₦airaland Forum

Dreamhans1:
One lawyer once told me that the law of the land or constitution supercede any personal agreement. Since that day I dey vex and have kept looking for ways to bend the law.
Abeg lawyers in the house please help chook mouth! Can our landlord tenant agreement stand in face or contrary of the state law?

Omo sense dey wetin you talk ,but as this law stands ,there's no definitive law about personal agreement and when landlord can evict a tenant and if a tenant will face jail time or other punishment if rent payment is deferred and court case dragged too long without payment from the tenant.

This will discourage people from wanting to rent their house to people. It may result into fewer landlords and scarcity of house to let.

I commend the Lagos state government for this good law .

yarimo will be happy now

muyico:
I hope Seyi makinde will emulate this at Ibadan

Perpetual rent defaulter sitted

A bad landlord will never be happy for this bill to be passed, since it will prevent them from extroting and bullying tenant

Tenants don too see shege for landlords hand and vice versa

The ones that annoys me the most are landlords that do not want the progress of their tenants.. Once you start doing well, you start having issues with them

deji17:
This will discourage people from wanting to rent their house to people. It may result into fewer landlords and scarcity of house to let.

If you see landlords that bully tenants for no good reason, you won't care if this law will discourage people from renting their house out

Even if you pay your rent duely and even handle repairs for landlord, some landlords will still bully you for no good reason

In some houses, do you know that you can't even buy that you need because that would be your greatest undoing?

Imagine buying something in the day time and you have to wait till night to bring it home because you don't want your landlord to see it

This are some of the things some innocent tenants face from landlords

tosyne2much:
If you see landlords that bully tenants for no good reason, you won't care if this law will discourage people from renting their house out

Even if you pay your rent duely and even handle repairs for landlord, some landlords will still bully you for no good reason

In some houses, do you know that you can't even buy that you need because that would be your greatest undoing?

Imagine buying something in the day time and you have to wait till night to bring it home because you don't want your landlord to see it

This are some of the things some innocent tenants face from landlords

You ignored the aspect of the Landlord that suffers in the hand of tenants. It's a choice many people may not want to go through the torture of a bad tenant.

The lagos state govt dey craze, I can see there's nowhere in the law where landlords are considered. What of the cases of tenants destroying the apartment so as to get back at the landlord? What of cares of tenants absconding with huge debt of electricity bills? This is a one-sided law that cant solve the problem of landlords and tenants.

DanielJones:
Great development. This will save a lot of tenants from some unnecessary embarrassment from the house owners. Eko o ni baje o.

if you don't pay your rent, court ejection is worse embarrassing, you won't even get your property for free because it will be in court compound for years beaten by rain

Hahahaha

At least tenants too now can't overstay without payment, tenants from hell, dem plenty here for NL awon stay 6month after quit notice without paying.

Most people will leave after the expiration of their quit notice anyway or simply beg for more time ,it's troublesome people that always overstay or those that owe with pride and still threaten the landlord.



Some landlords sef will just go spiritual, they won't even say pim , na the tenant go pack him loads run.

LagosOrigin:
I commend the Lagos state government for this good law .

yarimo will be happy now

shay you are not planning to claim the 1 room you are renting under the bridge as yours ? If you try such Ehm you must be evicted by force 😆

Don't let Lagos state deceive you, getting a court order is the easiest thing to do in Lagos.
BE IN GOOD ACCORD WITH YOUR LANDLORD ALWAYS TO AVOID STORIES

Do you buy 'Dangote cement ' every year for a house you finish building and never do any renovation since 1900? You guys should stop using the current price of materials as an excuse for rent increment for a house you built donkey years ago. That is pure greed.

jmoore:
Court can't control Dangote cement price but they want to control the price of rent.

Babablu bulabu.

Na those Realtor 'agents', na em remain to tackle.

/
The law is incomplete if it doesn't address:

1. Rent increment control.
2. Agency fees percentage.
3. Security deposit percentage.
4. Legal fees (shouldn't be on percentage)

There should be uniformity... and not left to the whims and caprices of unscrupulous landlords.

