Rent Control Act of 2009 (R.A. 9653) Explained

Classes are going to resume in a few days and a number of students are looking for apartments, boardinghouses or bedspace. They would look for units that are safe, with the necessary amenities, near their school and where the rent is reasonable.

Once they have selected the right unit, they would transfer and enjoy their new pad.

After a few months, their lessor would come knocking and telling them that they have to increase the rent. The ordinary lessee/ tenant would just pay new rent without examining whether this is allowed by law. Meanwhile, the intelligent lessee would look for the law which governs his or her rights.

For this reason I decided to write this article on the Rent Control Act of 2009 to guide lessees/ tenants (and also lessors) regarding their rights under the law. This article is not just for students but even for office workers and other individuals who are either looking for a units to rent or are already occupying one.

What is the limit on the increase in rent?

From August 2009 until 31 December 2013 the rent of a residential unit shall not be increased by more than 7% annually, as long as the unit is occupied by the same lessee.

John leased a commercial unit starting from 01 June 2012 at the rate of Php10,000 per month, can Paul the lessor increase the rent by Php5,000 for a total of Php15,000/month on 01 January 2013?

Yes. Because the law covers only residential units. Commercial units are not covered by this law.

John leased a residential unit starting from 01 June 2012 up the present at the rate of Php10,000 per month, can Paul the lessor increase the rent by Php700 on 01 June 2013?

Yes. Because the increase does not exceed the 7% annual increase limit.

May Paul the lessor increase the rent by 01 May 2013?

No. Because he must wait for one year from the time of the effectivity of the lease contract before he could increase the rent.

May Paul the lessor increase the rent in 01 June 2013 by Php800 for a total of Php10,800 monthly?

No. Because Php800 is an 8% increase from the rent and this is already beyond the 7% limit set by the law.

Supposing John ended the lease by 01 May 2013, can Paul set a rate of Php10,800 to Mark, the new lessee?

Yes. Because the unit is no longer occupied by the same lessee (John). When the residential unit becomes vacant, the lessor may set the initial rent for the next lessee.

Is the above rule applicable to boarding houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces offered for rent to students?

No, because the rule is stricter. For boarding houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces offered for rent to students, no increase in rental more than once per year shall be allowed. Thus, even if a new boarder replaced the previous boarder, if there was already an increase in 2013 there can be no further increase on the same year.

Robert, who works at a nearby construction company was told by his landlord – the owner of the bedspace for construction workers – where he resides, that the rent will be increased from Php1,500 to Php2,000 per month starting on 01 March 2013, Robert terminated the bedspace contract in 01 April 2013, may the landlord set a price of Php2,500 to the next tenant who will occupy in 01 May 2013?

Yes. Because the strict rule applies only to boarding houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces offered for rent to students. If these units are offered for rent to construction workers or other individuals who are not students, then the lessor may increase the rent twice or more in a year as long as the original lessee is no longer occupying the unit.

What is the coverage of this Rent Control Act of 2009?

All residential units in NCR and other highly urbanized cities, the total monthly rent ranges from Php1 – 10,000.

All residential units in all other areas, the monthly rent ranges from Php1- 5,000

John leased a unit in Makati starting from 01 June 2012 up the present at the rate of Php11,000 per month, can Paul the lessor increase the rent by Php1,000 in 01 June 2013?

Yes, because this is beyond the coverage of the Rent Control Act. When the rent is beyond Php10,000 in the National Capital Region, this law no longer applies and so the lessor may increase the rent of the residential unit.

When should the rent be paid?

Rent shall be paid in advance within the first five (5) days of every current month or the beginning of the lease agreement unless the contract of lease provides for a later date of payment. (Sec. 7)

May the lessor demand 2-months advance rent?

The lessor cannot demand more than one (1) month advance rent. (Sec. 7)

May the lessor demand 3-months deposit?

Neither can he/she demand more than two (2) months deposit which shall be kept in a bank under the lessor’s account name during the entire duration of the lease agreement. Any and all interest that shall accrue therein shall be returned to the lessee at the expiration of the lease contract. (Sec. 7)

May the lessor use the deposit to settle rent, electric, telephone, water or such other utility bills or destroys any house components and accessories?

Yes. (Sec. 7)

Supposing the total of the unsettled bills is Php15,000, may the lessor forfeit a deposit which totals Php20,000?

No. The deposits and interests therein shall be forfeited in favor of the lessor in the amount commensurate to the unsettled bills or damage done by the lessee.

May John the lessor sublease his unit to his friend?

As a general rule, he cannot.

Is there an exception?

Yes, there must be a written consent

John subleased his unit to his friend, he informed the lessor through a telephone call, and the lessor agreed, is the sublease valid?

No. There must be a written consent, oral consent is not sufficient.

When may a lessor legally eject a tenant?

a)    Assignment of lease or subleasing of residential units in whole or in part, including the acceptance of boarders or bedspacers, without the written consent of the owner/lessor

b)   Arrears in payment of rent for a total of three (3) months

c)    Legitimate need of the owner/lessor to repossess his or her property for his or her own use or for the use of any immediate member of his or her family as a residential unit

d)   Need of the lessor to make necessary repairs of the leased premises which is the subject of an existing order of condemnation by appropriate authorities concerned in order to make the said premises safe and habitable

e)    Expiration of the period of the lease contract

May a lessor eject the lessee upon the ground that the leased premises have been sold or mortgaged to a third person?

No. This is prohibited by Sec. 10.

What if the sale or mortgage has been registered, can he now eject the lessee based on any of these grounds?

The rule is applicable regardless of whether the lease or mortgage is registered or not.

What are the penalties for people violating this rent control law?

A fine of not less than Twenty-five thousand pesos (Php25,000.00) nor more than Fifty thousand pesos (Php50,000.00) or imprisonment of not less than one (1) month and one (1) day to not more than six (6) months or both shall be imposed on any person, natural or juridical, found guilty of violating any provision of this Act.

What is the rule after 31 December 2013?

The HUDCC is mandated to conduct every 3 years from the effectivity of this Act to submit to Congress its recommendation on whether a continuing regulation is still necessary or deregulation is already warranted.



Author: Atty. James Biron
Atty. James S. Biron is a corporate lawyer specializing in foreign investments, trade, mergers and acquisitions, planning and financing of projects and capital raising. Clients served include real estate, construction, energy, information technology, agriculture, education, medical and casino gaming companies.

184 Comments

  • Glad to have read your article sir. Very useful information with definite sample situations to provide a clearer picture. Keep it up po. Thanks, just when you need it.

  • Lor

    Thank you for your post. I have read the four legal reasons the lessor can eject a tenant. But I have also read in another link that a tenant can terminate the lease agreement anytime. Is this correct? I want to know the legal basis for this. Our situation is this: We are now renting inside an apartment compound that has 3 units. It is fully fenced and gated. Before we signed the agreement, there were no pets in the area. For some reason, the door 2 tenants decided to have a cat which they allow to roam freely in the complex. It pees, poos, and sits on our flower beds. We complained about this and about the possibility of us or our son being bitten by it to the door 2 tenants and the owners. Unfortunately, they are all unwilling to address our concerns, even after we proposed two options to the owner; 1. for the door 2 tenants to make sure to keep the cat in their house or 2. get rid of the cat. This problem has led to a recent argument and the owner told us that if we can’t stand having the cat around, then we should just leave. We have just renewed our contract which will end on February 1, 2015. After the argument and because of the many issues we have with them, we are willing to accept their proposal. In this case, can the owner decide as to when we should move out and can the owner declare our 2-month security deposit be forfeited? Thank you in advance for your time and help.

    • Atty. James Biron

      Lor, this will really depend on what is written on your lease contract. What does it say about pre-termination? Read it and it will tell you whether you can do what you intend to do.

      • Anne

        Hi Atty.Question regarding naman sa water bill tax.Bigla kasi nagtaas ung waterbill namin from paying like P400 to P500 per month to almost P2k per month.Ang sabi ng landlord namin kc ung environmental, maintenance and VAT will be shouldered by the tenants na daw.Is this okay?Sobrang mahal kc bigla ng waterbill namin to think na 4 lng kme sa bahay and not always pa na nagstay kme sa bahay na inuupahan kc working kme lahat..I will really appreciate your response from my query.Thank you.

      • Frederick R.G.

        sirmay rights po ba ang lessor na putilan ng kuryente kame na umuipa

    • Jc samaniego

      Atty.james,question po.may nirent akong 1bedroom na bahay last may 10 2014 nag expire yung contract may 10 2015,bago po mag expire yung contract,i asked our lessor to renew our contract sabi niya ok irenew namin,tapos biglang may kapatid siya na dumating from states at pinaalis yung lessor namin at siya na daw ang bagong mamamahala.wala pong formal endorsment na nangyari,ngayon hinihingan kami ng 1000 pesos na additional sa rent namin na dating 3000pesos,sobra po yun sa maximum na 7% annualy,tapos bumalik na siya ng states.ngayon nakatanggap na lng ako ng DEMAND TO VACATE within 15 days,ano po dapat gawin ko?updated din po ako sa mga payments wala akong utang sakanila.may advance po ako at deposit sakanila.ano po dapat kong gawin?

