Lagos State Govt Urges Residents to Report Landlords Demanding Over One Year’s Rent

By Emmanuel Kwada

The Lagos State Government has called on residents to report landlords or agents demanding more than one year’s rent in advance, signaling a renewed push to enforce tenancy laws and protect tenants from exploitative practices.

This directive, announced by Barakat Bakare, Special Adviser on Housing to the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), comes as part of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s efforts to address rising housing costs and regulate the state’s rental market.

During an appearance on TVC’s Your View on Thursday, Bakare emphasized that the Lagos Tenancy Law of 2011 prohibits landlords from collecting more than one year’s rent upfront from new tenants or six months from sitting monthly tenants, with violations punishable by fines up to N100,000 or three months’ imprisonment.

“The minimum you can collect is one month’s rent. You can collect quarterly, every three months, or a year, but nothing more than a year,” Bakare stated, urging residents to report offenders to LASRERA at Block 21, First Floor in Alausa or via the agency’s website. She assured Lagosians that the government is committed to minimizing excesses by landlords, agents, and developers, as reported by TheCable and Punch.

The minimum you can collect is one month’s rent. You can collect quarterly, every three months, or a year, but nothing more than a year

The announcement follows growing complaints about landlords flouting the law, with some demanding two or more years’ rent in advance, exacerbating the financial burden on residents amid Nigeria’s economic challenges.