The Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) has taken over nearly 500 disputed Yangon apartments this year and will raise rent by 10 percent, according to Yangon mayor U Maung Maung Soe.

Disputed ownership claims, often caused by the deaths of landlords with no available next of kin, are the precedent for the YCDC seizures. Of the 496 units seized, 238 will be leased to government employees next year, according to a report by Myanmar Business Today. YCDC will also raise rental fees by 10 percent to MMK 40 per square foot for Kyauktada and Pabedan townships, the most valuable neighborhoods. Fees in other townships will increase to MMK 32 or MMK 24 per square foot, depending on the area.

Yangon regional MP Daw Kyipyar said: “Despite the raise, the rate of MMK 30 per square foot in Kyauktada and Pabedan Townships equals about MMK 20,000 per month, while the market rate in those areas is around MMK 200,000-250,0000 per month. There is clearly a big price gap between the market rates and YCDC’s fees.”

Acquiring ownerships of disputed apartments and raising rental fees is not a new practice for YCDC. The department raised rental fees by the same amount in 2018.