Housing, land & property

Bangladesh’s domestic laws and policies do not grant refugees housing rights, property ownership, or access to public housing, with the population overwhelmingly dependent on humanitarian aid. Due to their lack of formal legal status, refugees in Bangladesh do not receive the same legal protections as citizens and have no effective administrative or judicial remedies for housing-related violations. However, while intellectual property rights (IPR) laws exist, they do not specify protections for refugees, and no refugee has made an IPR-related claim.  

Bangladesh’s Constitution does not grant property rights to non-citizens, including refugees, and limits housing provisions to citizens. While laws governing to housing, land and property —such as the Non-Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1949, State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950, and Transfer of Property Act, 1882—neither explicitly prohibit nor grant these rights to refugees, restrictive policies and narrow legal interpretations make it difficult for them to enjoyHLP rights.  

In Bangladesh, the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 and the Registration Act, 1908 regulate property transfers. While the Transfer of Property Act does not restrict foreigners, including refugees, from acquiring immovable property, the Registration Act poses a significant barrier. Property-related documents must be registered, requiring both parties to present a Bangladeshi national ID or passport, which Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers lack, preventing them from legally owning immovable property. Similarly, the Sale of Goods Act, 1930 permits non-citizens to own movable property under certain conditions, but refugees can only possess personal items since acquiring movable property that requires registration is also restricted due to documentation requirements.  

The Bangladeshi government follows a ‘no land acquisition’ policy for Rohingya refugees, relying on voluntary or temporary land donations for their settlement in Cox’s Bazar. However, it has allocated 6,425 acres (26 sq. km) of forest land for refugees, as permitted by the Forest Act of 1927. Rohingya refugees live in 33 overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, with 36,920 (updated 31 Mar 2025) registered refugees formally relocated to Bhasan Char since 2020. The emergency shelters in Cox’s Bazar are temporary, lacking proper infrastructure, leading to harsh living conditions. The Bangladeshi government does not allow permanent structures, maintaining that refugees are in the country only temporarily on humanitarian grounds. The housing conditions for Rohingya refugees in Bhasan Char are better than in Cox’s Bazar, as they live in semi-structured buildings instead of temporary shelters. However, the housing quality is still unsatisfactory, and due to the island's geographical location, refugees are vulnerable to severe weather, particularly cyclones.  

The allocated land in Cox’s Bazar is insufficient for the one million Rohingya refugees, and many refugees live on private land, paying rent. In these private accommodations, they face threats, harassment, and forced eviction due to factors like landslides, rent increases, and arbitrary rental terms. Lacking legal status, refugees enter verbal landlord-tenant agreements and have no access to administrative or judicial remedies. Their access to courts is limited by factors like needing approval from Camp in Charge (CiC), financial barriers, and lack of awareness, forcing them to rely on informal justice mechanisms like mediation by Majhis (local camp leaders).