LAGOS GOVT TO ENFORCE ONE-YEAR RENT PAYMENT RULE – HAMZAT
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has said the state government plans to enforce the one-year advance rent payment provision in its real estate law to stop landlords from demanding two or three years’ rent from tenants.
Hamzat, who is also the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, said the provision was contained in the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency law passed in 2025, noting that the government’s immediate priority was to ensure its implementation.
He disclosed this on Sunday during a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lagos.
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The consortium is a coalition comprising The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, TheCable and Vanguard.
Hamzat also highlighted measures being considered by the state government to improve housing affordability and address other challenges in the real estate sector.
He said the government intended to ensure that landlords complied with the one-year rent payment requirement, arguing that most workers could not afford to pay several years’ rent at once.
“So the next chapter for Lagos is to enforce, to make sure. So people should not be asked two years, three years ahead because nobody gets salary three years ahead,” he said.
The governorship candidate further explained that the law requires real estate agents operating in the state to register with the government and have their details captured in an official database.
He encouraged residents to utilise the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency’s online platform to report complaints and provide feedback that would help the government monitor activities in the sector.
Hamzat said public participation and feedback were necessary for effective regulation and enforcement.
On efforts to make housing more affordable, he said the government would prioritise the completion of ongoing housing projects while reducing delays in obtaining property regularisation and title documents.
He noted that prolonged land documentation processes could increase housing costs, adding that the state had automated the system to allow residents to submit applications online.
He also advocated stronger partnerships with private developers to ensure that housing developments were extended beyond high-income neighbourhoods.
According to him, developers undertaking projects in affluent areas such as Ikoyi and Victoria Island should also consider investing in less privileged communities.
“As you develop a property, say in Ikoyi or VI, can you develop another one in Egodo? So those are part of the discussions that we will have so that as we are building for the rich, we’re also building for the poor, apart from what the government is doing to make sure that people actually have housing,” he said.
Speaking on his manifesto, Hamzat said its ‘Everyday Dignity’ component was designed to ensure that rent payments did not place excessive financial pressure on residents or undermine their dignity.
“If you look at my manifesto, the E part is everyday dignity. What it says is people should not pay rent that demystifies their dignity. And what that means is we must work with landlords. We understand that we run a capitalist economy,” he added.
The issue of advance rent payments has remained a major concern for tenants in Lagos, where some landlords reportedly demand two or three years’ rent despite existing legal restrictions.
Section 4 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 prohibits landlords and their agents from demanding or receiving more than one year’s rent in advance from new tenants.
The law also places restrictions on advance rent payments by existing tenants, depending on the nature of their tenancy.
The state government has also been considering reforms to its tenancy framework to address complaints about rent increases, agency practices and disputes between landlords and tenants.
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