  • lhene

    hi sir, i’m a commercial tenant for past 13 yrs.in commercial unit in taft avenue below lrt.Im started renting from an amount of 3k per month until last year 2013 im rented out the commercial in amount of 11,200 included evat. They make it interest up to 10% interest per month. They have also rate us a renewal fee which is every year increases also.It started from 20K until now it increases now for a Renewal of our Contact as 45K included also some additional deposits of 12k ryt now. We have our initial deposit with them as much as around 50K if im correct coz every year they make us incease the renewal fee and add some additional deposit.Ive read carefully read our contract with them,and i have seen anything renewal fee in the contract..and we are feared that all we have paid to them will go us bubbles..but very embarrassing for me is there additional of 25% interest for us this coming contract for our monthly rentals, from 11,200 last year they make it now 14K not yet including the administrative charges and evat with a totaled of 15,897. per month. How can we disagree for this if we have no law regarding Commecial Rental Law.In the contract in their rental adjustment,they can increase only a 15%,do we have fingd a loop hole on this..ive planned to fight for them thrue demand in court but im afraid that they will closed our store with is our green pasteur. I have no money to demand them..but i have planned to go to PAO. I want to get our all money disposed to them like renewal fee and deposits with until now..were not used because were renewing our contract.I hope u cn give me a good advice.

  • Abu

    Hi Sir,
    We are currently renting an apartment in Makati. Our Landlady recently informed us that we need to leave due to a planned “renovation” of the said unit. However, she did gave us 3-4 months to look for another place or unit to transfer to. My question is, is she allowed to ask us to leave due to a planned “renovation” of the unit? There were rumors as well, that the main reason for the “renovation” is to increase our rent. Based on the reasons to eject a tenant, renovations is not included in the list. Can you enlighten me on this matter please. We just want to make sure that everything is being done legally. Btw, we don’t have any contract with the owner of the unit. Thanks and more power!

  • emie conde

    sir good day! Residential and area is in the province. The space is rented since 2012. No increase until now. Is is possible to have an increase more than 7%? or rule does not apply since outside ncr and place is not highly urbanize. Many thanks.

  • ace

    Good Day Atty!

    just wanna ask, what if the rented space is own by the government (technically) but the land is occupied by a soldier. so we pay COMMERCIAL rent to them 9k per month. do they have rights to terminate the contract agreement in a way that the contract is expired already and the space will be allotted to another person (w/c their friend) and they wont allow us to renew the contract ? by the way the said space is really not fully in scope of their property coverage. some of it is already part of the street. please advice thank you so much!

  • Uzime

    Good day Atty. Biron. Ask ko lang po kung ang 3 months na arears ay grounds para ma-evict ang tenant, ang ibig sabihin po ba nito ay may karapatan silang hindi na magbayad ng 3 months? Wala na po silang advance rent na 5k kasi ay pinagamit ko na po sa kanila on their first month of stay. Ang 2 mos deposit na 10k na lang po ang nasa akin na nakatabi sa bank, pero nag-aalala po ako dahil ang utility bills na dapat nilang bayaran tulad ng meralco, ay kulang pa na pambayad ang 10k deposit nila sa 1 month bill nila, Atty., ano po ang dapat na legal na paraan tungkol dito. Maraming salamat po and God bless.

  • Dave valcarcel

    Hi sir our land is being rented by 8 families and they pay only less than five hundred a month

    Now we need the said property for we are selling it in our contract with them it stated “the the lessor had full and exclusive authority and shall exercise full discretion to cancel and terminate the leased contract for whatever reason without need of any court action … And that lessee shall peacefully and immediately vacate the leased property and return possession……”

    With these statements can we ask them to vacate within 30 days or 3months?
    What is our recourse when notice has already been given to them and the still dont vacate? Unlawful detainer?

  • Louieric

    Is it against the law if a lessor imposes increase twice in one year period (January and October)? The increase is also a fix amount regardless of the type of dwelling (airconditioned and non-airconditioned) and it’s more than the allowed 7%. I’ve been renting here in Mandaluyong City for more than 2 years now and working in a BPO.

  • Franchesca De Guzman

    Hi Atty, what if po the rent is above 10k so it’s not covered na under RA 9653. Our rent po is 14k. We made a payment of 2 mos adv, 2 mos deposit prior to moving in last July 2014. Nagamit na po namin ang 2 mos adv. Sept po ang first payment namin but we paid 6 days late (with interest as per contract). This oct, late po ulit kmi dapat makakabayad, we offered 10k partial but the lessor did not accept. After a few days, we were verbally informed na we have to move out by Nov 5 and that the lessor wants to use the 1 mo security deposit as our rental payment for Oct instead. We were informed also that the remaining 1 mo security deposit will be non refundable AND cannot be used to settle our unpaid utility bills. Confirm ko lang po kung legally pwede po kami paalisin agad and without a 30 day notice? At kung tlga pong non refundable ang deposit namin. Sa contract po, nakalagay na kung kami ang voluntarily na aalis, hindi na nila ibabalik. Wala pong nakasulat if it’s the other way around. Please help po. Thank you.

  • sheila dawn secuya

    i need advice po how to email you?

  • Dru

    Atty. Good evening. I just want to know if the said law, “The Rent Control Act of 2009” is still in effect at present Nov. 2014. Thanks

    • Atty. James Biron

      Dru, it was set to expire last December 2013, but it was extended for 2 more years, thus the law will expire in December 2015.

  • Chryzaika

    Hello Atty. Biron,

    Thanks for this very helpful post.

    May I just inquire about my current situation?

    I transferred to a room with 4k rate when I inquired. But I asked the landlady if I can have it for just 3500. I started styaying here since June 2014. Just yesterday, she informed me that there’s a possibility for the rental fee to return to 4k. And that sounds unfair to me because they did not inform me of that possibility before I moved in. If they did, I should have searched for another room.

    Now, I want to resolve the problem just between us before last week of November. But she is not talking to me. So I sent her a text message that if they will increase it to 4k , I can’t afford to pay that so I need to know their decision before this coming week so I can move to a new room before our review classes starts. And if I will not receive a confirmation before this coming week, that means my rent will be as is until I leave in June 2015.

    Will you be able to enlighten me on how I will be able to resolve this matter? Or if there is anything I can do to defend my rights?

    Bec. for me, it’s either they’ll let me leave before Dec 2014 and give me back my deposit, OR they let me stay still with the same rate until I leave on June 2015. I don’t want my review to be disrupted by the possible room transfer that may occur between Dec 2014 to June 2015.

    Thank you for your legal advice.

    Chryz

  • Brandon

    Tanong lng sir. Paano po kung existing tenant na kami at walang written contract. After 2 years, binigyan kami ng contract which increases my current rent, P6,000 to 7,000. And then nakalagay din sa contract na magdedeposit pa daw kami to reflect the increase. Illegal po ba ito?

  • PTP3ALMA

    after expiry of this Law on Dec. 31, 2013. what will happen now? what law applies now? How Rental Act law originates?

  • Daniella

    Good Day Sir.

    Meron po akong mga pinapaupahan na units dito sa Makati. Naiwan po ito sa akin ng lola ko (deceased) at papa ko ( nasa province kasama si mama ko.) So ako po yung iniwan nilang magmanage. Wala pong mga kontrata itong mga tenant ko sa lola ko. Gusto ko po sana sila gawan ng Contract. Kasi karamihan po sa kanila laging late magbayad, allowed po ba ako (apo ng may ari) na gumawa ng kontratang ito?

  • TES P. CONCEPCION

    Our company is renting a condo at 65,000 per month. We are required to pay a one-time payment equivalent to 12 months rent. This is stipulated in the contract between the lessor and lessee. Accordingly, this is a standard practice in the realty industry. For the monthly PDC is an acceptable terms — it may vary though depending on the agreed term but the 12 months one time payment, is definitely absurd. Is this legally acceptable?

  • Meo

    Good day Atty. Biron!

    I sent you a private message. Thanks in advance. God bless!

  • Wilson Morano

    Sir question, If my lease contract ends for example April, Am I still entitle to grace period? If so, what will be the reckoning period? My rent is 5,000.00

  • Atty Biron.,

    Good day.!

    Just want to ask if a lessor can eject the tenant for 8 years (same house) and give only 2 months to vacate the apartment.?

    Apt price: Php 2,500.00
    Place: Laguna

    and just being advice verbally…

    Looking forward to your response.

    Thank you!

  • Lito Acid

    Good Afternoon po Atty!

    Manghihingi po sana ako ng advice. Eto po yung situation ko.

    Nagre-rent po ako since 2011 for 4000 pesos. Up to now hindi pa nag increase ang lessor ng rent pero next month, lessor informed me na magiging 4500 pesos na ang rent ko. Lumalabas po na 12.5% ang increase. Naaayon po ba ito sa RA 9653? Sabi po kasi ng lessor, allowed daw siya ayon sa attorney niya kadi hindi naman daw siya nag increase since 2011. Sa Quezon City po ako nagre-rent.

    Thanks in advance. God bless po!

    – Lito

  • Lito Acid

    Hi Atty!

    Idagdag ko po sa post ko above yung text message ng caretaker sa akin.

    “Kuya d me mkkapnta ng umaga,cge s tx n lng,sbi n mdam pg bnasa m dw ung rep. Act 9653 nkalagay dun 7% annualy,e more than 3 years n nga kaung d inincreasan,mas mlaki p nga rw ang aabutin ng increase kng taon2 pnapatupad nya ung increase n 7%,e ngaun lng nman dw cia nag increase. 2 atty nya cia ngtnong rgardng d2,sbi nla pwd rw yn kc d nman c mdam nag iincrease yearly,kng d rw ok s inyo yn nsa inyo n rw yn”

  • Lito Acid

    Good morning Atty Biron!

