Nigeria Government To Stop Landlords From Hiking House Rents Beyond 20%

The House of Representatives has called for urgent measures to regulate arbitrary rent increases by landlords across the country, proposing a nationwide cap limiting annual rent hikes to no more than 20 percent of existing rates.

This followed the adoption of a motion on the “Need to Regulate Arbitrary Rent Increase and Protect Tenants from Exploitation” moved by Hon. Bassey Akiba during Thursday’s plenary.

Presenting the motion, Akiba cited examples from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where rents in some neighbourhoods with newly constructed roads have reportedly jumped from N800,000 to as high as N2.5 million per annum, placing an unbearable financial burden on tenants.

Akiba decried the “wanton exploitation” by property owners who take advantage of public infrastructure improvements to impose arbitrary rent increases, saying such practices undermine the government’s welfare initiatives and could drive vulnerable citizens into crime to meet inflated demands.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to prioritise investment in affordable housing schemes to reduce pressure on the rental market and ensure access to low-cost housing for citizens.

It also urged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to collaborate with state governments to enforce rent control measures, ensuring that public infrastructure projects do not trigger exploitative rent hikes, and to cap rent increases at no more than 20 percent of existing rates, irrespective of new developments or other factors.

The House further mandated its Committee on Housing and Habitat to ensure compliance with the resolutions and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.