whose search for higher rents is both a strategy for survival and a means to carve for itself a new identity.