A lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has sponsored a bill that will ban landlords from collecting annual rent from tenants.
The bill titled ‘Advance Rent For Residential Apartments, Office Spaces, Etc, Regulation Bill 2022’ is seeking to make it a crime for any landlord to request payment of advance rent from tenants of residential, office buildings, and space beyond three months.
The bill which passed its first reading at the Senate Chamber after its presentation on Tuesday will enable tenants to make a maximum advance payment of three months’ rent with subsequent monthly payment.
According to Senator Adeyemi while addressing journalists after the presentation, he said “We discovered that landlords are compelling tenants to make one-year and two-year advance rent payments before they would give them keys to their apartments. It may not be an issue to quite a several 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 rent.
“Many landlords did not secure loans to build their houses; they are products of free money they acquire from the system. Yet, they make life difficult for poor Nigerians who do not have such privilege of making ill-gotten money from the system and putting up structures.
“The buildings are constructed in such a manner that an average Nigerian would not be able to afford it. Many people are involved in corrupt practices to get their rents paid, while the ladies took to prostitution.
“The law we are proposing stipulates a maximum advance 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.”
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