BY OGORAMAKA AMOS
Tenants in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, are calling on the government to regulate the activities of landlords and property agents in the state.
The tenants, who spoke to our correspondent, expressed frustration over the high demands by landlords and agents, who often require them to pay up to two years’ rent in advance before securing accommodation.
Some of the areas affected by this practice include Woji town, Stadium Road, Rumuiebekwe, Peter Odili, Rumuomasi, Ada-George, SARS Road off Rukpokwu, and others.
One of the respondents, Mr Chidi John said: “They are asking for two years’ rent, plus charges. Everything is getting up to N3m. I will spend in one year, and to see a house they are willing to take a year’s rent is by luck.”
Another resident who spoke to our reporter, Mrs Charity Godwill expressed her pain, saying, “I have been searching for accommodation for the past four months. Most house agents are telling me I should pay two years’ rent, and I don’t have the money. It hasn’t been easy house-hunting in Port Harcourt.”
In the same vein, Mr. Ike Obasi said, “The problem is that no one is talking about this issue. The landlords and agents continue doing this because there are people who can afford to pay the huge amount of rent they charge, but not all fingers are equal.”
Similarly, Mrs Agatha Amadi said, “Sometimes landlords who leave their houses under the care of house agents and caretakers don’t even know what they do with their houses.”
Mrs. Thelen Woko said, “It is the agent who suggests this two years’ rent so that the agent’s fee will be doubled, and they gain profit. The government should set up a body to checkmate this issue because it is making people not get accommodation in the state.”
Reacting to this, a lawyer, Nze Nwachukwu, said, “It is not against the law for a landlord to make certain conditions, as it is subject to the consent of prospective tenants. However, it is against the Agency Law for house agents to demand more than 10 per cent as their fee.”
