Should Nigeria Introduce a National Rent Control Law?
Across Nigeria’s major cities, rent has become a defining factor in where people live, how they live, and whether they can plan for the future at all.
Every year, stories emerge of tenants given barely a month’s notice before rent doubles. Young graduates starting their first jobs discover that securing an apartment can swallow up a year’s salary upfront.
With housing costs rising faster than income, the question keeps resurfacing: Should Nigeria introduce a national rent control law?
Why the Idea Appeals to Many
Supporters of rent control argue that without intervention, the rental market will remain a race to the top, benefiting the rich, as the country’s housing deficit, estimated in the tens of millions, has already put pressure on available units. That scarcity drives landlords to raise rents as much as the market will bear, often beyond what average earners can afford.
A national rent control law could:
Cap annual rent increases so sudden hikes don’t blindside tenants
Protect low and middle-income households from being priced out of urban areas
Create stability in the rental market, making it easier for people to plan their lives
The emotional appeal here is strong: for millions, such a law could mean the difference between living in dignity and constantly scrambling for the next roof.
The Counterarguments
Landlords, developers, and some economists push back, and their concerns aren’t entirely unfounded. They argue that capping rents could:
Discourage investment in rental housing
Lead to lower-quality maintenance as returns shrink
Push more transactions “off the books,” making enforcement messy and inconsistent
Nigeria’s struggle to enforce state-level tenancy laws is all too real. Even where legal protections exist, as in Lagos State, which limits advance rent to three months, landlords frequently ignore these rules. Tenants, most of whom define affordability in monthly terms, often cope with demands for a year or more upfront, leaving them financially trapped and unable to pursue their rights. Attempting to scale these challenges nationally, where rental protections are uneven and largely unenforced, would be a monumental task.
A Smarter Alternative?
Rather than a rigid rent control law, a more flexible approach that still reins in excesses. This could look like:
Linking allowable rent increases to inflation or an agreed market index
Offering tax breaks or incentives for landlords who keep rents within set affordability bands
Expanding government-backed affordable housing schemes to increase supply alongside regulation
This approach addresses the root cause of scarcity while incentivising landlords to invest in new builds.
The Long Game
Rent control in isolation risks becoming a temporary fix. Without a deliberate increase in housing supply, especially in affordable units, the market pressure will simply shift elsewhere.
Nigeria’s housing problem requires a layered solution: nationwide reforms that blend policy enforcement with serious investment in construction, mortgage access, and urban planning. Rent control could be a chapter in that story, but it cannot be the whole book.
