It is past 11pm in Dhaka. Roads are quieter, shops are closing and workers are heading home. But for some tenants, reaching their building does not always mean they can get inside.
Across parts of the capital, residential buildings routinely lock main gates at 11pm or midnight, leaving late-returning tenants dependent on caretakers or security guards.
Residents in Banasree, Mirpur, Moghbazar, Mohammadpur, Uttara, Jatrabari and Dhanmondi described waiting outside their own buildings until someone woke up to open the gate.
The practice raises a basic question: where does a landlord’s right to secure a property end, and a tenant’s right to independently access the home they pay for begin?
The issue has become more relevant after Dhaka North City Corporation issued tenant-rights guidelines in January, reportedly including provisions for tenants to receive keys to main gates and rooftops for security and emergency purposes.
Rakib Hossain, a Dhanmondi resident who often returns home close to midnight, said: “Our building gate is closed after 11pm. Every day I have to call the caretaker and wake him up to open the gate. It feels uncomfortable to depend on someone else just to enter my own home. I am not a stranger. I am a tenant of this building.”
He said: “I understand the need for security. But there should be a system where residents can enter without having to wait for someone to open the gate every night.”
For Afreen Rahman of Mohammadpur, the problem once meant waiting outside for around 20 minutes because the caretaker’s phone was switched off.
She said: “The worst part was standing in front of the building where I live and still feeling helpless. It was late at night, and I could not even enter my own home.”
The problem is particularly acute for people working night shifts.
Doctors, nurses, journalists, restaurant employees, delivery riders, security personnel and other shift workers may return well after midnight.
Masum Khandaker, who lives in Moghbazar, said: “My job requires me to work at night. Sometimes I reach home at midnight or even later. But even after finishing work, I have to worry about whether the gate will be locked.”
He said: “Security is important, but why should a security measure become a barrier for the people who actually live here?”
Women also described being questioned about why they returned late.
Monalisa Rahman of Jatrabari said: “It is understandable if they need to know who is entering. But it should not become a situation where I have to justify why I came home late.”
Landlords, however, say locking gates is primarily a security measure.
Mohammad Rafique Chowdhury, a landlord in Mohammadpur, said: “We do not close the gate to cause problems for anyone. We do it for security. Our main concern is to prevent outsiders from entering the building at night. If a tenant returns late, the caretaker opens the gate.”
The arrangement also adds to caretakers’ workloads, while fire-safety officials warn that locked exits can become dangerous during emergencies.
Md Jihad Mia, Senior Station Officer, Pallabi, said: “Residential buildings must keep emergency exits and access routes clear at all times. Locking the main gate at night should not prevent residents from entering or, more importantly, from leaving quickly during a fire or other emergency.”
Advocate Samsun Nahar Rita said: “A landlord can take reasonable steps to ensure building security, but this should not restrict a tenant’s normal access to their rented home. If the gate is locked at night, tenants should have a reliable way to enter without depending entirely on a caretaker.”
A locked gate, therefore, is not necessarily the problem if residents have keys, access cards or another independent entry system.
The problem begins when legitimate residents cannot enter without another person’s assistance.
As Dhaka’s working hours become increasingly diverse, residential practices may also need to change.
For a tenant standing outside a locked gate at 1am, the issue is no longer simply about security.
It is about who gets to decide when they can go home.