Guangzhou forbids forcible evictions in notice

Landlords must not drive out their tenants by cutting off water, electricity and gas supplies in this Guangdong provincial capital starting Thursday.

It is strictly forbidden for landlords to evict tenants by cutting off water, electricity and gas supplies or using related violent behavior when the landlord and the tenant cannot reach any agreement during the valid rental terms, according to a notice issued by the Guangzhou Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on Thursday.

"Tenants can seek police help to safeguard and protect their legal rights and interests," it said.

The notice was issued after a growing number of disputes and conflicts between landlords and tenants have been reported in the southern metropolis in recent years.

But the notice did not reveal details. Guangzhou is the first city to have issued such a notice in Guangdong province, window of China's reform and opening-up and the region with the country's largest number of migrant workers.

Both parties shall jointly apply to people's mediation committees in townships and neighborhood committees where the leased house is located for mediation of their disputes, it said.

House lease disputes are civil contract disputes, and if landlords and tenants cannot reach a settlement and fail to be reconciled by local mediators, both parties are suggested to solve their disputes by seeking help from relevant government departments or via judicial channels and means, the notice read.

The notice also made clear both landlords and tenants have to abide by relevant laws, regulations and rules related to rental of houses and honor their contracts.