Hsinchu County: Attention, lessors and lessees under the 37.5% Arable Rent Reduction Act!

As of the end of 2020 (year 109 of the Republic of China calendar), there were 1,344 registered 37.5% arable land leases with the township (town and city) offices of Hsinchu County, covering 3,620 land parcels under contract, 2,162 tenant farming households, and 3,413 lessor landowner households, with a land area of about 706.88 hectares. Among these, 1,211 leases expired on December 31, 2020, and preliminary statistics show that during the acceptance period, a total of 1,117 leases involved applications by lessees for renewal or applications by lessors for recovery of the land.

In 77 cases, neither the lessor nor the lessee filed an application, and the township (town and city) offices will, in accordance with regulations, directly proceed to cancel the leases, and will publicly announce the results and notify the lessors and lessees. The Hsinchu County Land Administration Office reminds lessees that if they do in fact continue to cultivate the land, they may still submit a written expression of willingness to continue leasing to the office to apply for reinstatement of the lease; the cancellation procedure does not harm the rights and interests of the lessee.

The Hsinchu County Land Administration Office further explained that, in accordance with regulations, where the lessor has not applied to recover the land and the lessee is willing to continue leasing, the lease shall be renewed. After this renewal process is completed, if a lessee subleases, transfers, accumulates unpaid land rent reaching two years, or fails to cultivate for a continuous period of one year, the lessor may attach relevant supporting documents and apply to the township (town and city) office with jurisdiction over the lease to handle termination or cancellation of the lease registration.

The Hsinchu County Land Administration Office reminds you that, in accordance with regulations, each township (town and city) office has established a Farmland Tenancy Committee. If a dispute arises between a lessor and a lessee over farmland tenancy, they may apply to the office for tenancy mediation, through which the tenancy committee members coordinate as intermediaries to resolve the dispute between the lessor and lessee, thereby reducing the source of litigation and promoting the effective use of land.