The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to formulate policies regulating house rents and landlord activities in Abuja.
This resolution, passed on Wednesday, follows the adoption of a motion by Rep. Emmanuel Udo (PDP-Akwa Ibom).
Rep. Udo emphasized the need for the implementation of monthly rent payments to foster an inclusive rental system and curb the arbitrary increase in house rents in the FCT.
He highlighted that such a system would alleviate the housing burden on working-class families and offer affordable monthly rentals for low and middle-income earners.
“Most FCT residents are civil servants and artisans living in satellite towns due to their meager incomes,” Udo said. “The arbitrary increase of rent in the FCT is burdensome, with one-bedroom apartments going for N1 to N1.5 million, two-bedroom apartments for N2 to N3 million, and three-bedroom apartments for N3 to N5 million.”
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He noted that the current economic hardship, compounded by issues like fuel subsidy removal, rising foreign exchange rates, electricity tariff hikes, and increased taxes, has made high rents particularly challenging for civil servants.
Udo argued that a monthly rent system would provide tenants with flexibility, better cash flow management, reasonable move-out options, and a stable income stream for landlords. He also urged the Federal Government to construct affordable housing for civil servants in Abuja to ease the financial strain of exorbitant rents.
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Adopting the motion, the House mandated the committee on FCT to investigate the issue of arbitrary rent increases in the FCT. The committee is to recommend effective policies to regulate landlord activities and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.