Residents of Jos, the Plateau State capital, have expressed frustration over the astronomical increase of house rent.
Concerned residents, who spoke to DAILY POST, said house rent in Jos has gone out of the reach of average income earners.
A resident, who simply identified himself as Jeff, narrated the ordeal he faced when he was transferred from Lagos to Jos, to head the new branch of his company.
He was full of joy, as he had the opportunity to go back home, away from the crazy bustle of Lagos. As someone from Plateau, he had the intention of settling down in Jos. He had been told that life in the Tin City was at a slow pace and the cost of living was manageable for an average person, especially house rents, compared to Lagos, where landlords were making life hell for tenants and house seekers.
However, Jeff got the shock of his life when he got to Jos in January and decided to engage an agent to get him a two-bedroom apartment in Rayfield and was told he had to cough up N2.5m for a year’s rent.
According to Jeff, he was surprised when he saw the breakdown which included agency fees, caution fees, legal fees, and other sundry fees he could not explain.
He decided to try another area away from the highbrow areas and ended up in Rantya but the story was almost the same as a two-bedroom apartment was quoted at N2.1m, a difference of N400,000, but with all the earlier-mentioned fees.
Jeff is not alone in this pain inflicted on tenants and potential house seekers by Shylock landlords and agents who have made life unbearable for many residents.
In some locations considered to be highbrow residential areas like Rayfield, Atiku Abubakar, Gurantop, Millionaire Quarters, GRA, Federal Low-Cost, and Rantiya, State Low-Cost, getting an accommodation means you have to earn in six-figure to afford a house.
In some of these locations, a one-bedroom apartment goes for as high as between N800,000 and N1.2 million annually, along with other fees.
Findings also revealed that in those prime areas, two and three-bedroom apartments go for as much as N2m to N5m.
This sharp increase in house rents has left many tenants frustrated and struggling to keep up with the rising costs.
A cross section of residents, tenants, landlords, agents, and building developers who spoke to DAILY POST, shared their views and frustrations, with some blaming it on the economic policies of the federal government.
Others blamed it on the rising cost of building materials, while some pointed to the influx of fraudsters, popularly called ‘Yahoo Boys’ into Jos who are willing to pay any amount to secure accommodations.
For Jude Daniyam, a resident in Federal Low-Cost, the menace of rising house rent should be blamed on greedy landlords who take advantage of their tenants to exploit them.
“I have been living in a two-bedroom apartment at Federal Low-Cost for two years now and my rent used to be N550,000. But when it expired two months ago and I was about to renew it, I was shocked when I was told that the new rent would be N1.5m.
“I was given just three months to pay up or I would be evicted. When I asked the lawyer why such an exorbitant increase, he was telling me about an increase in the price of building materials, an increase in fuel, a high dollar exchange rate, and all sorts of rubbish.
“As a civil servant, I barely make enough to cover the old rent, and now this increase is unbearable. I have decided to look for a cheaper apartment in another area which is not considered a prime location,” he lamented.
Another tenant, Nanpan Benjamin, who echoed similar concerns, also blamed landlords and their agents for the increment.
He had this to say: “The rent increase is so sudden and unfair. People are already struggling with the high cost of necessities and these heartless landlords and their devilish agents are compounding the situation with arbitrary rent increments with bogus hidden fees.
“While we are dealing with the harsh economic situation in the country, landlords are raising rents to ridiculous amounts. These increments are making life unbearable for ordinary citizens and I am calling on the government to take a more critical look at this phenomenon.”
For Blessing Madaki, the rise in house rents in Jos should be blamed on the influx of Yahoo Boys into the state.
“I will say the Yahoo Boys have, one way or the other, contributed to the increase in house rents in Jos. Because they have their ill-gotten money, they are always willing to pay any amount quoted by landlords and their agents.
“They don’t even argue or ask for the rent to be reduced. They just pay any amount they are told,” she disclosed.
Solomon Inusa, another tenant who pointed fingers at Yahoo Boys, said:
“I will say that the sudden appearance of Yahoo Boys in Jos has led to an upward surge in house rents. These boys don’t mind paying any amount landlords demand from them.
“Some landlords also have no problem with this because they know that such tenants will pay whatever they ask for. It’s becoming a problem because we, the regular tenants, have to suffer because of this,” Inusa lamented.
However, some landlords and agents argued differently, attributing the rent increment to several factors, including the high cost of building materials, and labour costs which have made it more expensive to maintain old buildings and build new properties.
Chief Nehemiah Marcus, a landlord in Kwang, Rayfield, which is considered to be one of the most expensive locations in Jos, said he had to increase the rent on his houses because the cost of maintaining them was becoming unbearable for him.
“The rent increase is a direct result of the rising cost of building materials. I could no longer afford the cost of maintaining my houses due to an increase in the price of building materials.
“As much as I understand the plight of my tenants, I also have to account for the fact that maintaining my house is becoming more expensive by the day,” he said.
For Femi Joseph, an agent, the situation should be viewed from a different angle, noting that many landlords now see the current market as an opportunity to demand higher rents.
“We’re in a situation where demand is high, and with the influx of people, especially those with more disposable income, landlords feel justified in increasing rent.
“Cost of building materials is also a factor when determining house rents. If you go to the building materials market to buy things, you will understand what I am talking about,” he added.
For Prince Thomas, an estate developer, the sharp increase in house rents in Jos is due to a combination of high demand from population growth, increased costs of building materials, and the influence of cybercriminals who inflate prices.
“Other factors include the limited supply of housing, a lack of affordable options, and the cumbersome process of obtaining development loans,” Thomas said.
He stressed that a growing population and migration to the city have increased the demand for housing, which ultimately, drives up rental prices.
Another developer, Chinedu Eze, also blamed the high cost of building materials for the increase in house rents in Jos.
“High prices for building materials, which are often affected by the fluctuating value of the dollar, make new construction more expensive for developers,” Eze said.
“The overall housing supply in Jos is not keeping pace with the demand, creating a seller’s market where landlords can charge more, and as I said, it is difficult for developers and individuals to get loans from development finance institutions, which hinders the creation of new housing stock,” he added.
A senior official of the Ministry of Housing in the state, Bulus Danjuma, who also weighed in on the situation, however, absolved the government of any blame.
Danjuma, however, pointed accusing fingers at greedy landlords and the agents whom he accused of exploiting their tenants.
“The state government under His Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang has done a lot to regulate house rents, including sending a bill to the House of Assembly which is aimed at regulating rents in the state, but even at that, the landlords and their agents have continued to frustrate the government’s efforts by arbitrarily increasing their rents leading to frustration for tenants.
“But I am confident that very soon, the situation will be rectified as the lawmakers will soon come up with a policy position,” Danjuma posited.
