Accommodation seekers and tenants are lamenting shocking rent hikes in Nigerian cities.
Some of the complaints are coming from accommodation seekers in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other cities, where rental values have gone up by 100 per cent in less than one year.
As home seekers are struggling to raised the required rents, most landlords are blaming the situation on harsh economy couple with high building materials’ costs.
It was gathered that many tenants that couldn’t meet up their rental’s obligation have been relocating to the outskirts, while defaults in rental payments have assumed a new dimension.
As people are complaining about shortage of affordable accommodation in Nigerian urban centres, governments in some states are demolishing lot of houses on the basis that owners failed to obtain the necessary approvals or failed to observe the appropriate building setbacks.
Nigerian Tribune’s survey showed that rent for studio apartments in Lekki has jumped to an average N2.5 million per annum, depending on the location and features, from N1.2 million and N1.5 million in 2024.
In Surulere, an average rental value for one bedroom mini-flat costs between N2.5million and 3.5million per annum, from between N1.5 million and N2million last year.
In location such as Yaba, Maryland, Ikeja, Ilupeju, Palm Grove in Lagos, average rental prices for one – bedroom mini-flat range between N1.5 million to N4 million per annum, depending on location and house’s features.
In suburbs’ locations like Ogba, Egbeda, Abule Egba, Ipaja and Ojodu- Berger, rental prices for one bedroom mini-flat cost between N1million and N1.8 million.
As it is in Lagos, so it is in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin, Ibadan and Jos, among others as most residents have not stopped lamenting the rental burden
One of the accommodation seekers in Lagos, Mr. Abraham Aina, who relocated to Ipaja from Ketu, Lagos, said that rent in Ipaja was also outrageous.
Aina, who was paying N800,000 for a mini two-bedroom flat in Ketu as a sitting tenant, said that the rent for a new accommodation in Ipaja cost him the same amount, instead of the initial N400,000 budget for the new accommodation in January.
He alleged that the landlord in Ketu increased his rent to N1.5milliom from N800,000, hence his decision for new accommodation in Ipaja.
He said he noticed that there are more accommodation seekers scampering for the limited houses, hence the astronomical rent’s increase by the landlords.
Another accommodation seekers, Mrs Ella Mathew, said that rental values in suburbs locations like Abule Egba, Ayobo, Agbado, Ikotun, Ikorodu in Lagos State and areas such as Opic, Warewa, Arepo, Magboro and Sango-Ota have also doubled.
She claimed she paid N1.2 million for a two bedroom apartment in Arepo, Ogun State.
Narrating his brother experience in Port Harcourt, Mrs Mathew said the rent for one-bedroom apartment in Okporo area of the city has been jacked up to N600,000 per annum from N250,000.
According to her, the two-bedroom accommodation the brother secured recently in another location cost N800,000, stressing that he had to pay two years advanced rent to allow the landlord carry out the required renovation.
‘It wasn’t easy for my brother, who’s working with one of the shopping malls in Port Harcourt. He had to raised loans from friends and micro finance bank to be able to secure the accommodation,’ she said.
Responding, a landlord in Ketu, Lagos, who identified himself simply as Saidi Sonaike, defended his colleagues, attributing high rental values to harsh government’s policies, which have affected the costs of building materials sector negatively.
One of the affordable housing advocates, who identified herself simply as ‘Mimi’, wanted to know what is behind the ‘shocking rent hikes’ in many cities in Nigeria, particularly Lagos and Abuja.
Mimi noted that as food and fuel prices soared, landlords in Lagos and Abuja have been increasingly passing the heat onto tenants, demanding rent increase as high as 150 per cent.
She said that a two-bedroom apartment in Lekki that once cost N1.5 million now cost N2.2 million.
Lamenting the situation, she said:’The housing vulnerability in Nigeria has reached alarming proportions, and situation is not only a challenge for the economy but also a source of immense stress for ordinary Nigerians, many of whom struggle to keep up with rising rent prices and the declining quality of available housing.
‘What was once considered a modest expense back then is now a significant portion of one’s salary, and the dream of owning a home seems increasingly out of reach for the majority in recent time.’
Another advocate, Adu Olubunmi said the housing situation in Lagos is better than Abuja, pointing out that: ‘Lekki is for the high and mighty in the society compared to ordinary Jabi and Durimi in Abuja where two bedroom now goes as high as N4 million to N5million.’
She blamed the situation on overpopulation and huge demand for accommodation which has outweighed supply, resulting in skyrocketed rents.
According to her, many young professionals are finding themselves in a difficult position.
‘The reality for a graduate in a mid-level job in Lekki or Ikeja means finding a one-bedroom apartment for anywhere between N950,000 to N1.5 million annually.
‘The situation in Abuja, the nation’s capital, is equally dire. While the city is still relatively newer in terms of development, rapid urbanization has led to significant price hikes in the rental market. The upper-middle class and young families are particularly affected.
‘Those who were once able to afford relatively comfortable housing in areas like Wuse, Garki, and Maitama are now struggling to find suitable living spaces within their budgets.
‘The absence of affordable housing options forces many to seek accommodations in the more remote and developing districts, which lack necessary infrastructure, further exacerbating the gap between affordable and livable housing.
‘Even smaller cities across Nigeria are not exempt from the housing vulnerability. For instance, in cities like Benin, Enugu, and Ibadan, the rent situation is equally worrying. In these places, working-class families find themselves squeezed between the high cost of living and the insufficient housing infrastructure that doesn’t cater to the masses.
‘Those who cannot afford the skyrocketing rents often resort to living in overcrowded conditions, with extended families or in single-room apartments that barely meet basic living standards,’ she said.
Why the Lagos State government, through the House of Assembly, is expediting action on the passage of a new Tenancy Bill, a bill to regulate rent in the state, real estate developers have blamed high accommodation costs on high cost of building materials and general inflation.
Worried at the increasing cost of house rent, especially in Jos metropolis, the Plateau State House of Assembly has also declared war in real estate sector, by banning illegal house agents.
The lawmakers also moved to regulate unauthorized house agents while repealing the state’s outdated rent edict.
Former President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Kunle Awobodu, said that high rental payments have become a burden to renters and tenants
He pointed out that the N70,000 minimum wage being received by the government’s workers is not enough to cater for rents.
Another affordable housing advocates , Arc. Adewunmi Okupe, said that the solution to the high rent’s menace should go beyond the cosmetic actions like banning estate agents.
According to him, the cost of building affordable homes must be addressed.
‘From my observation the cost of renting homes by workers is already more than the salary. Except this is addressed the nation will be in turmoil very soon,’ he said.
Olubunmi said: ‘As urban populations continue to swell, he urged the government and society to work together to create a housing system that ensures everyone, regardless of income, has access to decent living conditions.
‘The housing crisis in Nigeria is not an insurmountable problem. With the right policies, community involvement, and investment in sustainable development, Nigeria can create a future where affordable, decent housing is within reach for all its citizens.’
‘While the journey will be long and challenging, the collective effort of the government, the private sector, and citizens can pave the way for a more inclusive and affordable housing market in Nigeria’s cities,’ she said.