A landlord in Asaba, Delta State capital, has boldly changed the narrative of incessant and unwarranted frequent house rent hike as he sacked his caretaker over unauthorized increment and dubious of collection of same from tenants.File Photo
The landlord who owns several properties on Kennedy Oyana Street also known as Sabbath Road by Queen Morwah’s Junction behind NTA Asaba, took this drastic decision on discovering his caretakers has been increasing outrageously rent for his without his consent and approval but do not remit same to him.
The caretaker allegedly collected rent ranging from N600,000 to N1 million from tenants annually for two bedroom, three bedroom apartments without the landlord’s knowledge or consent. This dubious and criminal practice has led to a protest among tenants that felt cheated, oppressed and exploited.
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Determined to rectify the situation, the landlord has instructed all tenants to pay rent directly to him. This decision aims to eliminate intermediaries and ensure transparency in rent collection.
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In a significant relief to tenants, the landlord also slashed their rents accordingly. Instead of the obnoxious and outrageous rents of N600,000 to N1,000,000, the landlord has made all flats in his properties to a uniform amount of N350,000, regardless the location of his property or sizes.
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Considering the harsh economic situation in Nigeria, this move is expected to bring relief to tenants who have been struggling with exorbitant rent payments. The landlord’s decision demonstrates a commitment to human feelings, fairness and affordability.
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Tenants have welcomed the change, expressing gratitude to the landlord’s intervention and decisions as they described their ordeals all the years as pitiable and difficult.Â
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“We’re so relieved now that the landlord has taken control of rent collections.Â
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“The reduced rate is a huge blessing and relief to us.”
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It is believed that other landlord’s will take a queue and emulates the laudable actions taken by this landlord as empowering cronies and relations as caretakers, lawyers and property managers at the expense and detriment of poor tenants is a crime to humanity and God.
