The Lagos State Authorities has moved to clamp down on unlawful evictions and landlord harassment with a brand new tenancy regulation proposal.
The Lagos State Tenancy and Restoration of Premises Invoice 2025 (Draft) makes it obligatory for landlords to acquire a courtroom order earlier than ejecting tenants.
Underneath the proposed regulation, forceful evictions, intimidation, and self-help actions are actually legal offences.
Landlords who reduce electrical energy or water, take away roofs, or intentionally disrupt a tenant’s peace threat prosecution.
The Invoice clearly outlines the obligations of landlords.
Part 10 states, “Obligations of the owner embody not disturbing the tenant’s quiet and peaceful enjoyment of the premises, together with not eradicating the roof, slicing off electrical energy or water provide or doing something that can intrude with peaceable enjoyment of the demised premises.”
The laws additionally units stiff penalties for violations.
Part 43 supplies that any landlord who makes an attempt to eject a tenant with no courtroom order, alters a constructing to pressure eviction, threatens or molests a tenant, or causes harm to property commits an offence.
Such offenders face a advantageous of not lower than ₦1 million, a jail sentence of as much as six months, or each.
The proposed regulation follows persistent complaints from residents throughout Lagos.
Many tenants have reported being locked out of their houses, having doorways damaged, or being chased away by employed thugs throughout lease disputes.
Past evictions, the Invoice additionally addresses arbitrary lease hikes.
Part 33 empowers courts to evaluate whether or not a lease improve is affordable by evaluating rents in comparable areas, reviewing proof from each events, and contemplating particular options of the property.
Tenants are additionally protected as soon as a dispute reaches courtroom.
Landlords are barred from evicting tenants whereas a case on lease improve or tenancy is pending.
The Invoice states, “Topic to any Bargain on the contrary, an present tenant could apply to the Courtroom for an order declaring that the rise in lease imposed by the owner as payable below a tenancy is unreasonable.”
It additional explains, “In figuring out whether or not a rise within the lease is unreasonable, the Courtroom shall difficulty a listening to discover to the owner and shall contemplate the appliance on the next grounds: (a) the overall degree of rents within the locality or an identical locality for comparative evaluation; (b) proof of witnesses of the events; and (c) any particular circumstances regarding the premises in query or some other related matter.”
The availability provides that if the courtroom finds the rise unjustified, it could revise the quantity.
It additionally makes eviction unlawful whereas such proceedings are ongoing.
To hurry up justice, the Invoice introduces quicker dispute decision mechanisms.
Sections 20 to 24 permit tenancy instances to be filed by originating summons.
Hearings should be mounted inside 14 days, and courts are permitted to sit down on weekends, public holidays, or conduct digital hearings.
Mediation is restricted to a most of 30 days.
The proposed regulation additionally tightens guidelines round service costs and safety deposits.
Part 12 requires landlords to provide tenants an in depth account of how such funds are used each six months.
Safety deposits should be refunded until there may be clear proof of harm.
As well as, Part 7 reinforces tenants’ rights to privateness, peaceable enjoyment of their houses, entry to shared services, and compensation for authorised enhancements carried out on the property.
If handed into regulation, the Invoice is predicted to considerably reshape landlord-tenant relations in Lagos, the place sudden lease will increase of as much as 200 per cent have change into frequent.