Tenants lament as Abuja landlords increase rent

Tenants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are groaning over hikes in house rent by their landlords.

Findings by Daily Trust showed that within the last one year, tenants in different areas of the FCT had been notified of rent increases by landlords.

Some of them that were interviewed by Daily Trust queried why landlords would increase rent on houses built years ago.

But some landlords, who also spoke to our reporters, argued that the cost of building materials had gone up.

They also said they increased rent on old buildings because maintenance was also gulping “huge” amounts of money.

Usman Tijani, an information technology expert, who lives in Phase 4, Kubwa, Abuja, said he was informed of a N250,000 increase only four weeks to the expiration of his rent.

“Before I moved in with my family last year, the landlord said he would not increase rent. Only for me to get a notice four weeks ago. I will move out of the house because of the short notice.

“The most annoying part is that the increase is from N600,000 to N850,000 (per annum) for my one-bedroom apartment”, Tijani said.

A fashion designer, Adepoju Ronke, complained that the rent of her one-room “self-contained” apartment at Dei-Dei, was raised from N150,000 to N250,000 per year.

A bank teller, who lives in Dutse, Majekodumi Isaac, said he was recently served an eviction notice by his landlord. He said the landlord later informed him that the two-bedroom apartment would no longer go for N550,000 but N700,000 per annum.

Eromosele Fortune, a resident of Kuje, said an apartment that was hitherto rented for N200,000 per annum “is now between N280,000 and N350,000 depending on the location.”

Some residents of Bwari, Gwagwalada, Gwarimpa, Nyanya, Karu, Dawaki, Lugbe, Apo Resettlement, Wuye, Wuse, Jahi District and other areas of the FCT also decried that their landlords had increased their rent.

A landlord at Kubwa, Julius Odion, attributed the increase in rent to the economic state of the country.

“The rise in the costs of building materials and construction has been a major factor for the increase in the value of the property and rent,” Odion told one of our reporters who pretended to be a prospective tenant.

Another landlord, whose house is located in Wuse District of the FCT, Paschal Chukwu, said the tenants were not being fair to landlords.

“My tenants have been complaining that I increased rent, but the truth is they are not considering the fact that landlords are also going to the same market with them.

“Yes, we didn’t build the houses now, but with the price of everything going up, we too have to increase ours because it is our business and we have to survive,” he said.

Adeyemi Folorunsho, who owns a house in Garki District, said not all landlords could be considerate.

“As landlords, this is the right time to even protect our tenants. During Covid-19 crisis in 2020, I know how difficult it was to pay rent; so I gave my tenants subsidy for their rent and I intend to do so again, but not many landlords can do that,” he said.