    Just want to ask if what my lessor’s telling me is true.

    My lessor informed me that she will increase the rent next month from Php 4000 to Php 4500. She has not increased my rent since April 2011 and that is the reason why she is increasing it by Php 500 (12.5% increase). She told me that she is allowed to do that since it has been a while that she has not increased the rent. Is this true?

    The apartment I am renting is located in Quezon City.

    Looking forward to your response.

    Thank you and God bless!

  • Lito Acid

    Good morning Atty Biron!

    Just want to ask if my lessor is allowed to increase my rent by Php 500. From Php 4000 since April 2011 to Php 4500 beginning next month. That’s a 12.5% increase. Her reason is that she has not implemented an increase for 4 years. Is this true? Is she allowed to do that?

    Apartment is in Quezon City.

    Looking forward to your response.

    Thanks in advance and God bless!

  • Ronald Malit

    Dear Atty. Biron:

    I’m glad i found this site, I’ve been looking for answers to my problems with my new landlord. I’ve been staying in a dormitory near the school where I teach, for more than two years now. Back then, I paid the required advance rent and deposit to a former lessor which summed up to P5,800 and the monthly rental, which I regularly paid, was P2,900. But unfortunately, I was not given a contract and I did not bother to ask since I did not foresee this problem to come. I don’t have official receipt either for I have that much trust and it was a big mistake. The new lessor demands for another payment of advance rent and deposit since according to her, nothing has been handed over and I have no lease contract to provide. I want to know if I have any legal right to refuse.

    Meanwhile, I made no payment for the current month, March 2015, and informed my lessor, that it’s my last month and that I am consuming the deposit which is our subject of dispute, But just thus morning, the caretaker has informed me, that I have to leave immediately should I make no payment right away. Can they actually do that without giving me prior notice or grace period?

    Please help for I might get evicted anytime soon.

    Thank you so much in advance, more power and God bless.

  • Good pm … Im renting a residential unit amounting 10k ,for 5years , since then theres no increases happen,. My question is can my lessor increase my rental up to 12k, need your legal advice for this matter, thank you so much

  • Gud pm atty james biron! Im renting a unit in manila amounting 10k, for 5 years my lessor did not increased my rental, my question is .? Can my lessor increase my renatal from 10k to 12k, is she doing the right thing for that matter? By the way this unit is acresidential, do i had my right to refuse not to pay her 20% .. It is not fault if she didnt made an increase after the first year of my contract, please help! Thank you

  • George Banderas

    Dear Atty Biron,

    Nagstart po kami mag rent ng business space since March 15, 2013.
    meron pong contract of lease. Last March 2014, noong nang-hihingi kami ng
    contract for 2014, hindi kami binigyan. Ang sagot nila basta wag kaming
    pumalya sa pag-babayad. This March 5, 2015, pina-receive kami ng letter na
    kami ay pina-aalis ng March 15, 2015. Sa pagbabayad namin, hindi sila
    nagbibigay ng tamang amount ng resibo, 15,000 ang bayad namin 5,000
    lang nilalagay sa resibo.

    Registered ang business namin with business permit, with BIR registration,
    two years kaming nagbabayad ng taxes sa BIR na dapat ang landlord namin ang
    dapat magbayad.

    Ano po ang dapat naming gawin,

    Maraming Salamat po.

    • Atty. James Biron

      Hi George, I sent you an email. Kindly check.

      • Keyshea

        Gud am poh…yun landlady nmin ayaw ipagawa yun sira ng bahay nmin at ang gnwa nmin cease yun bayad ng payment nglit xa at cnbi n gmitin n nmin ang advance at deposit nmin ng nov at dec pero hndi kmi umlis sa inuupahan nmin pinabrgy nya kmi nun feb 3 at cnbi n 3 months n kmi hndi ngbbgay ng upa cnbi nmin sa brgy n yun nov at dec nmin ay advance at deposit at nkiusap n manatili n pa hanggang march dhil ngaaral p ang mga bta pero naginsist xa n byarn nmin agad agad ang 3 months n hndi nmin nbyaran ng feb 11 kung hndi puputulan nya kmi ng kuryente kht wla kming utang sa bills tama poh b yun?hndi poh spilitan pagpaalis n yun dpt my arrears p kmi n 3 months…

    • Jason

      I am a lessor of low cost rental apartments in a province. I would require would be tenants to have one month advance and 2 mos deposit before move in for a one year lease contract. Rent rate is 3500 only. It is clearly written in the contract that pre termination of the lease contract is prohibited and would result to forfeiture of the deposits. There is a couple who had vacated one of the apartment, and demands the refund of deposit after only occupying it for two months. Should I give it back? Inspite of the clear conditions of the lease agreement.

  • Sheryl Panganiban

    Hi Attorney,

    Seeking for advice and help, we have rented a Commercial Space amounting 26,000ph since 2012 and vacant it last June 2014, until now we did not receive the 2 months security deposit yet, she told she need to itemize the tiles damage on bathroom (till now no email yet of list of itemize damage) there’s new tenant occupying that space already and she wanted us to open a bank account in BPI so she can transfer the money there. Landlord residing at U.K. I gave Bank account of my sister and she did not accepted it, she wanted under my name since I’m the one signed on the contract. So much hassle for me to open new bank account, i mean she can send to my sister bank account right? Please tell what is the best thing to do to get the refund, how will i solve this problem.

    Will highly appreciate your reply. Thanks a lot!

  • Wallace

    Hi Atty,

    I have a residential tenant who’s monthly rent is P3K. He has no more deposit, no more advance and is in rental arrears for 42 days as of this writing. He made so many verbal promises and I heeded his pleas out of humanitarian consideration.
    Meralco already cut his electricity for non payment of bills. The electric meter is in my name. A week ago, Meralco sent a “Notice of Contract Termination” which means they will pull out the meter anytime soon and will apply the meter deposit to the amount unpaid by the tenant.

    I gave the tenant notice to vacate the unit in three(3) days and to pay the arrears in rental as well as the outstanding Meralco bill and any charges that Meralco shall apply for the reconnection. The tenant refused to sign and receive the Notice so I posted it on the door of the unit.

    We have no written agreement or Contract of Lease

    My Questions:
    1. I wrote the Notice to vacate in 3 days myself and hand-carried it to the tenant. Is this allowed and legal even if it was not thru Registered Mail?
    2. Can I go directly to MTC to file Unlawful Dewtainer/ Ejectment case against the tenant or do I still need Barangay clearance before going to court?
    3. Does the three-month notice rule to vacate apply in my instant case where the tenant has consumed all his advance, deposit and even already in arrears for more than a month?
    4. I’m afraid he might leave the unit withoput paying his outstanding rent and Meralco bills. Is there any other legal remedy or law aside from RA 9653 that I can use to sue and make him pay even on staggered basis?
    5. Are there any legal processess that I should have done or should be doing to enforce my rights as lessor?
    What are his remaining legal rights given the circumstances?

    Thank you so much Atty Biron for your much needed reply.

    Wallace

    • Atty. James Biron

      Wallace, I sent you an email. Please check your inbox. Thank you.

      • Wallace

        Hi Atty,

        For some reason I did not receive your email response. Kindly send again Please Sir.

        • Atty. James Biron

          Hi Wallace, I’ll have to look for it and resend to you.

          • Mervin M.B.

            Hi Sir. Just wanna ask you some legal advice. I have been renting an apartment for almost 9 months. Last November 17, I have received a text messages to our Landlord. He informed us that he and his family will use the unit on Jan 1, 2020. The notice also informed us that he is giving us the enough time to find a new apartment. After the notice, we have not heard any from our landlord. He went to the apartment and post the notice in our wall knowing that we are inside the room. His usual is knocking on our door and talked a little. After some couple of days, I have received a letter from Barangay without any idea what is all about. He informed me that the landlord complained me with the subject, Eviction in the Rented Unit. I was surprised because I have no violent reaction on his decision because it is his right to do so. Our landlord never informed me about that. He never talk to us personally and received nothing even a single text from him. No formal talk ever. After 2 weeks, by 3PM my partner is stills sleeping by that time. He just awake because he felt a very warm and he had a continuous sweatingand the room was so dark. He had no other idea, so he called me in my phoen while im still in the office. I said to check the meter, and found out that the meter was pulled-out by the Meralco people. I was so shocked and disappointed since having no electricity is a nightmare. I am so busy by that time so I called the Meralco hotline. I just realized that the landlord requested the termination of contract to Meralco. I feel so down and nothing to do. So I decided to go to Barangay and file a complain to the Landlord for his action. I feel so harassed and humiliated since we are only asking for his humanitarian consideration while looking for a new place to stay. We have no other relatives from here since we are from Calamba and working only here in Muntinlupa. I dont know if there is a legal implication when the reason for ejectment is to use by his family member, how come that he requested termination of contract to Meralco given that is a short span of time it is already 2020. What is his intention of doing that in relation to the reasons of eviction? I believe it is a clear harassment by the landlord. We didnt resist on his decision to evict us and thankful for giving us the enough time to look for another apartment, but while we are still in the unit and no place to transfer yet, it is violating our human rights. What should you advice? If I file a complaint, what case should I file? Art 19-21 of the Civil Code of the Philippines under Human Relations? Or violation on human rights?

