Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has issued a stern warning to real estate and housing agents operating in the state, vowing to clamp down on those deliberately extorting accommodation seekers. The governor handed down the warning while directly addressing a gathering of residents, where he expressed deep dismay over widespread reports of arbitrary and illegal levies imposed on tenants even after they have cleared their baseline rent payments.
According to the Governor, the state government has been inundated with complaints from citizens who are heavily squeezed by skyrocketing rental prices and further exploited by unscrupulous middlemen. Under existing tenancy regulations, housing agents are legally capped to collect a maximum of 10 percent of the yearly rent as their agency fee. However, investigations and tenant complaints reveal a growing trend where agents demand secondary, undocumented processing fees, caution deposits that are never refunded, and extra maintenance charges after the primary financial transactions are concluded.
“I learnt that after tenants pay their house rent, agents still collect additional fees from them,” Soludo declared. “House agents in Anambra State should get ready, we are coming for them soon.”
The administration’s target on predatory real estate practices comes on the heels of recent deliberations by the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC) aimed at actively curbing the shelter crisis across urban and semi-urban centers like Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, and Ekwulobia. The state government recently announced plans to formulate a comprehensive mass housing policy via public-private partnerships to aggressively increase housing supply and legally regulate arbitrary rent spikes. Soludo’s latest warning signals an upcoming regulatory framework and enforcement drive to sanitize the state’s housing sector, protect low-income earners, and hold errant property agents legally accountable.
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