Government bans House agents from inflating house rents

Government bans House agents from inflating house rents

The Cross River State House of Assembly has discussed a proposal to ban housing agents in Calabar and other areas of the state, citing their alleged role in arbitrarily driving up rent prices and worsening residents’ cost of living.

The decision came during Tuesday’s plenary session, following a motion by Davies Etta, the representative for Abi State Constituency, under matters of urgent public importance.

Etta raised concerns over what he called “unreasonable, unprovoked, and economically destabilizing” rent hikes across Calabar and surrounding areas, attributing the situation to landlords and property agents who are exploiting tenants during the current economic difficulties.

House agent’s excessive charge

He noted that many residents have complained that landlords, often guided by housing agents, now demand excessive rents even for old and poorly maintained properties.

He said, “Buildings erected over two to three decades ago and many with leaking roofs, faulty plumbing, and poor drainage, are now rented out at outrageous rates. Cross Riverians are crying for help as landlords, often on the advice of house agents, raise rent prices on old and dilapidated properties without any justification.”

A self-contained room on Marian Road now costs as high as N1.5 million per year, while in Calabar South, a one-bedroom apartment goes for between N800,000 and N1 million. In areas like Parliamentary Extension, E1, State Housing, and CICC, tenants are being charged up to N2 million or more for a one- or two-bedroom flat”.

He condemned the increasing impunity of landlords who serve immediate eviction notices to tenants unable to meet new rent demands, with some demanding up to two years’ rent in advance, further worsening the financial strain on civil servants, students, and small business owners.

He warned that the unchecked rise in rents is “heartless, economically destabilizing, and socially dangerous,” emphasizing that housing is a fundamental human need, not a luxury.