The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has recently issued a Decision endorsing the Project concerning the administration and assistance of private residences presently leased for dwelling purposes in the city.
According to the project, Ho Chi Minh City currently has nearly 60,000 individual houses for residential purposes, with more than 629,000 rooms.
To manage individual houses used for residential purposes, the project outlines three minimum criteria to ensure fire prevention and safety compliance.
1. Firefighting Access Routes: The project stipulates that alleys must be at least 2.5 meters wide to allow access for firefighting vehicles and mini fire trucks operated by on-site emergency teams. If this condition cannot be met, the maximum allowable distance from a residence to the nearest point accessible by fire trucks is set between 150 and 300 meters.
2. Fire Safety Equipment and Escape Routes: All rental properties must be equipped with fire prevention and rescue equipment. Each room must have access to a designated escape path, and every house must include at least one safe and viable escape route.
3. Minimum Living Space Requirements: The project requires a minimum average floor area of 4 square meters per person to ensure adequate living conditions and facilitate emergency response efforts.
Homeowners with rental properties are eligible for preferential loan programs to renovate, upgrade, or install fire prevention and safety systems. Those whose properties do not meet the specified minimum safety criteria may also receive financial support to pivot to alternative business activities, if necessary.
Concerning the tenant support policy, it is permitted to implement residential rates and utility consumption benchmarks for rental accommodations as non-commercial categories or to establish maximum rates and utility usage parameters for individual residential rental properties.
People's committees of districts across the city and Thu Duc City, along with authorities in wards and communes, require current owners of rental houses or rooms to commit to conducting business in accordance with regulated electricity and water pricing standards (excluding loss rates), ensuring that no additional surcharges or price differences are imposed on tenants.
