Landlords Were Once Tenants Too: The Growing Housing Burden in Abuja
An opinion on rising rents, excessive service charges and the growing pressure on tenants in Nigeria’s capital
For many residents of Abuja, finding a home is no longer simply about finding a place to live.
It has become a question of survival.
Every year, tenants prepare themselves for the possibility of another rent increase. A house that was affordable five or ten years ago can suddenly become far beyond the reach of the same tenant, even when little or nothing has changed about the property.
The roof is the same.
The walls are the same.
The rooms are the same.
There may be no renovation, no major improvement and no additional facility.
Yet the rent can rise by hundreds of thousands of naira or even millions.
And this is where many Abuja residents are beginning to ask a simple but important question:
When did renting a home become an annual battle between a landlord’s expectations and a tenant’s income?
When Rent Rises Faster Than People’s Income
Perhaps the biggest problem is the growing gap between what people earn and what they are expected to pay for housing.
A worker’s salary may remain relatively stable while the rent on their home increases dramatically.
Imagine someone earning a fixed monthly income who has been paying ₦1.5 million annually for a modest apartment.
At renewal, the landlord announces that the rent is now ₦3.5 million.
The tenant’s salary has not increased by the same proportion.
Their employer has not suddenly doubled their income.
So where is the additional ₦2 million supposed to come from?
And rent is only the beginning.
There may be agency fees, legal or agreement fees, caution deposits, service charges, security levies, electricity costs, waste-management charges and other payments.
For an ordinary worker, the question is increasingly not simply:
“Can I afford the rent?”
It is:
“Can I afford the entire cost of remaining in this city?”
A worker may spend years building a life around a particular neighbourhood, sending children to nearby schools and travelling a manageable distance to work.
Then, at renewal, a massive rent increase may leave the family with only two choices:
Pay the new amount or leave.
Moving is not cheap either.
There are transportation costs, deposits, agency fees, legal charges, repairs, utility connections and other expenses.
For some families, relocating can consume months of savings.
This creates a cycle in which people work not simply to live, but increasingly to remain housed.
The House Has Not Changed — So Why Has the Rent?
There is nothing inherently wrong with a landlord increasing rent.
Landlords have legitimate expenses, and their investments deserve reasonable returns.
But tenants are entitled to ask questions when a dramatic increase appears to have no corresponding improvement in the property.
An old house may remain untouched for years:
No renovated kitchen.
No improved bathroom.
No new fittings.
No structural improvements.
No additional facilities.
Yet the rent keeps climbing.
If the landlord’s costs have increased, explain them.
If the neighbourhood has significantly appreciated, that can be considered.
If major improvements have been made, tenants can see them.
But simply allowing another year to pass does not automatically make an old house a luxury property.
A house does not become better simply because another year has passed.
Landlords Were Once Tenants Too
This may be the most important part of the conversation.
Many landlords today were once tenants.
Before buying their first property, they rented.
Before building their first house, they struggled to pay rent.
Before becoming property owners, some lived in overcrowded accommodation, moved from one neighbourhood to another and sacrificed for years to eventually own a home.
That achievement deserves respect.
But perhaps that experience should also encourage empathy.
Some landlords remember what it was like to receive a rent-increase notice and wonder where the money would come from.
Some remember borrowing money to pay rent.
Some remember moving because they could no longer afford their homes.
Some remember living in one or two rooms with several family members while saving towards a better future.
So when they eventually become landlords, perhaps they should remember what it felt like to stand on the other side of the relationship.
The tenant paying you rent today may be struggling to become a landlord tomorrow.
There is nothing wrong with making money from property.
But there should also be room for humanity.
Service Charges: Rent by Another Name?
Then comes the increasingly contentious issue of service charges.
Service charges can be legitimate.
Security costs money.
Waste collection costs money.
Water systems require maintenance.
Common-area electricity costs money.
Cleaning, repairs and estate management all have expenses.
The question is not whether service charges should exist.
The question is whether tenants know exactly what they are paying for.
If a tenant is asked to pay ₦500,000, ₦700,000 or even ₦1 million in service charges, there should be a clear explanation.