/

Learner247:
If both parties play their part well, I doubt if there would be issues. I was a tenant for several years across different states in Nigeria. I never owed rent for one day, even during the COVID 19 induced lockdown, I sold some of my shares at a loss in order not to miss the rent payment date. But, today, I have a tenant whom I gave 1 month free rent before his rent started counting, his rent expired since the end of September, 2025 - he has been giving one excuse or the other.

To the new law, it’s okay, but not many people will invest in building for rent again. I mean, the same property that has not given me a dime since September ending could have paid me more than X3 from FGN Bond without having to write to anybody.

I understand your plight.

The law when copied by other states will likewise dissuade potential real estate enthusiasts from venturing into the housing business.

I have vowed even before now not to dabble into building for tenancy because of what people close to me have experience at the rent tribunal from recalcitrant tenants.

I use my plots for plantain farming and I have peace

Iamsane:
If you ever become a landlord. Come back to this thread. Tell me how you feel. 😁

I've been a landlord for over 8 years now but I will never go into real estate investment (especially tenancy) as the wahala I have seen is not for my kind of person. I cherish peace of mind.

joinnow:
Lagos State Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill 2025

1. Landlords Can No Longer Evict Tenants by Force

What changed:
Landlords must now get a court order before evicting a tenant.

Simple meaning:
A landlord cannot:

Lock you out

Break your door

Remove the roof

Send thugs

Force you out suddenly


If they do, it is now a crime.


---

2. Harassment of Tenants Is Now a Criminal Offence

What changed:
Harassing a tenant is now punishable by law.

Simple meaning:
A landlord must not disturb your peace by:

Cutting water

Cutting electricity

Threatening you

Removing parts of the house

Constantly disturbing or insulting you


Punishment:

At least ₦1,000,000 fine, OR

Up to 6 months in jail, OR

Both



---

3. Illegal Evictions Are Fully Criminalised

What changed:
Evicting a tenant without court approval is illegal.

Simple meaning:
Even if rent is owed, the landlord must go to court first.
They cannot “help themselves.”


---

4. Tenants Can Challenge Unfair Rent Increases

What changed:
Tenants can go to court if rent increase is too high.

Simple meaning:
If a landlord increases rent by 50%–200% suddenly, you can say:

> “This is not fair.”


The court will check:

Rent in nearby houses

What both sides say

Condition of the building


The court can reduce the rent increase.


---

5. Landlords Cannot Evict Tenants While Rent Case Is Ongoing

What changed (VERY IMPORTANT):
Once a tenant files a rent complaint in court, eviction must stop.

Simple meaning:
If you are already in court saying:

> “This rent increase is unfair”



The landlord must wait until the court finishes the case.
They cannot evict you meanwhile.

This protects tenants from pressure and bullying.


---

6. Faster Court Process for Tenancy Issues

What changed:
Tenancy cases must move quickly.

Simple meaning:

Court hearings must start within 14 days

Courts can sit:

On weekends

On public holidays

Online (virtual court)


Mediation cannot last more than 30 days


This stops landlords or tenants from delaying cases forever.


---

7. Service Charges and Security Deposits Must Be Transparent

What changed:
Landlords must explain how money is used.

Simple meaning:

Every 6 months, landlord must show:

How service charge money was spent


Security deposit must be returned when tenant leaves

Money can only be deducted for real damage, with proof


No more “we won’t refund your deposit” without reason.


---

8. Tenants’ Right to Privacy Is Protected

What changed:
Tenants’ privacy is now clearly protected by law.

Simple meaning:
A landlord cannot:

Enter your house anytime they like

Spy on you

Disturb your family

Block you from using common areas


You have the right to:

Peace

Privacy

Normal use of the house



---

9. Tenants Can Be Paid Back for Approved Improvements

What changed:
Tenants can get compensation for approved upgrades.

Simple meaning:
If you improved the house with permission (e.g., tiles, painting, fittings),
you can be compensated.


---

10. Overall Balance Between Landlords and Tenants

What changed:
The law now balances power.