  • Xy Beltran

    Hi Atty. Biron,

    Thank you for this very informative article. I have a question though.

    I am purchasing a condominium unit with an existing tenant. The seller’s contract with the unit owner is going to end in October 2015. With the Rental Control Act, I understand that I need to honor the existing lease contract between the seller of the condo unit I am going to purchase and his tenant. However, I have an issue regarding the rental fee. As per seller, he gave the tenant a special price of P8,000 per month as the tenant is his friend. However, the average rental fee in that area is P12,000. The tenant has expressed his intention to renew the lease agreement after October 2015. My questions are these:
    1. When the title of the unit gets transferred to my name this May, am I obliged to enter into a contract (with the same terms as with the previous owner of the condo unit) with the lessee for another year from May or until October 2015 only?
    2. Will I be able to increase his rental from P8,000 to P12,000 per month since I am a new lessor or will the 7% max increase in rent apply?

    Will greatly appreciate your response.

    Thank you!

  • Jovi

    Hello Sir,

    Good day to you Sir and thank you in advance.

    My question is regarding my wife’s current issue with the lessor.
    She rented a flat and signed a contract. Unfortunately, most people tend to sign papers without actually understanding what’s written on it or what the consequences are by taking it for granted. She said she is no longer happy with their stay, since the toilet is always clogged and the water pressure is always weak and the lessor doesn’t clean the water tank even after numerous complaints.

    She found another place and I am ready to send her money for the advance and deposit. The problem is that the current lessor will not return her two months advance since she did not finish the contract. Is it really legal for the lessors to incorporate such a clause in the contract saying you cannot withdraw your advances if you pre-terminate a contract or anything similar to that essence? This kind of contract clause seems to be proliferating everywhere in Manila nowadays.

    Regards,
    Jovi

  • maria gracia santiago

    hello po Atty. hingi po ako Legal advice. nagrerent po ako sa isang commercial space worth 4000.00/monthly. Dapat po expired na contrata namin nung january 2015, humihingi po ako ng bagong kontrata pero pinaghintay kami ng 4mos up to now wala pa din. pero kinausap kami nung 3rd week ng april na sa May 2015 e mag iincrease daw from 4000.00 to 6000.00, 50% ang hinihinging increase. tanong ko lang po pwede po ba ito o dapat 10% annualy lang ang dapat na dagdag?

    Kasi may nabasa akong ginawa ni Sen Mirriam Santiago S.B. No1850, rights ng mga leesee, approved po ba eto?pwedeko po etong basehan? thank you po

  • Lyndon

    Hello po Atty. hingi lang po sana ako nang legal advice. nag rerent po kami for two months now and we are planning to move out na dahil sa mga mga patakaran nang may ari. wala kaming written contract and when we informed the owner they said, that daw muna naming tapusin ang 1 year para magamit ang 2 months deposit namin. pero wala po kaming written agreement. Please advise po if we it is legal for us to leave and force to use the 2 months deposit.

    Thank you po!

  • kaye reyes

    this page is cool! Ayos ng pagkkdstribute per section, ang linaw! Thank you so much Atty. James Biron!
    Will surely contact you in the future. to God be the glory! You’re a blessing!

    • Atty. James Biron

      Kaye, thank you for the nice comment. I will revamp the appearance to make it even better, but I’m still busy right now to work on it. I hope to do it by next week

  • Joe-Mar

    Hi Sir,

    What is the Rent Law applicable if the rent is more than PHP10,000?
    How is eviction executed? Is it legal to padlock the residential place upon notice of eviction?

    Appreciate your reply.

    Many thanks,
    Joe-Mar

  • Lourdes Tolentino

    Hi sir, I just read your article and I have a questions to ask. We were renting a residential unit in makati for about 8 years now. we moved june 27, 2008 and our rent at that time was 5,000 a month with a contract that our due date is on every 30th of the month and a grace period of 3days. After a year the owner/lessor increased our rent of 500 pesos so it became 5,500 a month. Last 2012 the lessor gave the management of residential units to her sister as lessor and made a new lease contract but unfortunately it was not read and understand fully by my husband who signs the contract, it was only now that I read again the contract dated oct. 2012 and it says there that our due date is every 1st of the month and with a grace period of 5 days and if we were not able to pay after the grace period we will have a penalty of 10per cent for every day of delay. At first it was not followed actually cause my daughter and my husband was not aware that the due date was every 1st of the month what they understood or they know was that as long as they have not lapse the one month period they were able to pay the rent and it goes but not until this june, 2015 rent that the lessor gave them a notice that the payment for the rent for the period june 1-30,2015 was already delayed and that they will have a penalty of 10 percent which is 550 and the total to be paid is 6,050. I talked to the owner and told her why we have to be penalized wherein the one month period of june hasn’t lapse yet. We were used to pay the rent within a month period and now we have to adjust or double pay within a month for us not to have a penalty of 10percent every month. With the rent control act, it says there that the lessor cannot make an increase of more than 7 percent per annum but are they allowed to gave a penalty of 10 percent a month for every delay of payment? If we do not agree with the terms, do they have the right to eject us? Thank you in advance and your help.

  • nelfa cabrera

    good evening po atty.

    have a question regarding the increase our lessor wishes to impose. we rent his house for 15k in 2009.it has not been increased since then.now,he is informing us that he will add 5k to make it 20k per month.its more than 30 percent increase in one shoot.is this legal po? he avers that for almost 7years,wla naman daw increase…we need your advice po…we have contract lease for one year only.no renewal transpired but we religiously paid rental of 15 k per month.tyvm ahead po

  • jenjen

    Hello po atty.question lang po.nagamit na po kasi namin ung 1month advance and 2 months deposit. Hinaharass kami ng landlord,mga salitang di naman dapat dahil technically pera parin namin ang ginagamit.nagbabayad kami ng 1 monthpero ayaw nyang tanggapin dahil ibinawas ko ung kuryente at tubig na inabonohan ko na usage ng dating nakatira. Ang sabi nya labas daw cya dun.hanggang sa nag sigawan na kami. Pinabaranggay nya ko at gusto na kami umalis sa apartment. Ang tanong ko po pwede ba nya kami paalisin agad agad kahit nag babayad naman kami?

  • sam

    good day atty. here is my case. i have a tenant renting my apartment for 5,000. only verbal contract. during his first week stay in the premises, he had an altercation with other tenants so the latter decided to left as they were threatened by this new tenants this matter was referred to brgy. hence, thru mediation with the bray captain we were able to reach into a compromise agreement wherein he agreed that he will leave the premises after a month. when the due date came, we sought to enforce the agreement under brgy law. under the irr of the bray law, the brgy has the right to oust the tenant to deliver the possession to the owner. however after many attempts, still the tenant refused to vacate the premises. so what are my other options. can i file motion for execution before mtc for the enforcement of the agreement even before the lapse of 6 months period? it should be noted that under the brgy law the execution shall be made before the brgy within 6 months or file an action before mtc after the lapse of 6 months. I’m just thinking if i need to wait the lapse of 6 months or immediately file the case before the mtc as waiting for 6 months would entail more damages on our part. on the other hand, we cannot file ejectment case since the situation is not one of the grounds mentioned in the rent control act. however, can we used art 1687 as aground for ejectment? what are my options atty. tnx!

  • Flor

    good day attorney…i am renting a bedspace since June 2015. i paid 1 month advance, 1 month deposit with NO CONTRACT and the landlord did not issue receipt either. altogether, i paid 3,400.00. the rent includes water and electricity already. i share the room with my two officemates. anyway, i have filed a resignation in my office last august and i informed my landlord that i will be using my 1 month advance for the month of september since i plan to move out end of september. can i still get my deposit?

    also, i want to ask another thing. the landlord wants my other officemate to move out because of some disagreement. he had given her a notice that she can only stay there till end of september. is that lawful? i pity my officemate because she finds it hard to look for a new place at such short notice.

    i hope you can enlighten me with my concerns. thank you and Godspeed.

  • Teacher M

    Hello Atty. Biron. Good Afternoon.

    I have a question regarding the increase of the rental fee for commercial buildings. Our company has been renting the place here in Quezon City for more or less 20 years. Recently, the lessor sent a memorandum to all tenants that she will increase the rent to 10% starting the first month of 2016. According to her, every year, there will be an increase of 10%. Is it legal and possible to increase the rent by 10% every yea?. If that is possible, withing 10 years, the rental fee will be doubled!!! Is there any rent control law that protects the rights of the tenants? Please enlighten me about this. Thank you very much. I hope to hear from you soon.

