The Cross River State House of Assembly has deliberated on the move to ban housing agents in Calabar and other parts of the state for their alleged role in arbitrarily inflating rent prices and worsening the cost of living for residents.
The lawmakers reached the resolution during plenary on Tuesday following a motion raised by the member representing Abi State Constituency, Davies Etta, under matters of urgent public importance.
Etta expressed concern over what he described as “unreasonable, unprovoked, and economically destabilizing” rent increases across Calabar and its environs, blaming landlords and property agents for exploiting tenants amid the current economic hardship.
According to him, many residents have cried out as landlords, often acting on the advice of housing agents, now charge exorbitant rents even on old and dilapidated buildings.
He said, “Buildings erected over two to three decades ago and many with leaking roofs, faulty plumbing, and poor drainage, are now rented out at outrageous rates. Cross Riverians are crying for help as landlords, often on the advice of house agents, raise rent prices on old and dilapidated properties without any justification.”
“A self-contained room on Marian Road now costs as high as N1.5 million per year, while in Calabar South, a one-bedroom apartment goes for between N800,000 and N1 million. In areas like Parliamentary Extension, E1, State Housing, and CICC, tenants are being charged up to N2 million or more for a one- or two-bedroom flat,” he stated.
He decried the growing impunity among landlords who issue instant eviction notices to tenants unable to meet new demands, some insisting on two years’ rent upfront, further compounding the economic hardship of civil servants, students, and small business owners.
He warned that the unregulated rent escalation is “heartless, economically destabilizing, and socially dangerous,” stressing that housing is a basic human necessity, not a luxury.
Etta urged the House to urgently legislate a regulatory framework for property rental and leasing, balance the rights of landlords with tenants’ dignity, and compel the Ministry of Housing to monitor and control rent-related practices. He also called for a reduction in the cost of locally produced building materials to ease housing challenges.
In his remarks, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. ElvertAyambem, commended the motion and described it as “timely and people-centred,’’ reaffirming the commitment of the 10th Assembly to enacting laws that have direct impact on the lives of citizens, and ensuring a level playing field between landlords and tenants.
“This Assembly belongs to the people. We will continue to stand with them to create balance, fairness, and affordability in housing across Cross River State,” he added.
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