The Senate has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to give power to Landlords in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to collect rent monthly.
The bill, which seeks to regulate rent payments was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi).
The legislation specifically seeks to stop yearly advance payment of rents and compel house owners to collect rent monthly in arrears.
According to Adeyemi, many properties in Abuja were empty because of the outrageous rents placed on them, therefore the bill would cushion the effect of outrageous rents on properties in the nation’s capital.
He said “Many residents of FCT are finding it very difficult to cope with huge rent payment, the reason many of the houses built for such purpose are empty.
“That is wrong. There are many tenants whose salaries are competing with their rents because they live in cities like Abuja.”
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger), described the proposed law as people-centered and urged his colleagues to support its passage.
“There’s no gain saying that many residents in FCT are groaning under this difficult system where tenants are asked to pay house rent yearly in advance,” Abdullahi said.