By: Tijani Salako.
The members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday have urged the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos state to enforce the provisions of the Lagos State Tenancy Law of 2015, in a bid to prevent landlords from exploiting rental practices.
The lawmakers also resolved to call on the Commissioner for Information and Strategy to launch a public awareness campaign to educate residents and potential rentals about their rights under the Tenancy Law.
This resolution followed a motion moved by Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh, who highlighted the growing concern over excessive rent increases across the state. Olumoh pointed to Section 37 of the 2015 Tenancy Law, which prohibits unreasonable rent hikes and allows tenants to seek legal redress in such cases. He emphasized that the persistent rise in rent is contributing significantly to the increase in homelessness in Lagos.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Desmond Elliot shared insights from his Surulere I constituency, where he noted that rent had surged by 100 to 200 percent. While acknowledging that infrastructural development might attract investors, he argued that such growth should not justify arbitrary rent increases.
Elliot further stated the essentiality of the Tenancy Law in regulating investor activities and proposed a review of key components of the law, including the standard two-year lease agreement, legal fees, and commissions charged to tenants.
