Reps seek house rent regulation to curb ‘arbitrary increase
The House of Representatives in a resolution on Wednesday urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to formulate policies to regulate house rents and activities of landlords in Abuja.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Emmanuel Udo (PDP-Akwa-Ibom) on the floor of the House in Abuja,
In the resolution, the lawmaker called for the implementation of monthly rent to encourage an inclusive rental system and curb the arbitrary increase in house rent in the FCT.
He said Nigeria was ripe for an inclusive rental system that would reduce the housing burden on working-class families.
He also said that this would offer affordable monthly rentals for low and middle-income earners.
According to him, majority of FCT residents are civil servants and artisans who live in satellite towns due to their meager incomes.
He said that the arbitrary increase of rent in the FCT was burdensome.
“One-bedroom self-contain goes for between N1 and N1.5 million, while two bedrooms go for between N2 and N3 million while three bedrooms go for between N3 and N5 million’’, he said.
This, according to him, is due to the current economic hardship for civil servants, who are already grappling with fuel subsidy removal, rising foreign exchange rates, electricity tariff increases, and tax or levies.
He said he was convinced that the monthly rent would provide tenants with flexibility, better cash flow management, reasonable move-out options, and a stable income stream.
He further urged the Federal Government to build affordable houses for civil servants in Abuja to reduce the burden of paying exorbitant rents.
Adopting the motion, the House mandated the committee on FCT to look into the matter of arbitrary house rent increases in FCT.
The House said that the committee should recommend effective policies to regulate the activities of landlords and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.