The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its intention to aggressively enforce existing real estate laws that restrict property owners and developers from demanding two or three years of advance rent from prospective tenants.
​Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, announced the enforcement drive on Sunday, November 8, 2026, during the Lagos Governorship Debate hosted by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lagos.
Addressing attendees and viewers across the state, Dr. Hamzat stressed that the administration is prioritizing full regulatory compliance in the housing sector to alleviate the mounting financial pressures placed on urban residents.
He argued that forcing workers to pay multiple years of rent upfront undermines basic human dignity and stands completely out of sync with standard monthly wage structures, pointing out that no employee receives their salary two or three years in advance.
​The legal foundation for this crackdown rests on long-standing provisions within the Lagos State Tenancy Law and the operational framework of the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency (LASRERA), both of which cap advance rent collections at a maximum of one year for new tenancies.
To ensure compliance across the metropolis, the state government is setting up direct reporting channels, encouraging residents to lodge complaints against non-compliant landlords and illegal agent fees through the official LASRERA digital platform.
This enforcement strategy forms part of a broader government roadmap aimed at expanding mortgage access, completing ongoing state housing developments, and curbing arbitrary rent inflation throughout Lagos State.
