Posted by Chinenye on Wed 04th Nov, 2026 - tori.ng
The House of Representatives wants to stop landlords in Abuja from forcing tenants to pay two years' rent before moving into a house.
(House of Representative. Photo by The Guardian Nigeria News)
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill that would stop landlords and estate agents in the Federal Capital Territory from demanding two years' rent in advance and charging heavy agency fees.
The bill is titled the Federal Capital Territory Advance Rent Regulation and Tenants' Protection Bill, 2026.
Paul Nnamchi from Enugu sponsored it, and Ahmed Doro from Katsina co sponsored it.
Under the bill, no landlord, estate agent or property manager in Abuja could ask for, accept or force a tenant to pay more than 12 months' rent in advance, either to take a house or to renew a lease.
It would apply to both residential and commercial property in the territory.
Lawmakers say some landlords and agents get around the rules by adding compulsory service charges, agreement fees and fake renewals to collect more than a year's rent.
The bill would outlaw these practices.
It also sets out to regulate agency and agreement fees, which tenants say sometimes reach 25 per cent of the rent.
It would create a digital register of all housing agents in Abuja.
To enforce the law, the bill would set up a new body, the FCT Rent Regulation and Tenants' Protection Authority.
The authority would take complaints, investigate them and order landlords to refund any illegal payments within 30 days.
Penalties are set out in the bill.
A landlord or agent who breaks the law could face a fine of ₦500,000 to ₦5 million.
A company could be fined ₦5 million to ₦20 million.