Establishment of an authoritative Rent Dispute Mediation Committee, which would adjudicate claims on "key money" and other charges arising from a housing shortage in Hongkew, was being sought by the local Japanese community, the "Tairiku Shimpo" reported.
While regulations of the Japanese Naval Landing Party's Rehabilitation Section, the Japanese Consular Police, and the Japanese Residents' Corporation sanction charges by landlords for repairs and alterations needed by a prospective tenant, exorbitant demands of the "key money" variety are not allowed, the newspaper said.
In spite of these rules, the daily continued, the lack of accommodation has brought about the creation of a "black bourse" where vacant premises are allotted to the highest bidder.
Furnished houses which could be obtained for a deposit of Y.200 to ¥.500 a year ago, now are unavaiiable unless the prospective tenant pays from Y.2,000 to Y.3,000 and then without the benefit of furniture, according to the paper.
With the promised relief in the form of new houses in the Civic Centre area still far from realization, the situation is fast precipitating a "housing hell" in areas north of Soochow Creek, the "Tairiku" said.
Serious abuses are also reporied among persons sub-letting parts of their accommodation, the daily added
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.