The Lagos State Government has come out strongly against landlords and property agents who have been taking advantage of residents by randomly hiking house rents without any clear justification.
Speaking during a live interview on TVC’s Your View on Saturday, Barakat Bakare, the Special Adviser on Housing to the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), made it clear that the government is no longer sitting on the sidelines while residents get exploited in the name of rent increases.
She stated firmly, “We can’t keep watching while people are being exploited by landlords and agents who just wake up and increase rent arbitrarily.”
Bakare explained that the state government is actively reviewing its tenancy laws to tackle these issues. One of the main goals of this review, according to her, is to include overlooked aspects such as caution fees—something many tenants often get shortchanged on.
During the interview, she also clarified the separate roles of house agents and legal practitioners in rental matters, noting that lawyers are not meant to act as agents and vice versa. This, she said, is part of the confusion that leads to exploitation in the housing sector.
She encouraged residents who face any form of mistreatment—from inflated rents to shady agent dealings—to report such cases to LASRERA either physically or online.
“The Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is deeply committed to making housing fairer and more accessible to everyone in Lagos. We’re constantly engaging landlords, estate developers, and property associations to find a lasting solution,” she added.
Bakare also reassured the public about the fairness in the allocation of government-owned housing schemes, insisting that every unit is distributed based on clear, transparent guidelines.
Before wrapping up, she advised Lagosians to always verify the registration of any agent or developer with LASRERA before paying for any property. She also urged those in the real estate business to register with the agency, saying it’s part of the steps being taken to sanitise the sector.
In a city where housing is tight and rent is high, it’s clear the government is now taking a more serious stance.
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