Simple meaning:

Landlords still get rent

Tenants get dignity, protection, and fairness

Disputes go to court, not violence



---

In One Sentence

This new bill stops landlord bullying, protects tenants from sudden eviction and unfair rent hikes, makes disputes faster to resolve, and turns harassment into a serious crime.

This is a life saver for me .
My landlord died in June and since the wife has been tormenting me .
First, she aid she wants to convert the three bedroom to two room and parlour self contained. I said no wahala. The house is a BQ at the back of the main building which she and her husband, the landlord, lived before he died .
This is a woman that had left the landlord by packing her properties almost a year before the man died . I was left with the man alone in the compound. All their kids are travelled abroad
Non in Nigeria.
The same month the landlord died this woman had been verbally issuing me an eviction notice.
Early this month I got a quit notice from her agent, giving me a back dated six months to pack out.
This woman doesn't live my compound anymore. Ever since the quit notice she is always bringing various people claiming they want to inspect the apartment.
I'm getting fed up with her intimidation. These people enter my bedroom , my bathroom and all. I've been respectful of her because of my relationship with her husband and children but it's now getting unbearable.

This law is a deal breaker for me

Okay

yarimo:
shay you are not planning to claim the 1 room you are renting under the bridge as yours ? If you try such Ehm you must be evicted by force 😆

Sorry, but I'm a neighbor to Wizkid

Non of the tenant protection is new what additional is the speeding up of eviction and rental dispute within 14 days.

Good tenants have nothing to fear.

Hopez456:
In as much this law looks good on paper it will dissuade investors in real estate.

There's a massive housing deficit in Lagos already, with this law, private investors will rather put their money in other ventures.

Building houses for rent is not profitable in the first place, I know quite a lot of people who have channelled their funds to building hotels , event centres and plazas than building houses to rent out.

Government should do more by building big housing estates then, when there is a glut they can come up with this law.

My take.

I am landlord n this is very fair.

matify83:
I can see most landlords frowning at this law as it has empowered tenants and checkmated the excesses of landlords.

With the provision of accelerated hearing of cases in court, this is a nice development.

Lol…na juju landlords go dey use now be that

Sonyboom:
I am landlord n this is very fair.

Fair because the court proceedings is time bound ( 30 days at most) unlike what I experienced with my father in-law who was in court with one of his tenants for 2 years.

By the time the court finally gave the go ahead for her ejection, the tenant had trashed the flat, destroyed fittings and tiles.

This and the several examples from others is the major reason why I vow not not to go into tenancy real estate investment.

Again, I like peace of mind and I now plant plantain on the plots earlier earmarked for tenants.

Joezik:
Misleading and interpreting rubbish.

A landlord can give the tenant a notice to quit, if the tenant refuses that where the court comes in...

Infact I will be happy to go to court, because I will demand the tenant pays utilities he or she is owning and the rent sustained within they period of notice. Tenants think the law go favour them...

Don't mind them! As a matter of fact, the proposed amendment is beneficial to all of us! I'm particularly happy about accelerating hearing and the time frame of 14 to 30 day in resolving dispute!

gabbytabby:
Non of the tenant protection is new what additional is the speeding up of eviction and rental dispute within 14 days.

Good tenants have nothing to fear.

True, but how many good tenants are out there?

LagosOrigin:
Sorry, but I'm a neighbor to Wizkid

on social media nice one

yarimo:
on social media nice one

Take it or leave it

Doesn't really matter what ya think

Do your due diligence before they enter. I insist on proof of income backed by bank statements.

Like Yoruba says na madness one dey take cure madness so you need to go gangster and don’t let their name calling get to you. I have accepted that I am a witch so pay me my money make I no witch you.

Would I prefer a peaceful life absolutely but the starting point is making sure they can at least afford the rent and they show you the proof of it.

Hopez456:
True, but how many good tenants are out there?

keeper303:
See rent defaulters hailing the law. Most times it is Bad tenants who owe rent and refuse to pay that causes these landlords to undertake these underhand measures

This one dey. Same time, way landlords increase rent these days ehn , looks like WICKEDNESS