How much is spent on security?
How much goes to waste management?
How much goes towards water?
How much is spent on maintenance?
What happens to money that is not used?
A service charge should be a transparent payment for genuine services.
It should not become a second rent hidden behind another name.
And Then There Are the Agents
For many Abuja residents, the financial struggle begins even before they become tenants.
Finding a house can involve inspection fees, agency commissions, legal or agreement fees and other charges.
The problem is not that agents should work for free.
They deserve reasonable payment for legitimate professional services.
The problem is transparency and accountability.
A prospective tenant may spend money travelling from one property to another, only to discover that the property is unavailable, already occupied or completely different from what was advertised.
Then the process starts again.
Another inspection.
Another agent.
Another expense.
For someone who is simply trying to find somewhere to live, this can become financially exhausting.
Who Is Protecting the Tenant?
This is where government must pay closer attention.
The answer cannot simply be to tell landlords to reduce their prices.
Landlords also face rising costs.
But the solution cannot be a rental market in which tenants have little bargaining power and must simply accept whatever price or condition is presented to them.
There needs to be balance.
Government should seriously consider stronger measures covering:
Arbitrary and excessive rent increases;
transparency in service charges;
caution deposits;
regulation and accountability of estate agents;
inspection fees;
Agency and legal charges;
proper written tenancy agreements;
reasonable notice of rent increases;
accessible landlord-tenant dispute resolution; and increased development of genuinely affordable housing.
This is not about taking away landlords’ rights.
It is about ensuring that tenants have rights too.
Abuja Cannot Become a City Only for Those Who Can Afford It
Abuja is Nigeria’s capital.
Civil servants live here.
Journalists live here.
Teachers live here.
Security personnel live here.
Nurses live here.
Drivers, artisans, photographers, traders, small-business owners and young professionals live here.
Families live here.
They all contribute to the life and economy of the capital.
Not everyone can afford a luxury apartment in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, Wuye or other high-cost districts.
Many people simply want a decent, safe and reasonably affordable place to live.
If rents continue rising faster than incomes, workers will increasingly be pushed farther away from their workplaces.
That means longer journeys.
Higher transportation costs.
More pressure on families.
Less time for work.
Less time with children.
And, ultimately, a lower quality of life.
The person paying rent may be a young professional supporting parents, children, siblings or an entire household.
Another may be a small business owner whose income changes from month to month.
But perhaps that history should also encourage empathy.
The tenant standing in front of the landlord today may be struggling to build the same future.
A Message to Landlords and Landladies
There is nothing wrong with being a successful landlord.
There is nothing wrong with making a profit from property.
But profit should not erase empathy.
Before sending a tenant a notice announcing another massive increase, perhaps ask:
“If I were still renting this house, could I afford this increase?”
Before demanding ₦500,000 or ₦1 million or ₦1.5 million ask:
“Can I clearly explain where every naira is going?”
Before increasing the rent on an old property, ask:
“What have I actually improved?”
And before treating a tenant simply as a source of income, remember:
You were once a tenant too.
The Bigger Question
This debate is not simply about landlords.
It is not simply about tenants.
It is about the kind of city Abuja is becoming.
Do we want a capital where people can work, raise families and live with dignity?
Or do we want a city where a large portion of a person’s income disappears simply because they need somewhere to sleep?
The answer should concern everyone.
Landlords deserve fair returns.
Tenants deserve fair treatment.
Agents deserve reasonable payment for genuine professional services.
Property managers deserve compensation for real services.
And government must create rules that keep the entire system fair.
Because housing is not merely an investment.
It is a basic human need.
And in Abuja, where rent is increasingly rising faster than people’s incomes, it is time to change the question.
Instead of asking only:
“How much can the landlord charge?”
We should also ask:
“How much can an ordinary Nigerian realistically afford to pay and still live a decent life?”
That is the conversation Abuja needs to have now.
Because if nothing changes, affordable housing may gradually become a privilege available only to those who can afford to pay whatever price is demanded.
And that would not just be a housing problem.
It would be a problem for the future of Abuja itself.
Landlords Were Once Tenants Too: The Growing Housing Burden in Abuja