Some landlords and tenants have called on the government to establish a mandatory registry for tenancy defaulters to curb rising cases of rent evasion and property damage.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta that the register would also enhance enforcement of tenancy laws.
Mr Jacob Famodimu, a Lawyer and the Chairman of Fountain Hillip Associates and Co., said such defaulters register would push governments to enact accurate policies for the housing sector.
“However, defaulters are not reported because no tenant wants to lose his or her accommodation.
“Also, the law is not adequate to fish out defaulters,” he said.
He, however, condemned the rate at which house rents were raised at geometric progression because of shortage of accommodation.
“The demand is always higher than available accommodation and this pushes landlords to eject a tenant from the premises by issuance of notice to quit.
” The landlord presents personal use as ground for recovery of the premises, even though that ground may not be genuine,” he said.
According to Famodimu, the existing tenancy laws in many states has also stopped the collection of two years advance or more for periodic tenancy.
He emphasised that the relationship between landlords and tenants were not as cordial as it used to be due to economic realities and other factors.
Also, the Chairman of Ifesowopo Community Development Association ( CDA), Warewa, Ogun, Mr Bolaji Ajiwe, urged the states governments to organise tenants and landlords stakeholders meeting to address unreasonable hike in rents.
Meanwhile, a Human Rights Advocate, who is also a government official, Mr Sunday Olowoyobiojo, said that tenants and landlords discords were triggered by many factors.
“These factors include loss of job, high cost of living and arbitrary increment in tenancy rate, among others.
“On the part of landlords, the factors include living above means of income, dependent on income from property and giving of quit notice to tenants arbitrarily , among others,” he said
Olowoyobiojo advised the government to carry out periodic review of tenancy agreement and tenancy rate in order to deepen landlords-tenants relations.
Speaking, an ex – Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps ( NSCDC ), Mr Paul Ayeni, urged tenants to always pay rent as at when due, keep their environment clean and abide by the law of the community .
“The government should carry out periodic review of tenancy agreement and tenancy rate to deepen landlords-tenants relations,” he said.
Tenancy agreement is a formal or oral agreement outlining the terms and conditions of tenancy
They include rights to written agreement, issuance of receipt of payments, to occupy rented apartments in peace, right to valid quit notice among others
Rights of landlords include rights to receive rent, to renew tenancy, to make you have the apartment maintained in good condition, not to issue quit notice among others
