The federal government and the state governments have been advised by the House of Representatives to implement rent control measures to stop the exploitation of housing deficits in the country by landlords and real estate agents.
At the plenary on Thursday, the green chamber of the federal parliament said it was worried at the arbitrary hike in house rents by house owners in Nigeria, stressing steps must be taken to protect tenants.
The matter was put to debate at today’s session and most of the contributors lamented at the alleged exploitative natures of real estate agents, who were accused of conniving with house owners to charge exorbitant rates from tenants.
It was also claimed that some of the landlords increase their annual rents by more than 100 per cent, especially at this period many Nigerians are struggling to survive.
After speaking on the motion moved by Mr Bassey Akiba, the House charged the various tiers of government to enforce rent control measures across the country.
The lawmakers also tasked them to cap annual rent increases at no more than 20 per cent of existing rates to mitigate the financial burden on citizens.
Recall that some months ago, the Lagos State government, in a bid to stop the exploitation of tenants, declared that no agent or landlord should charge more than 10 per cent of the annual rent for tenancy agreement fees in the state, warning against illegal charges.
According to the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Housing, Ms Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, any landlord or agent found demanding or collecting more than 10 per cent of the annual rent as agreement or legal fees is in direct violation of the state’s tenancy regulations.
Expressing concern over reports of unscrupulous practices, the Governor’s aide said, “We have been overwhelmed by reports of the activities of these unscrupulous elements making life hard for Lagosians with agreements and commissions that are like asking for an arm and a leg.
“We are calling on members of the public not to keep silent but to report such agents and landlords to us for the government cannot be everywhere, every time.”