Ayo FBI

COO | President & Founder; Seasoned Bankers Group | Girls Dad | Career Coach | Corporate Influencer | Transformation Evangelist | A strong proponent of 9-5

[Ayo FBI @PureMinD__]

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE

Close the Rent-Increase Loophole Before It Prices Lagosians Out of Lagos State

Dear Governor @jidesanwoolu

A Plea for Clear, Enforceable Limits on Arbitrary Rent Increases

I write as a Lagos resident and sitting tenant, and out of concern for the millions of Lagosians whose homes, livelihoods and family stability are increasingly exposed to sudden and excessive rent increases.

My immediate experience illustrates the problem. Recently, the agent managing my apartment communicated a proposed rent increase of 125%. When I challenged the increase and asked for its justification under the applicable tenancy regulations, the response was that property managers deal with “value, not percentage,” followed by a question as to which tenancy regulation I was referring to.

That exchange captures the crisis in one sentence: when the law sets no clear ceiling, frequency limit or objective formula for increasing rent, those who control access to housing are emboldened to treat affordability as irrelevant and discretion as unlimited.

This letter is not an attack on landlords or property owners. Landlords have legitimate rights. They face inflation, maintenance costs, taxes, repairs and the need to earn a fair return on investment. However, ownership rights should not translate into an unrestricted power to impose a 50, 100 or 125% increase on a sitting tenant without a transparent basis or an accessible means of review.

The Law Recognizes the Problem but Does Not Prevent It
Section 37 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 allows an existing tenant to apply to court for an order declaring a rent increase unreasonable. In deciding the matter, the court may consider rents for comparable premises in the locality, evidence from the parties and any special circumstances relating to the property. The law also protects the tenant from eviction while that action is pending.

These protections are important and should be preserved. Yet, the section begins with the words “Subject to any agreement to the contrary.” It provides no numerical ceiling, no indexed formula, no minimum interval between increases and no mandatory standard of advance disclosure.
The result is a protection that largely operates only after the harm has begun. A tenant faced with an extreme increase must find legal assistance, commence proceedings, bear the cost and stress of litigation, and risk the deterioration of the landlord-tenant relationship merely to ask a court what the law itself could have made clearer from the beginning.

This is the loophole that requires urgent legislative attention. It is not correct to say that Lagos law offers tenants no remedy at all. The deeper problem is that it provides no clear preventive boundary against an arbitrary increase. It leaves “reasonableness” to be determined case by case, often after a household has already been destabilized.

Why This Is a Matter of Public Welfare
Lagos State’s official website displays a population of more than 22 million people. Published housing-sector reporting has also stated that more than 70% of Lagos residents are tenants, with many households committing a substantial share of monthly income to rent.

This means rent regulation is not a private concern affecting a small group. It is a major question of economic security for millions of residents.
An excessive rent increase does not affect housing alone. It removes money from food, healthcare, school fees, transportation, savings and small businesses. It can force families out of communities where they have built their lives, push workers farther from their jobs, lengthen commuting time and increase pressure on already stretched transport infrastructure. It can also turn every renewal date into a moment of fear, even for responsible tenants who pay promptly and maintain their homes.

A city cannot build lasting prosperity while millions of residents remain one rent notice away from displacement.

The Legislative Action Lagos Needs
Your Excellency, I respectfully ask you to work with the Lagos State House of Assembly to amend or replace the relevant provisions of the Tenancy Law and make an express pronouncement on rent increases.

The reform should, at a minimum:
> Establish a clear and non-waivable limit on rent increases. The law should prescribe either a defined annual percentage ceiling or a transparent formula tied to an independently published inflation and rental index. Any increase above that threshold should require proof of substantial improvements or exceptional costs and prior approval by an independent authority or court.
> Limit the frequency of increases. Rent should not be increased more than once within any 24-month period.
> Require adequate written notice and justification. A landlord or agent proposing an increase should give at least 180 days’ written notice, state the current rent, the proposed rent, the percentage change, the effective date and the objective basis for the increase.
> Remove the contractual escape route. The words “Subject to any agreement to the contrary” should not permit a tenant to be deprived of the protection against an unreasonable increase. Core rent-stabilization rights should be mandatory and incapable of being waived in a tenancy agreement.
> Create a fast and affordable review process. Tenants should be able to challenge excessive increases through a specialized housing panel, the Citizens Mediation Centre or a simplified court procedure, with strict timelines and protection against retaliatory eviction.
> Regulate agents and property managers. Registered agents should be required to comply with the rent-increase rules, disclose the basis of every proposed increase and face proportionate sanctions for issuing unlawful demands or using eviction pressure to compel acceptance.
> Publish a Lagos Rental Index. A transparent, regularly updated index for different locations and property categories would help landlords, tenants, mediators and courts distinguish a fair adjustment from exploitation.

These measures would not freeze rents or deny landlords a fair return. They would replace uncertainty with rules, arbitrary power with accountability, and confrontation with predictability.

A Request for Leadership
Lagos has often presented itself as the center of innovation, commerce and progressive governance in Nigeria. The State now has an opportunity to lead again by creating a balanced rent-stabilization framework that protects tenants while respecting legitimate property and investment interests.

I respectfully urge you to:
- transmit or support an amendment bill before the Lagos State House of Assembly;
- direct the relevant ministries and agencies to hold a public hearing with tenants, landlords, estate surveyors, property managers, developers, civil-society organizations and housing-law experts;
- seek an interim regulatory or executive measure, within the powers permitted by law, requiring transparency and proper notice for rent increases while the legislative process continues; and
- ensure that the final law contains an actual, enforceable standard rather than another general appeal to “reasonableness.”

The central question is simple: Should a sitting tenant who has met every obligation be exposed to a 125% rent increase solely because no provision states how much is too much?
I believe the answer must be no.

Your Excellency, this silence in the law is not neutral. It gives the stronger party room to dictate and leaves the weaker party to litigate. Closing the loophole would bring relief, stability and confidence to households across Lagos. It would also show that this administration understands that a home is not merely an asset class. It is the foundation on which families, careers, businesses and communities are built.

I respectfully ask you to act.

Yours faithfully,
Ayo FBI
Lagos State Resident and Concerned Tenant

[Ayo FBI @PureMinD__]

Received a letter that my rent has been increased by 125%, wrote a counter-offer letter that I can do 50% and they flat out rejected my counteroffer and insisted the new ridiculous rate will be my rent going forward.

I asked the caretaker one question; sir, can you pay it? still waiting for a response, it’s been two weeks.

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