For Chiamaka Okafor, a 29-year-old nurse living in Surulere, renting a house in Lagos felt like buying a car. Before she could collect the key to her one-room self-contain, her landlord demanded N1.8 million, two years rent in advance, plus agency, agreement, caution, and inspection fees. She had not yet entered the room, but she had already paid almost N2.5 million, money she borrowed from her cooperative to complete. She has been paying back the loan since January.
Chiamaka is not alone. Her story is the daily reality for millions of Lagos tenants, and it is why the promise made by Obafemi Hamzat on Sunday night is now trending across Lagos WhatsApp groups. Hamzat, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress and incumbent Deputy Governor, promised to enforce the state law that prevents arbitrary rent increases and mandates landlords to collect only one year’s rent from tenants. He made the pledge during the Lagos governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium.
Lagos has had a tenancy law since 2011. The law, now enforced through the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency, says a landlord cannot demand more than one year rent from a new tenant, rent increase must be reasonable and with proper notice, and agents must be registered with the state. In practice, many landlords and agents ignore it. In areas like Lekki, Yaba, Ikeja and Surulere, asking for two years rent has become normal, despite the law.
The numbers explain why tenants are angry. Lagos has over 20 million people, making it the largest city in Africa. Over 70 percent of residents live in rented houses, according to housing experts. In many parts of the city, rent has risen by 40 percent to 100 percent in the last three years, while salaries have remained largely the same. For a tenant earning N250,000 a month, a two-year rent of N1.2 million means five months salary gone before moving in.
Speaking at the debate, Hamzat said the state had created 24 housing estates in the last eight years but would expand access to quality accommodation by making more mortgage facilities available to residents. He also promised that the APC government would complete ongoing housing projects across different parts of the state. On environmental challenges, he described Lagos’s drainage network as fantastic, but stressed the need to keep it free of blockages to ensure the smooth flow of water into the creeks.
On transportation, Hamzat outlined plans to improve mobility through rail, road and waterways. He said the state was targeting the movement of one million passengers daily with 4,000 compressed natural gas buses. He also highlighted plans to expand water transportation with 77 electric ferries, arguing that waterways offered significant potential for moving more commuters. He further defended the state’s investment in rail transportation, arguing that private-sector funding alone had not delivered a rail system anywhere in Africa.
On healthcare, Hamzat said the government was building more hospitals to expand access to medical services. He also pledged to increase the number of the state’s flagship primary healthcare centres from 87 to 150, with the facilities providing round-the-clock medical services.
For Chiamaka, the promise is good, but enforcement is everything. She asked who is enforcing the law and what happens if she reports her landlord, whether she will be thrown out of the house. Housing advocates agree, saying LASRERA must publish a phone number and WhatsApp line where tenants can report landlords, and the state must prosecute a few big offenders to set an example. The debate also featured other candidates, including Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who accused the APC government of focusing on policies that only favour the elite in the last 20 years. Hamzat defended the government’s record on rail, health and housing.
Tenants who are asked to pay two years rent are advised to ask for the rent in writing, tell the agent they know the Lagos law allows only one year, report to the LASRERA office in Ikeja or via its official channels, and never pay cash without a receipt.