Senate moves to stop landlords from collecting yearly rent

A bill seeking to stop Landlords from collecting annual rent has been initiated in Senate.

The bill, unveiled on Tuesday, is titled: “Advanced Rent Residential Apartments, Office spaces, etc Regulation Bill 2022.”

It was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi and it has already passed into first reading at plenary.

Addressing newsmen on the bill, Adeyemi said it would enable tenants to pay maximum advanced payment of three months rent, followed by subsequent monthly payment.

He said: “We discovered that landlords are compelling tenants to pay one year and two years advanced rent payment before they would give them keys to their apartments.

“It may not be an issue to quite a number of people but to many others it is a great pain for them.

“Most Nigerians need the protection of the law to be able to meet their basic needs after paying rents.

“Many landlords did not secure loans to build their houses.

“They are products of free money they acquire from the system.

“Yet they make lives difficult for poor Nigerians who do not have such privilege of making ill-gotten money from the system and put up structures.

“The buildings are constructed in such a manner that an average Nigerian would not be able to afford it.

“Many people are indulging in corrupt practices to get their rents paid, while the ladies take to prostitution.

“The law we are proposing stipulates a maximum advanced rent payment of three months.

“After the expiration of the three months rent, the tenants are expected to pay monthly.

“There are many tenants whose salaries are competing with their rents because they live in cities like Abuja.

“The law will prevent the poor workers from any form of oppression.”