The House of Representatives on Thursday handed for first studying a bill searching for to regulate advance rent funds and prohibit landlords in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from compulsorily demanding a couple of 12 months’s rent in advance.
The Federal Capital Territory Advance Rent Regulation and Tenants’ Protection Bill, 2026 (HB.2839), sponsored by Paul Nnamchi (APC, Enugu), with Ahmed Doro (PDP, Katsina) as co-sponsor, additionally seeks to set up a regulatory authority to defend tenants and landlords from illegal rental practices.
The bill proposes that landlords, property brokers, property managers or anybody performing on behalf of a landlord should not demand, obtain or compel a tenant to pay greater than 12 months’ rent in advance as a situation for granting, renewing or persevering with a tenancy.
It additionally seeks to forestall landlords and brokers from circumventing the proposed restriction by extra fees, compulsory service fees, synthetic renewal of tenancy agreements or different preparations designed to power tenants to pay greater than a 12 months’s rent upfront.
The bill, a duplicate of which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, says the proposed regulation would apply to each residential and industrial tenancies in the FCT.
Under the proposed laws, tenants might voluntarily pay greater than 12 months’ rent in advance, however solely the place the supply is initiated by the tenant and isn’t imposed as a situation by the owner.
“A landlord, estate agent, property manager or other person acting on behalf of a landlord shall not demand, receive or compel a tenant to pay more than twelve months’ rent in advance as a condition…”
The bill additional requires that such funds be made with out coercion, discrimination, threats or retaliation and that the settlement be documented in writing.
Proposed FCT rent authority
The laws proposes the institution of the Federal Capital Territory Rent Regulation and Tenants’ Protection Authority to administer and implement the regulation.
The authority could be empowered to obtain and examine complaints, monitor landlords, property brokers and property managers, problem compliance notices, facilitate mediation and order refunds the place illegal rent funds have been made.
It would additionally preserve a public register of letting brokers the place registration is required, set up grievance places of work and digital reporting channels throughout the FCT, together with satellite tv for pc cities, and publish periodic studies on rental practices and enforcement outcomes.
The proposed authority would additionally give you the chance to order a landlord or agent to refund an illegal fee inside 30 days the place it determines that rent was obtained in violation of the regulation.
An individual who knowingly calls for or receives greater than the permitted advance rent might face a positive of between ₦500,000 and ₦5 million, whereas a physique company could possibly be fined between ₦5 million and ₦20 million.
The court docket might moreover order a refund, compensation for confirmed loss or fee of lawful prices.
The bill additionally seeks to prohibit illegal eviction practices, together with threats or violence, disconnection of important providers, elimination or destruction of a tenant’s property, altering locks with out lawful authority and different types of self-help.
However, the proposed regulation preserves the rights of landlords to recuperate rent lawfully due and recuperate possession of their property by due course of.
Rising rents in Abuja
The proposed laws comes amid persistent issues over the price of renting lodging in Abuja.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in July 2025 that residents throughout the FCT had been fighting rising rents and arbitrary will increase in rent, company charges, settlement charges and warning charges.
Residents disclosed that the rising price of lodging was forcing some folks to go away their houses and neighbourhoods for cheaper areas, generally with poorer infrastructure and longer commuting distances.
The proposed bill is due to this fact concentrating on one of many main pressures confronting tenants: the requirement to elevate massive sums without delay earlier than securing or retaining lodging.
Meanwhile, in 2022, an identical bill sponsored by a former senator for Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, scaled second studying on the Senate.
The bill sought to regulate the mode of fee of rent in the FCT by chopping down advance fee of rent from one or two years by tenants to three months and subsequent month-to-month funds.
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The downside just isn’t peculiar to Abuja.
In Lagos, the place the price of lodging has additionally turn out to be a serious concern, the state authorities launched the Lagos State Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill, 2025, which sought, amongst different issues, to restrict advance rent, regulate property brokers and supply mechanisms for tenants to problem unfair rent will increase.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Lagos proposal sought to forestall landlords from demanding a couple of 12 months’s rent from new tenants, whereas sitting tenants on periodic fee preparations couldn’t be pressured to pay greater than three months in advance.
The Lagos proposal additionally sought to handle extreme company charges, unlawful eviction techniques and extended disputes between landlords and tenants.
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