The House of Representatives, in a resolution on Wednesday, urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to formulate policies to regulate house rents and activities of landlords in Abuja.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Emmanuel Udo (PDP-Akwa Ibom) on the floor of the House.
In the resolution, the lawmakers called for the implementation of monthly rent to encourage an inclusive rental system and curb the arbitrary increase in house rent in the FCT.
He said Nigeria is ripe for an inclusive rental system that would reduce the housing burden on working-class families.
He also said that this would offer affordable monthly rentals for low and middle-income earners.
According to him, majority of FCT residents are civil servants and artisans who live in satellite towns due to their meager incomes.
He lamented that the arbitrary increase of rent in the FCT is burdensome.
“One-bedroom self-contained (apartment) goes for between N1million and N1.5 million, while two bedrooms go for between N2million and N3 million while three bedrooms go for between N3million and N5 million,’’ he said.
This, according to him, is due to the current economic hardship for civil servants, who are already grappling with fuel price increase, high electricity tariff increases, and taxes or levies.
He said he is convinced that the monthly rent would provide tenants with flexibility, better cash flow management, reasonable move-out options, and a stable income stream.
He further urged the Federal government to build affordable houses for civil servants in Abuja to reduce the burden of paying exorbitant rents.
Adopting the motion, the House mandated the committee on FCT to look into the matter of arbitrary house rent increases in FCT.
The House mandated the committee to recommend effective policies to regulate the activities of landlords and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
