The Ekiti State Government has warned landlords and estate agents against imposing excessive rents on residents, particularly in communities where tertiary institutions are located.
The government said the rising cost of accommodation in such areas had placed an undue burden on tenants and warned that unjustifiable increases would no longer be tolerated.
The Punch reported that the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing and Mortgage Development, Dr Gboyega Oloniyo, stated this on Friday at Iyin Ekiti, in Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government Area, during a one-day sensitisation programme organised by the state government.
The programme, themed, ‘Connecting estate agents and making accommodation accessible to all’, brought together community leaders, landlords, estate agents and other stakeholders.
Oloniyo disclosed that the state government was considering measures to regulate rents and establish a rent tribunal to bring sanity to the housing sector.
He urged landlords and estate agents to work with the government to make accommodation more affordable and improve housing standards.
“We are not unmindful of the cost of building materials and the fact that people should reap where they sow. But government will not tolerate excess, particularly in the areas of activities of agents in the state whereby they put exorbitant charges on house rent.”
According to him, the government’s intervention was aimed at protecting residents and ensuring that tenants receive value for the money they pay for accommodation.
“We need to carry people along, we need to let them know that the government’s move is not targeted at home ownership. We are not going to erode anybody’s rights here, the most important thing is to ensure tenants have value for money.”
The Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Ajakaye, pledged the community’s support for the government’s initiative and called for clear guidelines to regulate the activities of landlords and agents.
Represented by the Odofiyin, Chief Ayodeji Esan, the monarch said the community would engage landlords and estate agents to develop a common position on the issue.
The Chairman of Real Estate Agents in Ekiti State, Mr Oluwasanmi Adeeko, also expressed support for the government’s efforts, saying the association was against arbitrary increases in rents.
Adeeko said, “As an association, we are ready to cooperate with the state government, we believe that government is looking for ways to make life comfortable for the people of Ekiti. My advice to our members is that government has said what it wants to do to make life comfortable for residents.”
Participants at the programme advocated the establishment of a task force, a formal rent regulation framework and an accreditation system for estate agents.
They also urged the government to construct hostels for students across tertiary institutions in the state as a way of reducing pressure on private accommodation.
The government’s intervention followed significant increases in rents in communities hosting tertiary institutions, including Ado Ekiti, Ikere Ekiti, Iyin Ekiti, Ilawe Ekiti, Oye Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti.
The state government has consequently held similar stakeholder engagements in some of the affected communities as it seeks to protect students, school staff and other residents from excessive accommodation charges.
