•Abuja landlords, tenants at loggerheads over planned 50% lease hike
From Idu Jude, Abuja
The year 2024 may start on a tumultuous note in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as landlords and tenants are warming up for legal battles bordering on an anticipated 50 per cent rent hike.
While landlords met to effect a 50 per cent rent increase across board, tenants are not finding the development funny, describing it as a conspiracy. They insist paying the current rent and staying afloat are already uphill tasks. No thanks to the harsh economy plagued by hyperinflation.
Many who spoke to Daily Sun vowed to legally scuttle plans by landlords to effect any rent increase as they saw it as an insensitive, predatory, wicked and dehumanising move, especially to low income earners. Landlords insist that the cost of house maintenance has quadrupled in the last seven months owing to petrol subsidy removal, naira float, weak export and the attendant inflation.
While the storm gathers, on November 26, 2023, a tenant, Mr Reginald Offia, got a letter from his landlord’s lawyer stating that from January 2024, there would be a mandatory 50 per cent increase in house rent. He and other tenants are calling the landlord’s bluff, describing the letter as a huge joke since 60 per cent of the occupants are still struggling to pay the old rent.
Offia settled in Abuja as a youth corps member. He served in 2001 and got retained in one of the Federal Government agencies. All efforts to get his accommodation met brick walls. He is a level 13 civil servant:
“I cannot afford the new rent of N500,000 per annum, if the landlord succeeds in hiking the lease by 50 per cent as stated by his lawyer. All the tenants have agreed to approach the human rights commission or the legal aid council to help stop such arbitrary increase in house rent.
“Apart from what is about to happen to us in Nyanya, Abuja, I gather that the move is a unanimous agreement by the landlords to increase house rents in FCT. It is also as a result of the present economic realities, which they said affected the price of building materials in the market.
“But one stupid idea here is that they are fighting the poor people, not the Federal Government. It is also foolish to make tenants pay even when some of the houses were built without new building materials to justify claims of present economic realities.
“Please, tell me how a house built as far back as 1998 suffers the cost of building materials in the 21st century? Is this not dehumanising?”
Prince James Maxwell, another tenant in Garki 11, observed that the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment in Abuja city centre or in the satellite towns has driven many people into setting up illegal structures just to avoid landlords’ predation:
“Take for instance, the process of obtaining land allocation is even worse. Sometimes one is left with no option than to approach the local chiefs to get land and have a roof over his or her head. And most times such structures are demolished for violating the Abuja building master plan.
“I know that the landlord is coming for eviction after the end of the three-month deadline. I know that January 2024 would be hot. We (tenants) are preparing to deal with it because the landlords must know that we are not thieves who get money at gunpoint.
“At least, they should be able to know that some of us are civil servants whose monthly salaries are well defined. It is not as if the landlords do not know our financial status, but because they saw it happen in other climes and they thought it is practicable here.
“I can tell you for sure that unjustifiable rent increases are the major reasons illegal structures spring up every now and then across the FCT. The FCT Administration (FCTA), is being challenged to call the landlords to order and regulate the system because this is exploitative.”
Ms Esther Yakub, a tenant and businesswoman in Wuse 11: “I think we have a system that does not work. A system that does not make laws to protect the interests of low income earners or simply the masses.
“Take a look at the way the federal and state governments handle the palliative for the removal of fuel subsidy. We are yet to get the promised palliative while others have since finished theirs. You have people who work in the informal sector.
“Nobody cares about them. We also forget that they live in the same environment we live in. They buy from the same market and are affected by the same price of foodstuff and the same house rent we pay. We also forget about people who are doing nothing but depend on their brothers or sisters to feed.
“The issue of house rent is something that government should regulate to help the economy. This is because housing for workers is as good as providing mass transit programme for easy transportation in Nigeria.
“Why wouldn’t we take the issue of housing seriously? Or why do we allow landlords to come up with any amount at will? And that is because government has failed to put up a legal framework to that effect.
“Government should be blamed for the high cost of house rent in the FCT and other major cities. The country should prioritise low cost housing projects as it is done elsewhere across the world.
“I know that some ministries and agencies offer housing allowances to their staff. But I also learnt that such has stopped while those paying have a porous system.
“You will agree with me that the Federal Government under several administrations came up with beautiful housing schemes for civil servants. But the question is, how many of the projects survived till today?
“The Federal Government and the FCTA in particular should beam searchlights on the excesses of landlords. This is with a view of building a better society.”
Godswill Mmadu, a landlord at Mpape, FCT, suggested that the government stepping in to regulate house rent would be a good idea:
“I would be the happiest person. It means I wouldn’t hire or pay any lawyer to take care of my properties. There would be standing rules of engaging a tenant as provided by the law.
“And in that case, there would be specifications and price tag to every apartment. I believe that that is how it is being done overseas. For the time being, landlords should charge tenants based on market forces.
“Can anyone tell me the price of a bag of rice in the market today? Can anyone tell me the price of a bag of cement? What about iron rods? What about aluminium zincs and other bills to hire labourers at this critical time of our economy?
“I can tell you that even Mr. President is aware that things have gone wrong since he stepped in and pronounced fuel subsidy removal. I think that would benefit all of us because the price of building materials and maintenance of existing buildings would drop and they would become affordable.
“And for those heading to court, they should check their tenancy agreement properly in order not to shoot themselves in the foot. Yes, I know that there are few landlords who were careless about preparing tenancy agreements before admitting people into their houses.
I know that such has negative effects, when issues like this occur. But there are also many who do not bother themselves because they are prepared for any eventualities. Yes, the landlords association had an agreement on a 50 per cent increment in house rent. That was agreed because our properties suffer decay and need proper maintenance.
“Without that we would be out of business. No one likes to pack into an unkempt apartment. We also buy from the same market everyone buys from.”
Mallam Mainasara Bako, a landlord in Nyanya, said: How many of the tenants knew the day or how I bought the land? How many of them knew how much I bought the building materials?
“They even said they would go to the human rights commission to complain. By the time they come back, someone else may be in the house. There are many waiting to pay.
“I don’t care about what they say. That is not to say that I am a wicked man, no. I’m a realist and people should know how to distinguish between a wicked man and a realist. The economy of this country affects everyone. Now, if the court should be talking for the masses or tenants as it were, who talks for the landlords?
“Who are the sufferers of the maintenance of the existing buildings? Another question here is, does the government care for the masses to build low cost houses for them? How come everyone prepares to fight landlords on their properties? It sounds absurd to say the least.
“I would like lawyers from the human rights commission to register such cases at the high court. They should initiate advocacy on the provision of affordable housing for the masses. They should sue the Federal Government for not doing enough to house at least 150 million Nigerians.
“They came up with numerous housing schemes with different name tags but all ended in private pockets. So, who is to be blamed for suffering poor Nigerians?”
Isa Yohana, a lawyer, posited: “Some issues are better not discussed until they are brought to the point of law. Sometimes people think they are right but not until the law interprets everyone’s rights.
“I can assert here that the landlords have their rights. They should also not forget that those occupants have their rights as well. What this means is that the landlords rights are not absolute.
“The National Assembly which legislates for the administration of FCT should be able to make laws that deal with landlord and tenant affairs.
“I suppose such matters should be domiciled in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. At the state levels should also be legislated so that they should have a legal framework guiding such matters.”