All Offences And Penalties For Landlords, Agents, Tenants In Lagos State Tenancy Bill
- The Lagos State 2025 Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill is before the state assembly to stop exploitative housing practices, including those by unregulated agents and landlords
- There are various offences under the bill for violators, which include illegal eviction, harassment, property damage, and obstruction of court officers
- In the bill, Penalties range from fines of N1,000,000, imprisonment up to two years, or both, depending on the severity of the offence
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
The Lagos State government is updating its rent and tenancy regulations to ensure stronger oversight and greater fairness in the housing market.
This proposed Lagos State 2025 Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill is designed to modernise the 2011 Tenancy Law, and to tackle long-standing challenges that have led to exploitation in the state.
Source: UGC
Key issues the bill aims to address include:
- Two-year advance rent
- Unregulated estate agents
- Lengthy eviction processes, and
- Exploitative housing practices.
Offences and penalties under the bill
1. Illegal Eviction, Harassment or Damage
- A person commits an offence if they:
- Demolish, alter or modify a building in order to eject a tenant without a court order.
- Disturb the tenant’s quiet enjoyment by:
- Attempting to forcibly eject or forcibly ejecting a tenant,
- Threatening or molesting a tenant with intent to eject,
- Wilfully damaging the premises.
Penalty:
- A fine of not less than N1,000,000, or
- Up to six months’ custodial or non-custodial sentence, or both.
2. Wilful Destruction or Damage to Property
Any person who wilfully and unlawfully destroys or damages another party’s property within the premises commits an offence,
Penalty:
- Payment of the full cost of repairs, and
- Imprisonment for up to two years.
3. Obstruction of court officers or retaking possession
Offences include:
- Resisting, molesting, assaulting or obstructing a court officer or authorised person carrying out a court order.
- Unlawfully retaking possession of a property after being removed under a warrant of possession.
Penalty:
- A fine not exceeding N1,000,000, or
- Up to three months’ imprisonment, or both.
- May also be charged with contempt of court.
Source: Getty Images
4. Renting a property for Illegal purposes
A tenant who rents a property for unlawful activities commits an offence.
Penalty:
- Punishment under the relevant criminal law governing the unlawful act.
5. Obtaining Court Orders Using False Information
Any person who intentionally provides false information to obtain a court order relating to premises commits an offence.
Penalty:
- A fine not exceeding N1,000,000, or
- Imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
Lagos begins crackdown on illegal rent fees
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, has asked estate agents and other bodies to move strongly against quacks asking property owners to hike rent indiscriminately and create fees alien to the real estate transaction law of the state.
The state government also asked professionals and trade groups in the real estate industry to be sensitive to public outrage over incessant rent hikes and unnecessary fees charged in violation of the real estate law of Lagos State.
Source: Legit.ng