  • eda mercado

    dear sir,
    I have a problem with my tenants kasi po nag deposit at advance sila nung june 13,2015, ng dalawang buwan 2,500/mo. simula ng nag advance sila ng June 13, up to now Sept. 25, 2015 hindi na sila nagbayad tapos yung kuryente nila at tubig nitong huli hindi na din sila nagbayad at kung ano anong rason sinasabi sakin so dahil hindi na din nila binayaran ilaw tubig pinutol ko na po ito kasi lagi po akong napuputulan ng kuryent kasi lagi pong kulang binabayad nila ngayon nangako sila na aalis na sila nung sept. 15, pero hanggan ngayon dipa sila uma alis… at meron daw silang karapatan mag stay ng 3mos. tanong ko lang po hindi po ba kasama sa 3 mos. ang advance at deposit nila kasi kung kasama po yon bali 1mo. and half sla palang hindi nagbabayad kasi pagkaunawa ko po ang dep. at adv. ay hindi kasama sa bilang na 3mos. na upa kasi dapat dito kinukuha ang pambayad nila ng bill at kung me masira sa bahay na inuupahan nila ano po ba ang tama kasi ako na landlord ako pa po pinabarangay nila at ako pa po ang sinisigawan at binato ng baso please help me po

    eda mercado

  • eda mercado

    sana po makuha ko agad ang kasagutan sa tanong ko para po me panghawakan naman ako kung mali po ba ako o tama na paalisin na sila..

    salamat po
    eda mercado

  • Gaile

    Hi atty,
    Is there a law for those renting above 10,000? Im still paying 11k every 8th of the month despite my contract ended 6 months ago. The owner just advised me today that they no longer want to extend which gives me 20 days to look for a new house. Can they actually evict me?

  • dina hernandez

    goodmorning atty,
    kapag po ba ung contract hindi na nairenew automatic po ba na monthly basis ung contract and pede ko pa sila paalisin after 3 months kng magpapadala po ako ngayon ng notice to leave the premises.
    and pano po kung ayaw nila taasan rent nila kung di daw po iissuehan ng BIR receipt. di po kasi registered ung apartment e. thank you po.

  • Jen Chico

    Good day Atty!
    Our store was padlocked by the owner a week before our rental schedule which is every 8th of the month. Our store was closed for a month because of the training and seminars that i need to attend to. It was padlocked when i returned to pay the bills and rent to the owner. We have an unpained bills of water and meralco bill for 1 month but we have no arears when it comes to rent. Is there a legal recourse regarding this? Is it right?
    Thank you and im hoping for your reponse. God Bless!

  • Mia Ruiz

    Hi sir, I sent you an email. Thank you. Hope to hear from you.

  • Melanie

    Hi Atty:

    I am renting a commercial space for food cart unfortunately the customers are not high that leads to low profits, which gives me negative revenue. My contract is 12 months and I am paying P20,400 total for the rent & other fixed maintenance charges such us electricity, water and etc.. I issued 10 PDC because it is part of the agreement. I cannot afford to fund the PDC anymore because the store is not profitable and I used my own salary to pay my crew amounting to P350 per day. My daily average sales is P100 only. I tried to tell my lessor about my situation but they’ve told me that i can terminate my contract anytime, which my 3 months security deposit and 2 months advance rent will be forfeited, in addition to that i still need to pay them the remaining 7 months rent. Those are included in termination clause in the contract.

    My Questions are:
    1. Is there a way for me to get out of the contract?
    2. Is there a law that can protect me from this kind of situation?
    3. I cannot fund the PDC anymore, I am aware about BP 22 law, but what will I do if i really don’t have money to pay for the rent?
    4. I am trying to negotiate with the lessor about the contract if we can shorten the term but they are hiding from me, not answering the calls nor replying to the text and emails. What are the lessor’s obligations to the lessee?

    Thank you in advance.

  • Kelly

    Hi Attorney,

    Ask ko lang po legal advice ninyo. We are new renters, the house we are renting is 35k per month. The landlord asked us for 2 months advanced and 2 months deposit na pumayag naman kami. It has been 2 months now since we rent the house, the owner came to the house saying, the advanced payment is meant for the last two months of rent before daw matapos ang contract which was not written to the contract. The owner is also demanding for every two month payment instead of monthly rent and is also not written in the contract we signed. Pero before we rent the house, we had a conversation na we are willing to pay the rent every two months but it was not finalized. When we get to see the house, the actual picture posted on the net was not even the same but still we accepted the house. Now, they are demanding us to pay every two months daw, ano po ba ang tama namang gawin? May batas po ba sa panggigipit na ginagawa samin ng landlord? Three months na po kaming naupa, do we have the right to demand for our security deposit and leave the house if they still insist? Thanks!

  • Kian

    Hi attorney! Where should i file a complaint if my landlord does not want to comply with the 7% maximum rent increase. I am currently living in a first class municipality. Thank you and more power!

  • Angel

    Hi sir, I sent a message through the contact link. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you

  • mervin chow

    Hi Atty

    I would just like to ask,we rented an apartment for 9,000 per month feb 14, 2014. may contract po kami until february 14, 2015.but after po nun, wala po kami contract na narecieve so we just continued it. every 15th of the month po kami nagbabayad ng rent. Ngayon po nakarecieve po kami ng statement na on march 15 2016, ang payment po na aming babayaran na is 9500 agad samantalang march 6 na po ngayon. pwede po b yun na biglang tataasan ng mayari ang rent namin without telling us na magtataas siya ng rent. thank you atty

  • Ysel Cruz

    Hi Attorney,

    My mom is renting a commercial space for a water refilling station business since 2013 for P9,000. They came to a point that they’re late in paying the monthly rent so the landlady asked them to pay P500 everyday instead to complete the monthly rent. Since my mom can’t manage it anymore and end up having unpaid water and electric bills, I helped her manage it starting late December of 2015. Just yesterday, the landlady locked up the store and said that we have to pay them the unpaid 2 and a half month rent of P28,000. They said they already increase the rent (without new contract). They’re saying too that my mom also signed an addendum in their contract 2-3 weeks ago that they can lock the store up if we’ll not be able to pay them including the water and electric bill. Furthermore, they’re asking us to leave the place on March 15, 2016. We have 2 months advance deposit which they don’t want us to use.

    Questions:
    1. What legal action I could take against the landlady for locking the store? My mom is saying that she was forced to sign the addendum in the contract since they’re demanding for a payment and agreement they have was until 03/15/2016.
    2. Can i bill them for all damages caused by locking it up? We’ll definitely won’t be able to deliver to our customer and end up losing them.
    3. Can they increase the rent without new contract and just verbal notice? They’re saying that the initial contract says they can increase the rent.
    4. Is there any law covering length of time when they can evict us? It’s not easy to find new location especially with the water station equipment.

    I really appreciate your help attorney.

    Thank you very much!

    • Atty. James Biron

      Ysel, I sent you an email, please check

      • Ferd

        Good day Atty. Biron. I am seeking legal advise regarding my landlady for my rented commercial space. It is just a space within commercial foodcourt near a school. She demolished my store and let the new tenant to use my space without my permission to do so, although she let me know via text messages that she will demolish it but I insisted. My payment was delayed for two months but when I am about to pay it (the 2 months and trying to pay even another 2 months advanced) a week after two months due, but she doesnt want to accept it and she declared that she will not let me stay any longer and demanded me to vacate. Our contract, not notarized and not formally signed by both parties, in a rough draft form, will expire December 2018. I started renting the said space last December 2016. Now, when I am about to ask her why she demolished it without any court ruling or even barangay official’s order, she said that she can evict me. My demolished foodcart, cabinets, table, and other equipments such as electrc fan, blenders, etc., were held by her and told me that I need to pay her for my debt for November monthly rental. My monthly rental is due every 16th of the month, but she demolished it before November 16th – supposedly 3rhd month unpaid. Now sir, I would like to ask if I have the right to stay and let her pay for what she did like demolishing my store without judicial process and order from the court, and what must I do next legally? Thank you and more power to you Atty.

  • Louie Gomez

    Good Day Attorney James,

    My problem is this, I recently acquired a property, well it used to be my parents house but they mortgaged it and was foreclosed by the bank, having the means to buy it back I requested to have the a loan restructured and pay twenty percent of the property and then pay the monthly amortization.

    When my parents are still alive they had a small bangketa space (sidewalk in front of the house) around 10 meters x 2-3 meters in depth, constructed with light materials for small businesses such as carinderia, bananaque, lugawan etc. They had it rented in short, with really small amount, since the 90’s without issueing any contracts, everything is verbal and no receipts are being issued. When I took ownership of the property, this renters paid me instead but again no contracts between lessor and lessee was ever made, it was by mere tolerance and goodwill that I accepted their payments, which by way only amounts to around 7,000 pesos for all 4 commercial stalls/spaces.

    Now, I wanted to remove this structures and construct a new commercial spaces, so I already gave them notice that they need to vacate the place, I gave this written notice october last year,up to now they have not vacated the place and even file a complaint in BIR that i dont give receipts and pay taxes for their rent. BTW all this stalls, do not have business permits or whatsoever, what they paid is only baranggay permits. knowing this, I already filed a complaint in the Licensing and Permits in the City Goverment to request for closure order, I also went for the City Engineers office to request for demolition since basically the property violates the the City construction by occupying the whole sidewalk, I also went for Meralco since the Meralco post is inside the illegal structure and also complained that this establishment connects directly to the meralco posts (jumper) since they do not have electricity. which is not only illegal but also poses danger of fire to the community and my property.

    I wanted to have them removed badly but worries that I will encounter repercussions if I take matter into my own hands, say if i just demolish those structure so they wont be able to occupy it anymore. It stresses me out seeing them while I pay for the monthly amortization of my property and they are enjoying having business for free and just ignores my request for them to leave.

    What other ways can I do to make them vacate the place?, I’m also having a hard time with the City Government since this is election season and those people occupying are voters. I’m also worried that an ejectment proceeding (not even sure if that applies since there’s no contract) will take so long. Please help.

