Government Goes After Homeowners Renting Houses for Inflated Rates to Tenants

• Lagos State is set to begin penalizing homeowners found guilty of renting out their apartments at exorbitant fees
• The government said it is now ready to ensure sanctions are executed against individuals thriving in such extortionist acts
• It also emphasised that guilty offenders will face severe consequences, including the forfeiture of their houses

Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the stock market.

The Lagos State Government has announced its intention to enforce penalties against homeowners discovered to be charging excessively high rents for their apartments.

This is as the federal government had already disclosed that it would begin to charge triple ground rent on estates and houses left unoccupied, in an effort to cut down housing deficit figures in Nigeria.

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Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, the Commissioner for Housing, issued a statement indicating the government's determination to act against individuals engaging in such exploitative practices.

Government to revoke allocations of guilty homeowners

According to ChannelsTV, the commissioner noted that numerous residents in state housing schemes had raised concerns about the steep rental fees imposed by certain homeowners.

Furthermore, he emphasized that the government would revoke allocations from those found guilty of such actions.

He said:

“The essence of asking allottees to make a five per cent down payment and spread the remaining amount for ten years was to make life bearable for Lagosians.

“This is what Mr Governor wants to achieve, but some people seem to be taking Mr Governor’s magnanimity for granted. They are renting those apartments out to make money. The question is why do people try to inconvenience others when the government intended to make life bearable for citizens?”

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Guilty offenders may forfeit their houses

Akinderu-Fatai urged facility managers and association members within the estates to promptly report to the ministry any homeowner found engaging in such practices.

He emphasized that such homeowners would face consequences, including the forfeiture of their apartments, with refunds for their payments.

The commissioner further reassured that the State Government remains committed to addressing the housing needs of first-time buyers, offering options such as outright purchase and rent-to-own platforms.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that the FG was considering solutions to how employed Nigerians can conveniently pay their rents monthly, overriding the status quo, which sees landlords request yearly payments.

Landlord moves to evict tenant over vehicles

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a tenant, identified as Albert Ikechukwu, sought help on social media after his landlord expressed an intent to evict him.

According to Ikechukwu, who had three cars, the landlord wants to evict him because his cars occupy the whole space in the compound.

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Ikechuwu faulted his landlord's reasoning and explained that the cars were for business purposes. He said he hires them to men for Uber work.

Source: Legit.ng