Some tenants welcomed the development, arguing that agents exploit vulnerable Nigerians by charging unauthorised fees and inflating rents. Some however approached the issue with caution.

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A  builder, Lateef  Rufai, stressed that many landlords are inaccessible without intermediaries, and warned that sidelining agents could drive some into social vices. He suggested creating a legal framework to regulate and separate credible agents from exploitative ones.

Agents themselves have defended their work, saying they provide valuable services in connecting landlords and tenants. Some argued that high inflation and rising demand for housing were the real drivers of escalating rents, not agency fees. An agent in Abakaliki pointed out that rents for one-room apartments in the city have doubled since early 2025, blaming economic pressures rather than the activities of middlemen.

Bill pro landlords

A landlord, Odion Efe, said the bill was pro landlords and that government should think  through the social implications of the bill. He said  that it’s anti development and wondered how a government that didn’t contribute positively to his building his house but instead  made it very difficult by their cumbersome and costly approval payments and high cost of building would decide for him how to charge his tenants.

He said :”All over the world, a lot of technical or legal safeguards are placed in tenancy laws in ways that make it appear unfair to landlords.. But even at that you don’t make the law pro tenants because everyone prays to be a landlord. My take is that the law is anti- development and shouldn’t be encouraged.

A landlady, Mrs. Obianuju Okoro, said tenants will choose to pay her bill or wait for the Governor’s house as she knows what she went through to build the house with her husband.

She said there was no way she could collect one year rent from a first-time tenant, she wondered how she would recoup her investment even in 20 years.

Bill in interest of tenants

Also, Ojediran Isiaka and Stanley Obia hailed the law as being in the best interest of tenants. They accused some landlords as being shylocks who would prefer to recoup their investment in a year.

They also commented on how some callous landlords eject their tenants through kangaroo methods and said the law was in order as it would check such inhuman acts.

Lawyers’ reaction

Lawyers who reacted to the bill argued that its success depended on enforcement. They included Professor of law, Emeka Chianu, a former Commissioner of Ogun State Judiciary Service Commission, Abayomi Omoyinmi, Ige Asemudara and a former Deputy Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Chief Edwards Ayo-Odugbesan

Rent control not workable

Prof.  Chianu, a lawyer  and author, stated that rent control was a waste of time and resources. He said when economics collides with the law, parliament makes the latter kowtow.

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According to him, even under military rule rent control didn’t work. He narrated a personal experience.

“I rented an apartment as a teenager in the late 1970s. Rent Control Edict was stringently enforced in Lagos then. I paid what the landlord compelled me to pay but he issued receipts in accordance with the Edict and insisted that I should kneel to collect the receipts from him. I had no problem with the kneeling as he was in his 60’s. But this brief account says a lot”.

In my landlord and tenant books there are several English cases where tenants joined in subterfuge to circumvent rent control statutes.

Estate agents problematic

Omoyinmi noted that landlords and tenants laws have undergone  several reforms in the last three decades  in Lagos. He said going by the peculiarity of the state of Lagos, there was for effective enforcement.

According to him, the agents have become very problematic for would-be tenants. He said cases abound where agents collect rents from prospective tenants and disappear with such payment or even failed to provide accommodation. He said there was need for proper regulation for agents as proposed.

He said the act of collecting rents from multiple prospective tenants for none available property knowingly was itself a crime. The courts have always not been in support of where a landlord unreasonably hikes rents, and thereby wanting to eject a tenant on the basis of refusal to pay such hike, the court has discretion to refuse such attempt to eject a tenant where it could be shown that the landlord has hiked rent unreasonably.

Omoyinmi said the peculiarity of Lagos had always been a contributory factor to non effective enforcement of landlord and tenants law in the past, except where such cases were determined in the court.

Landlord’s, tenants’ cases work on consensus

On most cases the landlord and tenant are in consensus on agreement outside the provisions of the laws for better and workable understanding among the duo.

Lagos is  where tenants who at all cost want a roof over their  heads  may have no choice than to accept what is agreed by the landlord, hence, enforcement may pose difficulty where parties have both agreed not to abide by the provisions of the law which may not be practicable under the circumstances they found themselves. This may ultimately be one of those laws if passed and assented to may be difficult  to enforce for lack of cooperation among  stakeholders.

Law will address endless litigation

He noted that there  had been situations where tenants held their landlords to ransom with litigation up to the Supreme Court without paying rents. This law will address such situation. We have seen high-handed landlords who do all sorts. We have seen what the agents are doing with their commissions and how some disappear with people’s money. The law will address it. So, it is a giant stride to have such law.

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Enforcement key to success of law

Omoyinmi, however, stressed that enforcement was key to the success of the law. The people should be ready first of all. Then the agencies will do their own. Without a ready people, the law enforcement institutions will be acting in vain. Our courts are up to it. LASRERA will do its own.

“I am not worried about the enforcement. I am worried about Lagosians. Are they ready for the change? Are they ready to enforce their rights? Are they ready to embrace a new regime? Once Lagosians are prepared, the enforcing agencies and institutions will do their works. Most of the failures we complain about are actually the people’s failure and not of the agencies. We must embrace progress”, he said.

Tenancy law serious

Asemudara described the bill as a welcome development. According to him, Lagos is fast growing and the laws must catch up with the growth. Every growing city or state in the world takes its tenancy laws seriously.

