Tenants in the federal capital territory have expressed concerns over the rising prices of rents, while accusing landlords of using the current infrastructure development across the FCT to exploit them.

A cross section of residents who spoke to Daily Trust expressed anger while questioning the rationale behind rent increment due to infrastructure development which was constructed with tax payers money.

Checks by Daily Trust show that there is currently a housing affordability crisis in the FCT over high rents by tenants followed by arbitrary charges by agents, as a result of rapid infrastructure development especially access roads both in the city center and satellite towns

The situation is further compounded by multiple agency and legal fees, caution deposits, and service charges which is now the new norm in major cities like Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, have reached an alarming level.

Tenants across Karu, Apo, Kado, Gwarinpa, Wuye and Jahi, Wuse and Lugbe lamented rent increase which has risen between 50 percent to 100 percent in the last three years when fuel subsidies and exchange rents were unified

A resident of Apo Resettlement, Basil Bature told Daily Trust that a two-bedroom apartment that rented for about N1.5 million two years ago now goes for as much as N3 to N4 million, excluding agency and legal fees.

“Immediately Wike finished constructing this Apo road, landlords just capitalized on it and started increasing rent as if it is their money that was used to construct the road. Honesty I am sill questioning the reason behind this Act because it is pure exploitation,” he lamented

Also, another tenant, Mary Musa residing in Jahi and Abigail Bawa in Wuye lamented skyrocketing rent that is driven largely by rising construction costs.

“Our landlord just woke up one morning in May and increased our rent because Wuye now has a flyover connecting Wuye and Wuse district. So because of this development, he increased rent from N2 milion for one bedroom to N3.5 million. We tenants are asking questions, because the man did not do any renovation, he did not put anything new in the house. He just woke up and increased rent because there is now easy access from Wuye to the city center. I personally see this as exploitative and unfair. Unfortunately, this is the plight of many tenants who wages have remained stagnant despite soaring living expenses,” Bawa lamented

Similarly, Mary Musa who resides in Jahi said many workers in Abuja now use over 70 percent of their annual income as her landlord increased rent earlier in the year by 50 per cent

“The experience has been terrible. There is little or no regulation, and rents are increasing at unreasonable rates.

“I currently reside in an estate in Jahi where I used to pay N1 million for one bedroom apartment, my co-tenants pay N2 million for 2 bedroom and N3 million for 3 bedroom apartments

“All of a sudden in January this year, our landlord just issued us notice through his solicitors increasing rents. My one bedroom was increased to N1.5 million, two bedroom was increased to N3 million and 3 bedroom from N3million to N4.5 million without any improvement work done in the house

“The only obvious reason is that Jahi now has beautiful roads with so many linkages to Gwarimpa and Katampe and other part of Abuja,”

She said the rising cost of accommodation, transportation and food had made it difficult for many residents to save or invest, pointing out that housing has taken a huge chunk of people’s income such that, at the end of the month, there is almost nothing left.

She also blamed weak regulation of estate agents for the worsening crisis, noting that desperate house seekers are often subjected to exploitative conditions and arbitrary charges.

Musa called on the government to regulate the sector, especially the activities of agents, adding that there should be some form of property valuation and limits to arbitrary increases.

In the same vein, another tenant Ismaila Ado who is a civil servant, in Karu described the rental situation in Abuja as “disturbing” while calling to act fast

“Everyone used to know Karu as one of the satellite towns with affordable rents because many people dread the traffic usually encountered along the Abacha barracks when going and returning from town. As such, rents were very affordable.

Newly commissioned Interchange and road at Arterial Road N16-Ring Road ll Intersection linking Jahi District to Gwarimpa District in June 2026

“In fact, as far back 2020 during the covid-19 period, self-contained was going for as low as N200,000 in some parts of Karu while one bedroom was N500,00 while two bedroom range from N800,000 to N1 million depending on the location

“But now as I speak to you, the situation is completely different as people are already lamenting and asking the government to do something urgent. You cannot believe that self-contain in Karu has now reached 1 million and in some places even N1.2 million, one bedroom is now between N1.5 million to N2 million while two bedroom range from N2 million to N4 million depending on location and quality of the house

“The only reason is that the FCT administration has now opened up Karu with dual carriage roads and street lights. What was supposed to be a thin of joy for residents is now a cause for worry and concern as landlords are making lives unbearable for us tenants.

