Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship (APC), Obafemi Hamzat, has pledged to enforce the state’s one-year rent payment limit to curb landlords’ demands for multiple years’ rent in advance.
Hamzat said that the government would prioritise compliance with the provision as part of efforts to make housing more affordable and protect tenants from excessive financial demands.
He spoke on Sunday during a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, a coalition comprising The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, TheCable and Vanguard.
According to him, the government intends to ensure that landlords and property agents do not demand two or three years’ rent upfront, particularly when tenants do not receive their salaries in advance.
“The next chapter for Lagos is to enforce, to make sure people should not be asked to pay two years, three years ahead because nobody gets salary three years ahead,” he said.
Hamzat said that the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency law provides for the regulation of real estate practitioners, including mandatory registration of agents and their inclusion in an official database.
He urged residents to use the agency’s online platform to report cases of abuse and other irregularities in the property sector, noting that public feedback would help the government monitor compliance.
He said, “Our appeal to the citizens is in terms of communication, to make sure that people use that site, because that is the only way we can track. When these things happen, government must also have the feedback.”
On housing affordability, the deputy governor said that the government would complete ongoing housing projects and collaborate more closely with private developers to expand access to affordable accommodation across the state.
He called on developers operating in high-income neighbourhoods such as Ikoyi and Victoria Island to consider investing in less affluent communities to ensure that housing development benefits residents across different income groups.
According to the deputy governor, government would explore discussions with developers to encourage them to balance investments in wealthy neighbourhoods with projects in lower-income communities.
He also identified delays in processing land documents and obtaining property titles as factors contributing to the rising cost of housing, saying that the state has completed the automation of its land documentation process, allowing residents to submit applications online while reducing the time required to regularise property ownership.
Hazmat further linked the proposed housing reforms to his manifesto’s ‘Everyday Dignity’ agenda, which he said was designed to prevent rent obligations from undermining residents’ living standards.
He acknowledged the need to engage landlords, noting that the state operated a capitalist economy and that policies must also recognise the interests of property owners.
The issue of multiple-year advance rent payments has remained a major concern for tenants in Lagos, where high housing costs and rising rents have continued to put pressure on household incomes.
Section 4 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 prohibits landlords and their agents from demanding more than one year’s rent in advance from new tenants. It also stipulates limits on advance rent payments for existing tenants, depending on the nature of the tenancy.
Hamzat’s pledge, therefore, signals an intention by the state government to strengthen enforcement of existing tenancy provisions and improve regulation of activities within the real estate sector.
