Members of the Senate have proposed a bill seeking to make it an offence for landlords to demand payment of advance rent from tenants of residential and office buildings and spaces beyond three months.
The bill was laid for first reading during Tuesday’s legislative proceedings.Briefing journalists after plenary, the sponsor of the bill Senator Smart Adeyemi said it would enable tenants to make a maximum advance payment of three months’ rent, with subsequent monthly payments.
He said landlords have been compelling tenants to make one-year and two-year advance rent payments before renting their apartments and this is not affordable for many Nigerians.
Senator Adeyemi also noted that the proposed legislation stipulates a maximum advance rent payment of three months and after the expiration of the three-month rent, the tenants are expected to pay monthly
It Wil be recalled that Lagos State Government recently sent a bill to the state house of Assembly that will allow Landlords in the state to be collecting monthly rent payment
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, disclosed during a discussion on Rental Policies that the new initiative will greatly ease the burden of yearly payment on residents, assuring that landlords will, however, get their annual payment of house rent upfront, while tenants will no longer have the burden of yearly payment of a huge amount of money.