    Regards,
    Luigi

  • Vicki

    Hi Atty.

    What are the legal provisions of rental rate increase for residential properties leased for above 10K, as this law doesn’t cover it? Basically, I’d like to know up to what percent can my landlord possibly increase our rental rate as our unit is at 15K/monthly and I’m hoping increase can still be restricted at a certain maximum. Thanks!

  • MT

    Good Day Atty. sent some concern at you contact link

    hoping for your response

    Thank you and God Bless

  • Grace Reyes

    Dear Attorney,

    What is the proper way to account the electricity charge to a VAT-exempt tenant (sub-metered) from a VAT-registered lessor (mother meter)? What is the best way to passed the VAT to a tenant who is VAT-exempt?

  • June Laurel

    Dear Attorney,

    Last March 2016, i could not keep up with my apartment rent bills specially at the closing of the school year with 4 kids. My problem is that my landlady want to eject me even if I have a 1 month deposit and 1 month advance. I have not paid the rent for two months. If counting only the 1 month advance excluding the 1 month deposit, it would only be counted as 1 month late payment. She reported me to the barangay chairman. No matter how I explained it to the landlady and the barangay officials, that it should take 3 months of no payment will it be legal to eject a tenant. The barangay officials does not acknowledge the rent control act. We made a settlement which I was forced to pay. I was really furious about the barangay officials decision in not acknowledging the Rent Control Act. The landlady and the officials have been friends their entire lives. As for next week, it will be the same predicament again, I will be 1 month delayed payment if i include the 1 month advance.

    My question Sir, is which part of our government should i go to? Please help me where to turn to.
    I am from Mandaue City, Cebu

  • HI!
    Is it legal for landlord to lock up or eject tenants just basing on 3 months none payment of rent?
    Is there any additional information of legal process before a landlord can eject a tenant.

    Let say, like in our situtation, i lost my job so we’re not able pay our rent for 2 months,so we consumed our 1 month advance and 1 month deposit payment to the landlord.then we then asked for allowance ,so that we can find new place to live, however ,now’s 3rd month of none payment,does that give the landlord the right just to eject us to her property, or can she just lock up our apartment?will the law override any possibility of these,if let say this has been talk over with the barangay?
    Thank you.
    Hoping to hear from you soon.

  • sir… nose bleed i’ll make it tagalog..
    halimbawa po sir kami ay umuupa sa isang exhibit sa isang mall.. about 5years na.. din..
    ang systema ng may ari ng exhibit company ay ganito.. annually nag iincrease sila ng renta ng pwesto…at bukod doon sa tubo nila sa renta ng pwesto ay umabot na ng 800php… at dito meron na silang tubo… bukod doon.. halimbawa sir nagka balance ka ng 15k… ito ay kanila na din tinutubuan ng 500 a month …may cpntrata po silang pina papermahan..sa amin.. na hindi authinticated at di nila kami binigyan ng kopya..nito.. anu po ang rights namin at anu ang violations na sinuway nila.. at masasabi kung ang may ari nito ay tax escaper.. po dahil sa mga legalities ng papel nila ay di totoo.ang mga naka saad don. ayon sa mga naka registered na pwesto nila mula barangay hanggang mayors permit..saan po kaming maaring lumapit.. na matutugunan ang problema..

    anu pong laban ang pwed gawin..

  • Orland Olivares

    Hi Atty:
    We lease a space inside the canteen of a private school in QC. The leased contract was signed last month June 6, 2016. The rent rate is Ph 10,000 per month for less than 5sqm space. We set up and bought equipment then started operating on June 13, 2016 to sell snack and lunch packs to students. We issued one year PDC’s plus the one month advance and one month deposit. BTW, the Lessor also collect 7% on our daily gross sales. Before we started the food stall this year, they already have 3 tenants selling other food items. They implement zoning. Since we started the food cart business, we are doing well. In fact as of last week about 50% of the student in canteen is buying from us.

    Yesterday, the Lessor issued us a termination letter and forcing us to vacate the space and bring out our equipment immediately. The reason stated in the termination, is that according to them there is a food poisoning case against us. We don’t have such case. We never missed out any payment, all our checks are funded. I just have unconfirmed info that the owner/lessor will put up the same concept of our food cart because they see how successful our business inside their school.

    Can they terminate the contract to that effect? Can a Lessor demand to vacate the rentable area on the same day they issued the notice? Are they violating any of our rights as a Lessee? If they are violating our rights, what can we do? what are our legal rights?

    Thank you in advance.

    Orland Olivares

  • hi atty. James. just want to know were renting a residential house PhP 12,000 so were not covered with the 7% increse. we started PhP 10K 2014 . 2015 they increas to Php 12K. then ds septmber 2016 they informing us that they will increase to PhP13,500/ so what can we do? thanks in advance hope yopu can give some ligfht on this matter.

  • Don Garcia

    Hi Atty Biron, i would like to seek help from you, right now i am renting a commercial space with 3 months security deposit and 1 month advance unfortunately po di ako kumikita mahina po ang mga benta ko I decided to terminate my contract and ang nka state sa contract p nmin if i decided to terminante my contract all my security deposits will be forfeited. Ok naman po ako don kaya lng po di ko na kayang bayaran ang 1 month na tumakbong rental ko kasi nga po nalugi ako. I tried to talk to the Lessor to not deposit anymore my issued check for the month but he refused sabi po nya kasi is dapat 1 month before po is nag send na ako ng formal letter na hindi ko na po nagawa kasi sobrang stressed na po ako. He told me he will deposit my issued check for the month and then pag nag bounce idedemanda ako ng estafa. Atty ano po ba ang tama kong gawin hindi pa po ba sapat ung ma forfeit ung 2 months security deposit ko? Please help me to this matter. Thank you po.

  • Vincent H. Ventosa (benjie)

    Dear sir, i am renting an apartment at the start of PHP 8,500.00 with a one year contract. However, during succeeding years the contract was not renewed but we continued renting without contract. We’ve been staying in that apartment for almost 7 year without contract. Last 2 years our landlord increased the rent from PHP 8,500.00/month to PHP 10,000.00/month. The 1,500.00 increase is almost 18%. Last week i found out that the rental law 9653 allows only 7% increase for those renting PHP 10,000.00 and below.
    The owner said that the increase is needed because she replaced the roof. I told her that it is her duty to spend for the roof because it is not located inside the apartment.
    Question: Can i claim the overpayment due to the increase based on the rental law?

  • Vincent H. Ventosa (benjie)

    Dear sir, i am renting an apartment at the start of PHP 8,500.00 with a one year contract. However, during succeeding years the contract was not renewed but we continued renting without contract. We’ve been staying in that apartment for almost 7 year without contract. Last 2 years our landlord increased the rent from PHP 8,500.00/month to PHP 10,000.00/month. The 1,500.00 increase is almost 18%. Last week i found out that the rental law 9653 allows only 7% increase for those renting PHP 10,000.00 and below.
    The owner said that the increase is needed because she replaced the roof. I told her that it is her duty to spend for the roof because it is not located inside the apartment.
    Question: Can i claim the overpayment due to the increase based on the rental law?

  • Jp

    Hi Sir. I’ve been renting a unit in QC for almost a year now. I pay my monthly rent through PDCs; however the lessor does not issue receipts to me. May way po ba na malaman sa BIR kung registered yun renting business nya since walang OR. Can I file complaint sa BIR? Thank you. Btw the lessor owns 8 units.

    • Atty. James Biron

      JP, yes you can check with BIR

      • JP

        Thank you, Atty. Follow up question. I already completed my 1 year lease last November 15, but until now I have not received the two-month deposits.As per the contract, the lessor will return the deposits (minus unpaid utility bills and damages) after the 1yr contract. I made several followups but the landlord still has not returned the deposits.

        There are no unpaid rent since I paid my rent through PDCs and no damages (I videotaped the condition of the unit before I left).

        How can I force the landlord to return the deposits and the amount she will return?

        Thank you.

  • Gerry

    Good day Atty umuupa lang po ako ng kwarto sa ngayon. ang huling usapan namin ng namamahal ng paupahan, hanggang oct 19, 2016 na lang ako kasi paalis na ako abroad at nakapag bayad na ako ng last payment, kaso nga lang nagkaroon ng delay. kinausap ko yong namamahala ng paupahan na mag extend ako ng 1 month pa. pero kinagabihan nagpadala na ng letter sakin na di na raw pwede mag extend kasi hanggang oct 19 lang ang usapan at may uupa na daw kasi na bago. di po ba dapat ininform nila ako in advance kahit mga isang bwan para may time pa ako maghanap ng malilipatan? or may right pa po ba ako mag stay ng isang bwan? wala po kasi kaming written contract. nag start ako umupa sa kanila noong aug 19, 2016 lang

  • Jesly F.

    Hi Atty.
    Is there a provision in this law regarding proper notification of tenants (like for example a 30-day period) prior increasing the rent?
    I received a letter last October 5, 2016 (but it was dated Sept 28) notifying me an increase in rent. Based on my understanding, the increase would only take effect the following month (October). However, the caretakers were asking for the additional increase in rent as the effectivity according to them would be on Sept 28.
    I’m really confused. Some states (mostly in America) have provision that a 30-day ‘grace’ period will apply prior said increase.

  • may the landlord can eject the tenant right away. how long is the grace period according to the law.
    pls answer this . i need it so badly.

