Understanding Your Rights as a Tenant in Nigeria

Last year, the Kano State Rent Control Tribunal handled 347 cases. The vast majority were straightforward: a tenant paid rent for a full year, the landlord collected money from a second tenant for the same property, and the first tenant found the door locked on return from a trip. "What people do not realise is that double allocation is a criminal offence under the Kano State Tenancy Law of 2019," said Barrister Fatima Lawan, who has represented tenants in 60 such cases. "But most tenants do not know the law exists."

The rent advance problem

Nigerian tenancy law does not prescribe a maximum rent advance period. The law says whatever period the parties agree to in writing is binding. In Kano, the convention has shifted from two years to one year for most residential properties, driven by inflation and tenant resistance. "A landlord asking for three years upfront is effectively asking for an interest-free loan," Lawan said. "There is nothing illegal about it, but a tenant who agrees to it without getting a discount has made a bad financial decision."

Eviction rules tenants ignore

Section 21 of the Kano State Tenancy Law requires a landlord to give six months notice for a yearly tenant and one month for a monthly tenant before filing an eviction suit. Even after the suit is filed, the court can grant the tenant up to six months to vacate. "Locking out a tenant without a court order is illegal, no matter how much rent is owed," Lawan said. "I have seen landlords pay damages equal to two years of rent for illegal eviction."

The receipt lesson

The single most common reason tenants lose disputes in Kano is the inability to prove they paid. Barrister Lawan advises tenants to obtain bank transfer receipts for every payment and keep the original signed agreement in a safe deposit box. "A handshake and a notebook entry are not evidence," she said. "If you cannot show the tribunal where the money left your account, it did not happen."