“Tell me as a civil servant with a family how am I supposed to survive with a 2 bedroom rent of N3 million with my meager salary? he further lamented

Government needs to intervene urgently through affordable housing schemes if not some of us don’t know where to go in few years to come” Ado like other tenants said while expressing anger and frustration over the matter

Similarly, a tenant in Kado, Chinedu Eze told Daily Trust that his landlord increase his rent from 2 million to N4 million for a 2 bedroom flat which indicates a 100 per cent increment

“I honestly don’t understand how our landlord arrive at this decision but for me, it is the most unfair and insensitive decision to take against your tenants in this hard and excruciating economy

“I am legal practitioner so I understand most of these things but increasing rent outrightly by 100 per cent without empathy for tenants is pure exploitation

“I used to think when infrastructure development comes to any city, it’s time for residents to enjoy, both tenants and landlords but the case is different is different in Abuja because it seems it is only the landlords that are enjoying the new roads and other infrastructure as landlords are busy increasing rents on roads that government used tax payers money to construct. It is just said,” he also lamented

Agency, legal fees compounding tenants’ woes

Several residents who spoke with Daily Trust said additional charges such as agency fees, legal fees and caution deposits now account for between 20 and 30 percent of total rental costs.

Adeife Moses, a businesswoman residing in Lokogoma, said her rent for a self-contained apartment rose from N500,000 to N900,000 after several plea.

“It was initially raised to N1 million before I begged my landlord and we later settled at N900,000,

“However, when you add agency fees, legal fees and service charges, the total cost becomes overwhelming, it shot the rent to N1.4 million. You can imagine that these charges are even taking almost half of the rent,” she lamented.

She further called on the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike to look into activities of agents

Also, Bayo Adeyinka who resides in Wuse said his one-room apartment, previously rented for N2 million now costs N4million.

“The increase in rent is now becoming a norm, my rent has been increased by 100 per cent. The worst part is that if you are a new tenant, agency few and legal fee could take about 30 to 35 per cent of the entire rent.

“Also if it is an estate, service charge along could cost up to a million. The current situation is draining and government has to act fast,” he said

The case is no different for John Bassey who resides in Gwarimpa, one of Nigeria’s largest housing estates who told Daily Trust that his rent of N3 bedroom was increased from N3 million to N5.5 million during his last renewal in April.

“I can tell you now that my salary alone cannot foot all my bills with my family including this exorbitant rent. A lot of people are moving farther away from the city centre because they can no longer afford rents in Abuja.”

“With the way things are going, some of my friends have started telling me that the pressure has forced many households to relocate to satellite towns such as Gwagwalada, Mararaba, Suleija, Masaka in search of cheaper alternatives, although rents in those areas are also rising rapidly.

“That is why you see most civil servants are now also using their cars for taxi, they pick on their way to work and after work, because they cannot cope. It is unbearable for so many Nigerians because you are facing landlord, high energy and food prices,”

Another civil Christopher Terungwa, a servant in Lugbe called for legislation to regulate the housing sector especially the activities of agents.

“Some landlords are looking at their pockets while putting pressure on families whose salaries remain stagnant. Therefore, government has to intervene in that regard,” he added

Landlords speak

In their defense, landlords who spoke to Daily Trust attributed the hike in rentals to high cost of building materials, while arguing that infrastructure development is connected to property business

A landlord, Ferdinand Onouha said prices of cement and other imported building materials have increased by over 150% making it difficult for landlords to keep rents low

“When we hear tenants complaining, we also understand their pains, but they also don’t want to understand with landlords. For instance the prices of cement has risen from about N4,000 to about N10,000 in the last three years

“Landlords do maintenance and build houses with cement, so if they increase rents, so, you can’t really blame them. Asides the development coming into the city, the high cost of building material is also a factor,” he said

Another landlord, Ganiyu Ajibola admitted that infrastructure development like roads and other amenities is a boost in property business, which is why landlords are also maximizing their opportunities

“When your property is located at a very good location with roads, good security and solar lightening, you will see influx of tenants, compared to an area that don’t have good roads. So, I see it as just part of business

