New rules on rental housing enforced today stipulate a maximum fine of NT$500,000 for landlords who overcharge on electricity fees, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.
Amendments to the Mandatory and Prohibitory Provisions of Standard Form Contract for Housing Rental (住宅租賃定型化契約應記載及不得記載事項) have been approved by the Executive Yuan and take effect today.
The amendments apply to all newly signed rental housing contracts and would not operate retrospectively, but they are applicable to existing leases if the tenant and landlord consent, the ministry said in a news release yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The new rules aim to make electricity fees of rental housing fairer and more reasonable, as well as prevent disputes about electricity fee overcharging, it said.
The new rules would place restrictions on the price of electricity fees, the ministry said.
The electricity fee per kilowatt-hour (kWh) charged by the landlord cannot exceed the average electricity charge per kWh for the period demanded in the electricity bill, if the tenant and landlord agree to determine the fee by actual usage, it said.
If the fee is not determined by actual usage, the electricity fee charged by the landlord cannot exceed the total amount of electricity charged for the period in the electricity bill, the ministry said.
An extra electricity charge on shared facilities would not allowed if the landlord has not applied to the Taiwan Power (Taipower) for dividing the charge among the tenants, it added.
The landlord would also be required to provide the average electricity charge per kWh for the period and the amount of usage for the tenant’s reference, the ministry said, adding that the tenant can seek further information from Taipower.
Landlords that contravene the new rules would be fined NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 for not making corrections, and would receive an increased fine of NT$50,000 to NT$500,000 if they consistently refuse to correct it, it said, adding that the ministry would request occasional inspections by local governments on lease agreements to ensure tenants’ rights and benefits.
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