Reps move to stop Abuja landlords from collecting advance rent, agency fees

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill that will stop landlords and estate agents in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, from forcing tenants to pay two years’ rent upfront and charging crazy agency fees.

The bill is called the Federal Capital Territory Advance Rent Regulation and Tenants’ Protection Bill, 2026. It was sponsored by Paul Nnamchi from Enugu and co-sponsored by Hon. Ahmed Doro from Katsina.

According to the bill, no landlord, estate agent, or property manager in Abuja can demand, receive or force any tenant to pay more than 12 months’ rent in advance to get a house or renew rent.

The law will cover both residential and commercial houses in the FCT.

According to the lawmakers, some landlords and agents use tricks like compulsory service charges, agreement fees, and fake renewals to collect more than one year’s rent. The bill says that will become illegal.

The bill also wants to regulate agency and agreement fees, which tenants say sometimes reach 25 percent of rent, and create a digital register for all housing agents in Abuja.

To enforce the law, the bill will create a new body called the FCT Rent Regulation and Tenants’ Protection Authority. The authority will collect complaints, investigate, and order landlords to refund any illegal money within 30 days.

“If any landlord or agent breaks the law, he could be fined between N500,000 and N5 million. If a company, the fine is from N5 million to N20 million,” the bill stated.