“People sometimes have money to rent, but will not go to a certain location because of bad road or traffic. You can see that satellite towns are opening up. For instance Kuje, Kubwa, Karsana, Karu have seen road developments and the cost of properties have increased there, so that’s just business,”

He however, discouraged arbitrary increase in rents by property owners without justification

In the same vein, Abdulkadir Musa who also own shops for rent in a highbrow location in Abuja told Daily Trust that the reason why he bought the property at a high price was because of the access road and nature of the location

“My properties are in a high brow location, so do you want the rents to cheap, it’s a strategic and tenants that come know that the rents will not be cheap because even them are benefitting with the kind of people and patronage their business get because of the location

“Another very important point to note is that you cannot address the issue of high rent without addressing the cost of building materials. Landlords are also paying through their noses to build houses,” he said

Still no law regulating real estate, rent fees – REDAN

Immediate past president of the Real Estate Developers Association (REDAN) Aliyu Wamakko, attributed the absence of a law regulating real estate and tenancy fees as a huge challenge.

He said “Before my tenure ended at REDAN in 2023, we crafted “Real Estate Regulatory Council of Nigeria, 2023” which is targeted at fully regulating the sector and also curtailing money laundering in the country. It had inputs from all the regulatory institutions; all the state commissioners, all the professionals in the built industry were part of the drafting and was eventually passed by the 9th National Assembly and later transmitted to President on 9th June 2023 for assent but he declined assent,”

He said the consequences is that landlords will keep increasing the prices of rents without any fear as the sector is still not regulated

He also highlighted that regulating rents without addressing the rising cost of building materials would be counterproductive

Set up special presidential taskforce on rental reform now, Lawyer tells Tinubu

A human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju in an open letter recently, asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declare a state of emergency in the housing sector over what he described as ‘high and unbearable rents crushing Nigerians’

He warned that millions of Nigerians are being subjected to what he described as a “predatory” housing market that is stripping citizens of their dignity and forcing many into poverty.

The activist said ordinary Nigerians, including civil servants, artisans, young professionals, remote workers, middle-income earners and vulnerable families, are increasingly unable to afford decent accommodation due to soaring rents, excessive agency charges, arbitrary service fees and exploitative practices by landlords and estate agents.

“From the sprawling suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to the overcrowded residential districts of Lagos State, millions of hardworking Nigerians are being crushed under the weight of an unbridled, hyper-inflationary, and predatory housing market.”

Drawing attention to Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Adeyanju noted that the Constitution clearly provides that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

He also referenced Sections 16(1)(b) and 16(2)(d), which require the Nigerian government to ensure that suitable and adequate shelter is provided for citizens while preventing the concentration of wealth in the hands of a privileged few.

“When shelter becomes an instrument of extortion, the government abdicates its primary purpose,” he stated.

Adeyanju further relied on Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Nigeria is a signatory, noting that adequate housing is internationally recognised as a fundamental component of the right to an adequate standard of living.

Describing conditions in Abuja and Lagos, Adeyanju said the rental sector has become lawless, with landlords and agents exploiting desperate tenants through multiple arbitrary charges.

He stated that many Nigerians are compelled to pay two to three years’ rent upfront, in addition to several other fees.

According to him, tenants are routinely forced to pay: Agency fees exceeding 10 to 20 percent merely for being introduced to properties.

“So-called legal fees of up to 15 percent, despite the documents often being generic templates allegedly not prepared by qualified lawyers.

“Unregulated service charges that, in many cases, exceed the annual rent itself without transparent accounting.

“Arbitrary caution fees that are rarely refunded after tenancy expires and opportunistic agents routinely force tenants to pay up to 15% in ‘legal fees’ for generic forms that no enrolled lawyer ever touched,” Adeyanju stated.

He called for the formal declaration of a State of Emergency on Housing and Urban Tenancy to tackle both Nigeria’s housing deficit and what he described as the country’s exploitative rental market.

He further proposed the establishment of a Special Presidential Taskforce on Rental Reform, headed by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, with a 90-day mandate to draft a comprehensive National Housing and Tenancy Policy and transmit an Executive Bill on fair rent standards to the National Assembly where necessary. (Daily Trust)

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