  • neriza b.

    Good Day Sir I’m renting a commercial stall at centris thru an organizer and this organizer has 2 years contract with centris. Their contract will end this November 2016 and they did not renew their contract with centris. anymore. Can all the lessee under this organizer will be displaced with out notice under the new management.

  • Suzette

    Hi po Atty,how much po ang percentage ng increase ng rent sa commercial space per year?

  • PJ

    Hi Atty.,

    We sre renting a 14k unit. Is there a law for rent higher than 10k? I am delayed for less than a month, and I am being evicted. Is this legal? I hope for your response. Thank u very much

  • Charles

    Hello Atty. Biron,

    The lessor sold the house to a third party and only notified us on December 22 that we only had until January 30 to vacate the house. I still paid montly rental fee on December 15. Is this legal? It’s very hard and time-consuming for us to find a new house to rent on such a short notice. Now, we talked to the buyer and told us that we can extend our stay until March BUT she demanded she have access to the property so she can start cleaning the forested area at the back of the house and removing trees and other plants there. This will cause a lot of stress for us because we have dogs and cats and I work at home. Is this legal to do?

  • Jomz

    Good Day,
    I inquired a newly built building regarding a commercial space the only thing included in the space is plumbing and electrical wirings. The sample contract shown to me has a clause that states that “all the improvements made by the lessee to the leased premisses that are allowed by the lessor shall remain on the lease premises at the end of the lease term without compensation to the lessee” the issue I have here is that what these so called improvements covers are not specifically stated, so I wanted to ask legally what could these so called improvements cover if nothing was specifically stated. Since the lessor requires the lessee to install a frameless glass front door 3m(h)x4m(w) around 50k+ and a minimum of 3HP split type aircon around 60K which if you ask me constitutes to an improvement of the space so I’d be upset if the lessor gets this things for free at the end of contract or when I decide to renew the contract and the lessor just increases rent at a high price.

  • Eren Baluyot

    Good day sir! We are renting a residential unit with the amount of 11,500 this month the landlord notice us that they will increase our rent to 15, 000 pesos… is it legal to increase that high? How many % does the owner can only increase their rent?
    Hoping to give me knowledge about this matter.. thank you very much!

  • Irene M.

    Good day sir! I would like to ask po for your legal advice regarding our situation. Back in 2012, my mother bought a business that included the security deposit for the rented commercial space. Bale parang pinasa nalang po sa amin yung contract. Then this year po binenta din namin yung same business, pinasa nalang din po namin yung contract dun sa nakabili. Pumayag naman po yung landlord. Then upon checking daw po sa records nila they found out that the security deposit paid by the previous tenant kulang na since nagtaas sila ng rent sa amin. 25k lang daw kasi rent nung previous tenant then kami 26k. So parang dapat 52k yung security dep pero 50k lang daw hawak nila sa record. But upon checking po the lease contract she signed 5 years ago, wala naman pong nakalagay na kulang yung security deposit na hawak nila, meaning 52k yung nakalagay sa contract nya na security deposit. For the last 5 years wala rin naman silang sinasabi sa amin na kailangan namin magdagdag sa deposit. Pati po yung huling lease contract with them same lang po sa yung nakaindicate. Inamin naman po ng secretary that it was her fault, na mali daw po yung nailagay nyang total na security deposit sa nakalagay daw po sa record nila. Pero yung problem po sa amin nya sinisingil yung kulang daw na security deposit para sa tenant na bumili ng business namin since pinasa nga lang po yung contract. I have no way to check po kasi if what she’s telling is the truth kasi ang basis ko lang po ay yung unang contract and the yearly renewed contracts which my mother all signed in good faith. Liable pa rin po ba sya? We were made aware of this problem po just when we have already given a termination letter and the new tenant already signed their lease contract with them. May kukuhain pa po kasi akong PDCs sa kanila, ang worry ko po baka ihold nila yun kung di namin babayaran yung 2k na difference sa security deposit. Thank you po and I hope to get your expert opinion po.

  • lorena f v.

    gud afternoon ,, i lorena villaflor tenant po ako for almost 38 yrs, ikokondem ang bahay pero na hold po namin for inverstigation po at may appelle pa po.. nag apply ang landlord to terminate ang ilaw namin pero nakapangalan sa akin.. may rights ba ang land lord mag terminate ng ilaw meralco lalo n na hold abeyance ang demolition ng bahay…. paki send n lang po ang sagot nio sa fb ko jhoerelle villaflor, thanks po

  • Tony

    Hi atty

    Goodmorning. We rented a place for 12,000 pesos/month. Sa isang taon po, ang amount ng tubig namin unaabot ng 1,500 kasi daw po nakatap lang ang rented townhouse namin sa neighbor na nakacommercial payment sa maynilad.nung umalis po yung mga kapitbahay namin,400 na lang daw po ang babayran namim kasi napansin nila bumaba ang tubig. So we refused to pay our rent para ibalik nila yung binayaran naman for a year.bigla po kami pinapaalis na, because our contract expired on march 5 ,2017and ginamit na daw nila ang advance namin without us being informed.what can we do about this atty. we dont have receipts also from BIR for the payments

  • Tony

    Yung water po nga pala atty per month is 1,500/month residential payment

  • James William B.

    atty pdi ko po ba makuha yung 1 month deposit ko kahit half month lang ako tumira sa paupahan nya? wala po kaming pinirmahan na contract pero ayaw nya ibigay ung deposit ko kasi daw consumable daw po yun pero wala po kaming agreement upon occupancy.

  • James William B.

    kumbaga room for rent lang po kasi

  • Tony M

    Hi atty
    Ask ko Lang po, we are renting a house for 12,000.water payable per month is 1,800 kasi nakatap lang po daw ang house namin sa neighbor na ” under commercial payment Hindi residential kaya mahal daw po ang water.
    4 na unit po kami nakatap ang water sa kapitbahay kaya po every month binibigyan po kami ng Mayari ng bahay ng payables Lang accdg to average consumption. Nun umalis na mo yung dalawa namin na kapitbahay, sabi po ng may ari na 400 na Lang daw po babayran kasi nasobrahan daw po talaga nag singil sa Amin kada buwan at irefund po.
    Di po kami nagbayad ngayon dahil sa sinabi niya pong refund pero sabi niya eh lumayas na daw po kami dahil ayaw na iextend yung contract sa Amin biglaan eh nagbabayad po kami every month walang Palya, ngayon Lang dahil sa refund na supposedly gamitin Pambayad ng bahay.natapos na po yung contract namin ngayon Marso
    Wala po sila inissue na resibo sa mga bayad namin pati po sa tubig na hati hati kami
    Ano po ang mga legal ways na magaganda namin pars matigil na yung mga abuses na ganito?
    Salamat po atty

  • Angelina

    HI Atty,

    I had my house rented in Antipolo since 2015 and my tenant has been paying on time even if we dont have a formal contract. The tenant is a contractor so we had an arrangement for him to do the needed renovations and just deduct it from his deposit/advance payment.
    Just recently, he called me to inform that the gate fell off and mentioned other leaks in the house.
    Should I be the one to cover for the expense of these repairs? I know the gate was made of sturdy materials but he is insisting that it was not and it was a usual wear and tear.
    I really dont want to spend for any repairs anymore since I know it was in good condition when I handed it to him. Can I insist that any future house repair will be the expense of the tenant already?

  • Michelle C.

    Hi Atty. Biron. I’m glad I found this site. I am currently renting an apartment for almost two years now and had consumed my advance and deposit recently due to financial difficulties. I have requested to pay every 15th and 30th of the month on which the Landlord agreed. However, each time my payment is delayed for a few days, he will cut off the electricity and water and has threatened me several times that he will lock the apartment since I was already able to use the advance and deposit. Also now he is demanding that I pay every 1st of the month and again I’m receiving the same threats. Aside from that, he did not give me any contract and has stopped giving me receipts for my payment since last year. Please advise on what I should do regarding this. Thank you Atty. Biron

  • Noreen

    Hi po, im from cebu.. I participated a public auction conducted by pag ibig. Now thr property i won has an ,”occupied” status. I talked to the tenant, theyve been living the place for 5 yrs already but I guessed theyre no longer paying thr rent for year i think for the previous owner didn’t monitor the property anymore. Accdly, the monthly rental is 1k starting thr time they are aware that the property is being foreclosed by pag ibig a yr ago. They don’t have contract of lease as well. They told me that they want me to pay thr expenses they spent in improving the house. Can they force me to pay such expenditures spent sir? And the maximum time i can give them to vacate such property Thanks.

  • Cha

    Good day sir, the owner of our apartment just decided to have the floor above us renovated without giving us any notice. The flooring is wood so our kisame is now exposed.
    Is there any law he violated?

    Thank you.

  • Eric

    Good day Atty,
    Nagrent po kami sa 3-storey property tapos napagusapan po namin verbally (wala pong written contract) na rerentahan namin yung second floor ng 5000 monthly. 3 weeks po after we moved in sinabihan kami nung nagpapaupa na humanap na ng malilipatan kasi nakasangla yung bahay (pero pakiramdam ko po nakakita siya ng uupa ng buong bahay first to third floor). Hindi pa nga po namin nagagamit yung one month advance namin. Nakalipat na rin po yung bagong gagamit. Kinukulit na kami nung nagpaupa na humanap na ng malilipatan. Pwede po ba kami paalisin ng sapilitan? Pwede ko po bang ipaglaban yung karapatan ko sa 3-month advance notice? May karapatan po ba ako i–refund yung binayad ko kapag pinaalis kami? Nakakabastos at nakakaabala po talaga kasi lalo na mahirap humanap ng bahay (2 weeks na po ako naghahanap) na afford ko, maglipat ng gamit at may work din po. Thank you.
    .

