1.15 TYPES OF TENANTS
1.16 There are different types of tenants depending on the agreement reached or entered between a landlord and his tenant. They include the following: (i) weekly tenant or tenant at will; (ii) monthly tenant; (iii) quarterly tenant – meaning a tenant whose rent runs for three (3) months; (iv) half-yearly tenant – meaning a tenant whose tenancy runs for six (6) months; and (v) a yearly tenant meaning a tenant whose rent runs for one year. Please note that the above does not apply to tenants in Apapa; Ikeja General Residential Area (‘GRA’); Ikoyi and Victoria Island who are exempted from the Tenancy Law of Lagos State.
1.17 PAYMENT OF RENT
1.18 A rent is payment a tenant makes to his landlord or her landlady for the use or possession of his premises or property for a specific period. This depends on whether it is a weekly tenancy or monthly tenancy or quarterly tenancy or half-yearly tenancy or yearly tenancy.
1.19 PAYABLE RENT AS PRESCRIBED BY THE LAW
1.20 In order to mitigate the hardships faced by tenants, the law has reduced the rent that shall be paid by each type of tenant. This is backed up by law and it is unlawful for a landlord to demand or receive and for a tenant to offer and pay rent in excess of or more than what is prescribed by law.
1.21 For instance, it is unlawful for a landlord or his agent to demand or receive a rent in excess of one year for a yearly tenant. Thus, if Mrs Grace Ekundayo rents a two-bedroom flat (with double balcony) in Flat 17, C Close, 22 Road, Festac from Chief Romanus Obi from 10 August 2025 to 9 August 2026 at an annual rent of N800,000.00, on no account will Mrs. Ekundayo offer or pay an amount in excess of N800,000.00 as rent to Chief Obi or will Chief Obi demand or receive an amount in excess of N800,000.00 as rent. This applies whether Mrs Ekundayo is a sitting tenant or a new tenant. Thus, for all intent and purposes Mrs Ekundayo will not be asked to pay two years rent when she is supposed to pay a one-year rent. The only exception is when the rent is reviewed upwards.
1.22 The issue of rent review applies when a tenant stays in a property for three or four years and the landlord or landlady decides to increase the rent from the sum of N800,000.00 to the sum of N900,000.00. In such a case, Mrs. Ekundayo’s rent would be increased from the sum of N800,000.00 to the sum of N900,000.00 per a year. However, it would be wrongful and unlawful for Chief Obi to demand or accept the sum of N1,800,000.00 from Mrs Ekundayo as two years rent instead of the sum of N900,000.00 as one year rent.
1.23 Therefore, if Chief Obi demands or receives any rent in excess or above N800,000.00 from Mrs Ekundayo he is guilty of an offence and shall upon conviction by a Court of law be liable to a fine of N100,000.00 or three years imprisonment. Also, if Mrs Ekundayo offers or pays rent to Chief Obi in excess of N800,000 or one year rent, Mrs Ekundayo is guilty of an offence and shall upon conviction by a Court of law be liable to a fine of N100,000.00 or three years imprisonment. Note that the Court is not under an obligation to order Chief Obi or Mrs Ekundayo to pay fine of N100,000.00. The Court can send them to three years imprisonment. We pray that none of our Parishioners will be used to set example.