Self-contained room hits N1m as inflation pushes rent to all-time high
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the astronomical rise of house rent in the territory which has left many families with difficult choices for shelter.
Checks by the Daily Trust show that rents in the FCT have now reached an all-time high with a self-contained room costing as high as N1 million while a one-bedroom apartment is now given out at N1.5 million to N2 million, depending on the location in the city centre.
The situation is not unconnected to the rising inflation in the country, as well as the rising cost of building materials, which has forced many landlords to increase their rents arbitrarily.
It has subsequently led to many households relocating to other satellite towns in the FCT where the rents are lower and slightly affordable.
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Tenants, landlords speak
Daily Trust spoke to some tenants and landlords in the FCT to share their views on the current cost of rent in the territory.
Mahmood Attahiru, a tenant in Apo resettlement, who is a civil servant, told the Daily Trust how the rent for his one-bedroom apartment was raised from N700,000 to N1.5 million within the space of three years.
“I got into this one-bedroom flat in 2022 January, and I was paying N700,000 as annual rent. Fast-forward to January 2025, I am now paying N1.5 million which is an increase of over 100 per cent.
“We as tenants tried to understand the rationale behind that but our landlord said anyone who can’t stay should leave. The situation is just terrible,” he said.
He added that the rent could go higher once the current Apo Karshi road construction is completed.
Another tenant, who lives in Wuye District of the FCT, Favour Bala, told Daily Trust that the lowest-priced self-contained room in the area cost N1 million while a one-bedroom flat goes for as high as N2.5 million
She said, “Immediately the FCT administration completed the Wuse-Wuye flyover bridge, the price of rent was increased. Before now, a one-bedroom could cost about N1.5 million but now, if you don’t have from N2.5 million upwards, forget about it, because even with N2 million you will hardly get one.
“More frustrating is the fact that aside from the rent, agents take inspection fee and agency fee from you which is about 10 per cent, caretakers take legal fees and others and at the end of the day, you find yourself paying so very much,” Bala said while lamenting the current situation.
Similarly, a tenant in Gwarinpa, Kenneth Omotosho, told Daily Trust that this year will be his last year staying in Gwarinpa as he plans to move to either Nasarawa or Niger state to find cheaper accommodation.
“I first rented a one-bedroom house in Gwarinpa in 2023 for which I was paying N1.2 million as rent per year. But before I even entered the house, the agency, inspection and legal fees raised the amount to about N1.7 million. Just this December our landlord sent us a notice increasing our rent from 1.2 million to N2.5 million.
“As I am speaking to you now, I have asked my brother to look for a house for me either in Suleija or Masaka because my family is growing and my wife just gave birth. I can no longer live in a one-bedroom flat and I can’t afford that ridiculous amount in the FCT,” he said.
Another tenant in Jahi District, Martha Daniel, told Daily Trust that the landlord of the self-contained room, for which she is paying N1 million, has now sent a notice increasing the rent to N1.8 million with a threat of eviction by next year.
“The increase surprised me owing to the fact that I wasn’t even up to a year in the house. The worst part is even areas like Kubwa, Lugbe and others where one is thinking that rent will be cheaper, it is no longer cheap,” she noted.
Meanwhile, some landlords who spoke to Daily Trust blamed the situation on the current state of the economy which has made things difficult for them.
A landlord, Chief Ignatius Kalu, who owns a rented apartment in Kado complained that “the cost of erecting a new building in Abuja has gone up by over 200 per cent from what it was some months ago, and maintaining the old ones has also been very difficult.
“Materials used for the construction, and maintenance of buildings are no longer affordable in Nigeria because a building goes through maintenance throughout its lifespan and some landlords say it is no longer an easy task. I know the tenants will blame us but it is not easy for us,” he added.
Another landlord with a rented apartment at Kubwa Phase 4, Jafaru Bello, told Daily Trust that landlords should not be blamed but the government.
“Major building materials such as, sand, cement, granite, concrete, wood, Plaster of Paris (PoP), glass, paint and plumbing materials are now beyond the reach of the ordinary man.
“A 50kg bag of cement, for instance, is now sold for between N9,000 and N9,500, which is more than three times what it was sold in the past. Tell me how we landlords will survive?,” Bello queried.
Asked why landlords allowed agents to collect agency, inspection and legal fees, another landlord, Bright Bamidele, told Daily Trust that most landlords interfaced with their tenants through lawyers.
“As professionals, these lawyers also charge legal fees for any tenancy agreement. As for the agents, most of them do that on their own accord not necessarily assigned by the landlord. Most of the agents you use feed from these agency fees so that’s why the situation is like that and the landlords can’t do much about it,” he said.
Experts react
Reacting to the development, the immediate-past national president of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) Mr Aliyu Wamakko, blamed the high cost of building materials for the skyrocketing rent in Abuja.
He said, “There is nothing that has not risen in the market, including the price of food items. So, the rising rent is what we are experiencing now because of the economic downturn. You need to understand that. Majority, about 90 per cent, of building materials are imported. So, how do you expect affordable rent?
“What is also happening with the exchange rate, which is a major determinant in the importation of these materials: So, the challenge is just too much.
“Another issue is that REDAN passed a Bill to regulate real estate practice in Nigeria so that it can only be handled by professionals, unfortunately, it couldn’t get presidential assent, so, that is why we are where we are today,”
Also, the Executive Director of the Housing Development Advocacy Network, Barr. Festus Adebayo, noted that one of the major issues regarding rent in Abuja is the fact that there is no law regulating rent in the FCT.
He added that, “If it exists, can it be effective? Because we have not been able to record any success story of where it worked in Nigeria.”
He further noted that the surge in rent prices is also as a result of the increase in the prices of building materials and housing itself which has reduced the affordability for citizens.
