Soaring Rents: Group Moves to Push Rent Control Law in Anambra

By Praise Chinecherem

As the cost of accommodation continues to put pressure on residents across Anambra State, a civil society organisation, the Leadership Orientation and Basic Rights Advocacy Centre (LOBRAC), has announced plans to partner with the state government and legislature to tackle rising rents and improve access to affordable housing.

The group made this known after its Executive Director, Barrister Stanley Okafor, met with the Anambra State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Henry Arize, at the State Secretariat Complex, Aroma, Awka.

The meeting focused on the escalating cost of residential accommodation, particularly within the Awka capital territory, and the growing hardship faced by residents struggling to secure decent and affordable living spaces.

Okafor said LOBRAC would work with members of the state legislature towards developing a rent control and regulation bill that would provide a legal framework for regulating rents and protecting residents from excessive housing costs.

According to him, the proposed legislation would form part of broader efforts to address the housing challenges confronting ordinary residents of the state.

Okafor also commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for what he described as a swift response to an earlier letter from the organisation highlighting the dangers posed by the rising cost of accommodation.

“Mr Governor has consistently shown a tendency to stand with the downtrodden,” Okafor said.

However, LOBRAC expressed disappointment that its meeting with the Housing Commissioner did not produce an agreement on the urgent need for rent control and regulation in the state.

The organisation also raised concerns over the activities of unlicensed housing agents, which it said were contributing to the difficulties faced by tenants and creating additional hardship within the housing sector.

Despite the disagreement, LOBRAC said it would continue to engage relevant stakeholders and support initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable social housing and establishing a comprehensive rent control framework in Anambra.

The organisation maintained that tackling the housing crisis would require sustained collaboration among the state government, lawmakers, civil society organisations, landlords, tenants and other stakeholders in the housing sector.

LOBRAC said it remains committed to supporting the developmental agenda of the Anambra State Government, particularly policies focused on affordable housing, tenant protection and effective regulation of the rental market.

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