The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has stated that the state government intends to enforce the one-year rent payment clause in its real estate law so that landlords cannot demand two or three years’ rent upfront.
Hamzat, who is also the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, noted that this provision is part of the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency law passed in 2025, and added that ensuring compliance is now the government’s next priority.
He made this remark on Sunday at a governorship debate held in Lagos and organized by the Nigeria Debate Consortium.
The debate was put together by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, a coalition that includes The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, The Cable, and Vanguard.
He also set out the measures under consideration to tackle housing affordability and other problems in the state’s property sector.
“So the next chapter for Lagos is to enforce, to make sure. So people should not be asked for 2 years or 3 years ahead because nobody gets a salary three years ahead,” he said.
The governorship candidate also stated that the law mandates real estate agents to register with the state and appear on an official database.
He called on residents to use the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency’s online platform to report problems and assist the government in monitoring activities within the sector.
“So our appeal to citizens is about communication, to ensure that people use that site, because that is the only way we can track. Because this—when these things happen, the government must also receive the feedback,” he said.
Regarding efforts to expand access to affordable housing, Hamzat said the government would finish ongoing housing projects and strive to cut the time needed to obtain property regularization and title documents.
He explained that delays in processing land documents could drive up the cost of housing, adding that the state had completed automating the process so residents could submit applications online.
Hamzat also urged stronger collaboration with private developers to ensure that housing projects were not concentrated in high-income areas.
He said developers carrying out projects in affluent locations such as Ikoyi and Victoria Island should also consider building in less affluent communities.
“As you develop a property, say in Ikoyi or VI, can you develop another one in Egodo? So those are part of the discussions that we will have so that as we are building for the rich, we’re also building for the poor, apart from what the government is doing to make sure that people actually have housing,” he said.
Speaking about his manifesto, Hamzat said the “Everyday Dignity” component was intended to make sure residents were not so weighed down by rent payments that their dignity suffered.
“If you look at my manifesto, the E part stands for everyday dignity. What it means is that people should not have to pay rent that strips away their dignity. And that means we have to work together with landlords. We recognize that we operate a capitalist economy,” he said.
The question of advance rent payments continues to worry tenants in Lagos, where demands for several years’ rent have been reported even though legal restrictions already exist.
Section 4 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 makes it illegal for landlords or their agents to ask a new tenant for more than one year’s rent in advance.
It also sets limits on advance payments by sitting tenants, based on the type of tenancy.
The Lagos State Government has also been looking at reforms to its tenancy framework in order to tackle concerns about rent increases, agency practices, and other disputes between landlords and tenants.
Yet the proposed 2025 amendments should not be described as an enacted law unless their passage and commencement have been confirmed.