  • Aimee T.

    Good day! Nice to read your article and it is very helpful.

    I hope you can give a me an advice on how to handle my current situation.

    My mother’s friend rented our house back 2010 for the amount of P2500/ month. Tenant offered that they are going to repair the house in the agreed amount of P50,000 and it is only made up of woods. I was surprised that after 2 months of repair, the former house was gone and they built a 2 storey house and it cost P168,000 w/o our knowledge. It is very clear that they are builder in bad faith. Because mom value their friendship we created a contract that the cost of the repair be deducted using their monthly rental and will increase 10% yearly up to the point they will recover the cost of repair. Mom and the tenant both sign w/ witness of barangay kagawad. My question is, is 10% illegal since the tenant built in bad faith?

    Thanks in advace. God bless and more power.

  • Marie E.

    Good day Atty! Sir I hope upi can help me asap.. I am renting a condo unit and my last payment for my rent bounce.. Tinawagan ko po ung secretary ng broker at nakiusap na ma delay until June 10, 2017 ang payment ko.. Unfortunately ay di nila ininform ung owner so pinasok ung checke.. My check bounce and as per contract it is a grounds for termination of contract.. Now the owner wants me to evict me frm my unit.

    Sir is this legal? I mean i know na nasa kontrata un pero sobra naman ata ung ganun.. I am only delayed for 10 days. And besides we pay 10% as penalty for delayed payments.

    Sir i hope u can help me.. Gipit po kami ngaun thats why we got delayed so evicting us now is a bit too much to handle..

    Thank you Atty.. More power!!

  • Jessie B.

    Hi Atty. James,

    I have a question on ejectment. If the tenant pays 1 month advance and 1 month deposit. Can the days that were not paid by the tenant be charged against the one month deposit? If there is no contract to lease and the tenant has already consumed the one month advance and deposit and failed to pay monthly rental and bills, can he be ejected or transferred to another room without his permission since he left without any contact details to visit his friend in Pampanga? He will be ejected or transferred because there is someone who wanted to rent the room. He promised to return but wasnt able to return to the apartment on time so he can pay necessary rental fee and bills.

    Sincerely,
    Jessie Barrot

  • Marie S.

    Hi Atty.! Magpa consult po ako kase we are renting a commercial space for 7 years now. We gave the security deposit of 20,000 good for 2months rent. However, this 2017 our rental increased to 12,705. In line with this, we are asked to settle an amount of 5,410 which is the difference of the 20,000 security before and the current rate of 25,410 (2months new rental rate). Is it rightful to pay an additional security deposit when in fact we are still leasing the space? Thank you po.

  • Anne

    Good day Atty.
    Ask ko lng po kung pwede po ako taasan o paalisin sa nirerentahan ko commercial space, bago lang po kasi ako sa business.nagrent po ako nuon may 2016 monthly po 12000 wala po cr, tubig Ngayon po 1 year na po ako nangungupahan expired na po yon contract ko sa kanila, gusto ko po sana inaayos kaso ayaw po nila pumayag na ibawas sa upa yon gagastusin ko, gusto po nila sa kanila yon materyales gagamitin at sa akin yon labor bayad, humihingi po ako bago contract gusto po sana contract s kanila 5yrs ayaw po nila gusto po renewal yearly.inaalala ko po baka bigla Kami paalisin o taasan ng upa after ng contract hindi ko po agad agad mababawi yon nilabas kong pera para s pagpapaayos at hindi ko po alam kung kikita ako malaki sa loob ng isang taon. Sana po mabigyan nyo po ako advice tungkol dito. Sallamat

  • John M.

    Good day Atty! Can you advise us about our current situation?

    Delayed po kasi yung bayad ng Water and Electricity Bills namin ng not more then 10 days. Then suddenly, gusto na kaming paalisin ng Landlord namin kasi irresponsable daw po kaming tenants. Na-notify naman po namin siya na di pa kami nakapag deposit sa bank account niya. Pero nung day na tumawag po siya, nakapagbayad na kami. Then at midnight, pinutol niya po yung linya namin ng tubig.

    May contract po kami sa kanya for 1 year. With advance deposits and all. Pwede rin po ba naming hingin sa kanya na ibigay sa amin yung advance deposit namin kahit wala pang 1 year? We’re thinking na lipat na lang na matitirhan para hindi na rin kami maabala.

    Thank you in advance Atty. Hoping for your immediate response.

  • Boots

    Hello po attorney, may mga gusto po akong malaman tungkol sa pagpapaupa. may ahente pong kumausap sa amin na uupahan daw ng client nila ung commercial space nmin ng 10 yrs at may 2months silang incentive commission na makukuha. may mga hinihingi sila sa amin na mga papers like:1) TCT certified copy,2) Lot plan approved by certified geodetic engr.,3) Vat registration 4) latest tax receipt etc..

  • Beth S.

    Good evening Atty. May pinauupahan po ako na walong kwarto sa halagang p2000 per month bawat isang room. Ito po ay nabili ko sa dating may ari. Doon sa dating may ari, ay meron silang mga contract kung saan expired na po since 2016. Pero nung napunta na po sa akin ang property, lahat ng mga umuupa sa bawat kwarto ay nanatiling andoon pa din, Pero wala po kaming contract na. Verbal agreement lang .
    Maayos naman po lahat bukod sa isang umuupa na sinabi lilipat ma sila at nakiusap na gamitin nila ang 1month advance and 1 month deposit nila kaya pinagamit ko as bayad nila sa upa nila for 2 mos . Natapos ang 2 mos, hindi pa din umaalis. Ngayon ang sabi nya, hindi daw sila pwede paalisin at may palugit pa daw silang 3 mos at nasa batas daw yun . Maari ko po ba sila paalisin na ,i-kandado ang kwarto nila at putulan ng kuryente tubig nila kung magmatigas pa din sila using as evidence yung written contract nya sa datig may ari na expired na kaya dapat matagal na silang wala dyan ,dahil verbal agreement lang po yung sa amin. Na kaya ko lang po hinayaan sila dyan magpatuloy umupa pa din dahil nung una maayos naman po sila magbayad .pero ngayon po umaabuso na sa pagbibigay ko at sila pa po yung mayabang. Tama po ba yung gagawin ko? Sabi nya po kasi kahit daw umabot pa kmi sa barangay. Pls advice po Atty . Thank you.

  • Liza

    Good day Atty,

    2 years ago we rented a garage within the compound of our then lessor for 6,500. We turned it into a roadside carinderia as we sell home cooked meals. We entered into a contract in Sept of 2015 for 2 years term but we misplaced the contract. We are sure that term will end on sept 2017 right? We never missed a monthly rent. In late May lessor informed us that she no longer allow us to renew as her sister wants to operate an eatery. the place is already picking up customers. We agreed to vacate the place on Sept 15. However on August 28, Monday we found some renovation was done on Sunday and it really alter the looks of the place and we find it no longer convenient for the customer. My husband decided to stop operation then and brought the issue to the Barangay to claim for the damages for the 17 days supposed operation (opportunity lost). The lessor want us to go back and consumed the remaining days. But we are no longer amenable to it as tensions are rising up already. The reason for their renovation is so they can takeover the operation the next day we are out of it so they will not lost the customers.

    The lessor cites that she can have us evicted anytime in absence of the copy of contract from us.

    What can be our remedy with this fact and that we failed to secure a business permit thinking it is just a small road side carinderia?

    Thank you in advance for your legal advice and Godbless you more!

  • Mary C.R.

    Hi, Atty. May I ask how much is the allowed penalty fee a lessor can impose due to rental late payment in a commercial unit? I have been trying to request the owner to lower the rate per sq.m. after a year to no avail. Our 2 year contract will lapse this month, hence, I decided not to renew due to severe losses (income could not sustain expenses, especially rental). For the 1st year, we paid 400.00/sq.m, excluding CUSA, marketing support, etc. However, the rent increased to 500.00/sq.m. on our 2nd year. Our business is a small salon only. I have delays but eventually managed to settle with my personal money. The problem is, they refused to issue a clearance so I can pull-out my things unless I pay the penalty charges which have accumulated. The penalty is 6% per month…Thank you so much!

  • Milagros S.R.

    Dea Atty. James Biron, I’ve read RA 9653. It says it was extended until Dec. 2017. Does it mean that we not anymore protected and that tenant has no choice but pay demanded increase of P2000 to our P8000 monthly rental making it P10,000 monthly starting march of 2018. Please give me an advice what to do. Thank you Atty.

  • Ma Socorro R.A.

    Hi SIr,

    Good Day! This is very helpful.

    I own one bedroom in a well known developer and I found out that the rent ranges Php 16,000 – Php 20,000 / month. I have tenant occupying for 6 months for Php 12,000/mo without security deposit and I am responsible paying the association dues too. The tenant lease will expire this August 2018. My question is, if my tenant renew the lease agreement for 1 year, can i increase the rent to 15,000/mo in a quarterly payment + security deposit? Thanks

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