There are compassionate and considerate landlords who choose to be reasonable and fair with their rents instead of leveraging the chaos and bubble of the housing market to fleece and extort forlorn and desperate tenants and house hunters. But these kinds of landlords are a handful in a sea of rapacious, vicious and bloodbaying property owners and greedy agents that embolden them.
In recent years, the housing market and real estate sector in Lagos have become a breeding ground for impunity, arbitrariness, and extortion, with avaricious agents, inconsiderate landlords, and insouciant government officials perpetuating these practices with impunity. The actions of these major players in the housing market and real estate sector have engendered a severe housing crisis.
Rents have increased significantly in the last three to four years, surpassing what the average working-class person or family can afford, forcing many to make deeply uncomfortable and life-altering decisions that tend to compromise their quality of life and standard of living. For the most part, the blame for the mess and chaos has been placed squarely at the feet of landlords and agents while the state government has largely escaped scrutiny and criticism for the appalling state of the housing market.
While there are compassionate and considerate landlords who choose to be reasonable and fair with their rents instead of leveraging the chaos and bubble of the housing market to fleece and extort forlorn and desperate tenants and house hunters. But these kinds of landlords are a handful in a sea of rapacious, vicious and bloodbaying property owners and greedy agents that embolden them. However, seeing that the housing problem has reached an alarming level and it just cannot stand idly by and watch idly as landlords and agents, most of whom are unregistered and illiterate, run amok and turn residents of the state into nothing more than a cash cow that can be milked recklessly and endlessly, the state government has moved in to tackle this perennial challenge.
On Tuesday, the state government announced
plans to introduce a new tenancy law that will check arbitrary rent increases, illegal charges and other sharp and extortionate practices in the real estate sector. The State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, disclosed this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja.
What the bill seeks to achieve
According to Akinderu-Fatai, the proposed legislation seeks to address the growing concerns over excessive rent hikes, arbitrary agency fees and fraudulent practices by unregistered estate agents operating in the state.
He disclosed that the tenancy bill, currently before the Lagos State House of Assembly, is presently at the committee stage in the House of Assembly and is expected to promulgate major reforms capable of cleaning the housing and real estate sector in Lagos.
Key provisions target unscrupulous agents
The proposed law wants to make it mandatory for all estate agents operating in Lagos to register with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) and operating without registration would become a punishable offence once the bill becomes law.
The commissioner said the move was aimed at curtailing the excesses of unlicensed agents accused of exploiting tenants through excessive charges, multiple sales of properties and other fraudulent transactions.
He disclosed that LASRERA had intensified enforcement against fraudulent operators, adding that the agency recovered more than N270 million from fraudulent estate agents between 2025 and 2026.
The commissioner also stated that the government had consistently maintained that estate agency fees in Lagos should not exceed 10 per cent of the total rent payable by tenants.
On the resolution of tenants and landlords disputes
The proposed law would also expedite the resolution of tenancy disputes with the introduction of weekend and public holiday sittings for tenancy-related matters.
According to him, tenants seeking to sue landlords would also be required to provide proof of rent payments and updated utility bills before initiating court proceedings.
Akinderu-Fatai said the state government was determined to restore sanity, transparency and accountability in the real estate sector while protecting residents from the shenanigans of corrupt agents and landlords.
He added that the Sanwo-Olu administration is committed to making housing transactions more open, credible, affordable and investor-friendly across the state, noting that when passed, the law would apply across all parts of Lagos State without exception.