Law will address litigation

“We have had a situation where tenants held their landlords to ransom with litigation up to the Supreme Court without paying rents. This law will address such situation. We have seen high-handed landlords who do all sorts. We have seen what the agents are doing with their commissions and how some disappear with people’s money. The law will address it. So, it is a giant stride to have such law.

Asemudara also argued that enforcement was key.

“I believe we can all do it. The people should be ready first of all. Then the agencies will do their own. Without a ready people, the law enforcement institutions will be acting in vain. Our courts are up to it. LASRERA will do its own.

Lagosians must embrace new law

He, however, expressed worry over enforcement of the law. “I am not worried about the enforcement. I am worried about Lagosians. Are they ready for the change? Are they ready to enforce their rights? Are they ready to embrace a new regime? Once Lagosians are prepared, the enforcing agencies and institutions will do their work. Most of the failures we complain about are actually the people’s failure and not of the agencies. We must embrace progress”, he said.

Chief Ayo-Odugbesan a Lagos-based property and land litigation expert, noted that  there are many changes in the new law when compared to that of 2011 law.

He said the law has statewide application compared to the former 2011 which law applies only to a sectional part of the state.

He noted that the  most important aspect of this new law is that it regulates the agencies. It also attempts to eliminate quack agencies.

Why LASRERA registration

He noted that apart from property agents in Lagos State, no other state has the property agents  business, booming as much as it is in Legos State.

So, towards this purpose,  the bill or the law has decreed that all Lagos State Real Estate Agents dealing with any  tenancy matters in Lagos state must  register with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA).

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“So, if you don’t register with this agency, you are liable to forfeit the agency fee you  have collected upon complaint. You will also be penalized by the government for up to two years and  you pay up to N1 million damages as penalty. So, you can see that this is aradical departure from what is obtained in the past.

Thirdly, there is red caps. You cannot collect rent for more than three months for quarterly tenants,  six months rent for half year tenants , one month rent from one month tenants and one year from yearly tenants.

“In the past where you say you pay three years in advance, I think with this law, you will be committing an offence. So this provision protects both the tenant and the property owner, otherwise called the landlords.

Faster eviction of defaulting tenants

Chief Ayo-Odugbesan also noted that the bill  made provision for  faster eviction or tenants who are in default or want to not paying their rents. But at the same time, it protects tenants in the way that no landlord can wake up one day  and just double direct and say,’ if you don’t pay,  get out of my house’.

He said if a tenant has a feeling of that, he is liable to file complaint and the landlord will be sanctioned. If a tenant has been enjoying a particular facility in your premises, you cannot just wake up one day and deny that tenant of that facility . May be you say the tenant  is not paying,  you cannot just go and remove his window, remove his door,  his ceiling or roofing. You will be committing a criminal offence and you will be penalized under this new law.

Obligations on landlords

This law also imposes a lot of obligations on the tenant to pay the rent as at when due and to cooperate with the landlord.

Also, there are things that for instance, the external fittings,  the common areas,, the power supply, permanent fixtures, the roofing, the fencing, the gate, the water supply, the landlord is supposed and expected to ensure they are well maintained as at when necessary..

Withholding tax

There is now an obligation on the rental income. In the past, landlords will collect rents and use the way they want. Now there is withholding tax which had been in existence. This law now seek to enforce it with penalty. But I think this law now seeks to enforce it with strict penalty.

Also, the law makes a provision  for instance, if there is service charges, if there are some services in the premises, maybe water supply, generators supply, common cleaning, common sanitation, what you call  services. If there are services rendered in a premises, then these should be covered by separate agreement with the tenants.

Also the landlord’s expected to remit account of the service charge that you collect from the tenants after six months.

 Deposits

There is also a portion of the security deposit and damages  in some properties. These should be refunded to you at the end of your tenancy, provided that you do not commit any breach. You are to collect your money back provided  or you do not damage anything.

Ayo_Odugbesan noted that the  law is a radical departure from the old law  pointing out that  there is provision re-entry during pendency of the suit.

“The law protects both the landlord and tenants while the matter is in court. The landlord is not supposed to do anything until the matter is resolved. The same apply also to the tenant. So, the law is very protective.

“The bill also made provisions for use of forms in filing your case . The beauty of this law is that it has provision for virtual hearing. You can apply for virtual hearing if you cannot come to court for one reason or the other

“The court even has  power to sit on weekends and public holidays with the consent of parties or their counsel.

“The law made provision for mediation in case there are parties  willing to subject themselves  to mediation. The court upon filing the suit, with consent of parties, will refer the matter to a mediator, that is the Citizen Mediation Centre or the Multidoor courthouse or any other available dispute resolution center. With consent of parties, judgment reached at such mediation center will be binding and the result of such alternative  dispute resolution agreement will be endorsed and accepted by the court as a judgment  in the matter.

“So, by and large, I think it’s a beautiful and lovely legislation especially at this time considering the unwholesome activities being conducted by both landlords and tenants.

“For example, you find out in Lagos, when a tenant wants to leave a premises, instead of surrendering it to landlord, they will go ahead and rehire you to a new person, and collect high rent from the person and be paying the landlord, the old rent.I think this is not healthy and  this law has made  provision for such situations.

“So the law is commendable  and I want to enjoy  all landlords in Lagos State and all tenants, to honour same  so as to get a worthy and, healthy tenancy  situation in all parts of  Lagos State”, he said.