The Lagos State government has taken a decisive step to protect tenants from abusive practices with a groundbreaking new legislative proposal. The Lagos State Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill 2025, sent to the State House of Assembly, aims to reset the often tense relationship between landlords and tenants in Africa's most populous city.
End of Self-Help: Court Order Now Mandatory for Evictions
One of the most transformative aspects of the bill is its strict stance on evictions. Landlords will now be required to obtain a valid court order before attempting to remove any tenant. This provision directly targets the rampant use of forceful tactics, such as locking tenants out, breaking doors, or even removing roofs during disputes. The bill explicitly criminalises all forms of intimidation, harassment, and the use of agents or thugs to pressure tenants.
State officials, responding to a surge in resident complaints, framed the bill as a necessary measure to restore order and provide clear rules. It outlaws actions like deliberately disconnecting electricity or water supplies, which landlords have previously used as leverage.
Heavy Penalties: Fines and Imprisonment for Offenders
To ensure compliance, the proposed law introduces severe consequences for violations. Section 43 of the bill states that any landlord who ejects a tenant without a court order, alters a building to force eviction, threatens, molests, or damages a tenant's property commits a criminal offence.
Upon conviction, offenders face a minimum fine of one million naira (N1,000,000), a jail term of up to six months, or both. This significant financial and custodial penalty is designed to act as a strong deterrent against the previous culture of impunity.
Regulating Rent Hikes and Speeding Up Disputes
Beyond evictions, the bill also tackles the issue of arbitrary and exorbitant rent increases. Section 33 empowers the courts to determine whether a proposed rent hike is reasonable. Judges will consider factors like comparable rents in similar locations, evidence from both parties, and the condition of the property. This offers potential relief in a market where increases of up to 200% have been reported.
Furthermore, the bill introduces accelerated proceedings for tenancy disputes to prevent prolonged legal battles. Cases can be initiated through originating summons, with hearings scheduled within 14 days. Courts are authorised to sit on weekends and public holidays, conduct virtual hearings, and refer parties to a mediation process capped at 30 days.
Transparency on Charges and Deposits
The legislative proposal also brings greater transparency to financial dealings. Landlords will be mandated to provide tenants with a detailed account of how service charges are spent every six months. Additionally, rules around security deposits are tightened: they must be refunded at the end of a tenancy unless there is clear, evidence-based justification for deductions due to property damage.
If passed into law by the Lagos State House of Assembly, the Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill 2025 is expected to bring much-needed fairness, accountability, and stability to the state's volatile rental housing market. It represents Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's administration's most direct intervention yet to balance the scales between property owners and residents.
