“The rent is too damn!”

It’s a rallying cry made famous by American politician Jimmy McMillan, founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, who most notable ran for governor of New York in the United States back in 2010.

The sentiment is one that is now shared by individuals seeking shelter in Jamaica and coming face to face with what appear to be radical spikes in apartment and other home rental costs.

But the reality, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), is that the increase in rent now being experienced is actually a correction of one of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

“What we have observed is that during the height of the pandemic, around the Summer, there was a reduction in rent and what we see now is more of a return to the pre-pandemic levels in terms of the rents that are being charged now on the market,” said Leesha Delatie-Budair, deputy director general of STATIN, as she addressed the institute’s quarterly press briefing this morning.

Rent has reportedly increased by more than 13 per cent in recent months, but Delatie-Budair said when current rates are compared to pre-pandemic levels, rent now is actually slightly lower than where it was before March 2020.

With that in mind, individuals seeking property to rent should avoid comparing what they are asked to pay now to what they were seeing advertised since the pandemic hit full flight in the Summer.

At the same time, renters should also remember that, under the Rent Restriction Act, landlords are allowed to increase rent by 7 1/2 per cent annually with the permission of the Rent Board and, if a landlord wants an increase that is more than 7 1/2 per cent, he or she has to go to the Board which is very flexible. The Board will consider the increased cost in the rate of property taxes, improvements to property, among other things.

If there is an unreasonable or illegal increase in rent, the tenant is entitled to a refund.

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