Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has promised to enforce the one-year rent payment provision in the state's real estate laws if elected governor.

Hamzat made the pledge on Sunday during a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lekki, Lagos.

He said the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency Law, passed in 2025, provides for a one-year rent payment arrangement intended to prevent landlords from demanding two or three years' rent in advance.

According to him, the next priority should be ensuring compliance with the provision and strengthening regulation of the real estate sector.

He also urged estate agents operating in the state to register on the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency's platform to enable the government to monitor their activities and improve accountability.

Hamzat said the policy was designed to ease the financial pressure on tenants, noting that workers generally did not receive several years' salaries in advance to meet excessive rent demands.

On housing affordability, he called for greater collaboration between the government and private developers to expand access to housing across different income groups.

He urged developers constructing properties in affluent areas such as Ikoyi and Victoria Island to consider undertaking projects in less affluent communities as well.

The deputy governor also said his proposed administration would complete ongoing housing projects and improve the process of obtaining property regularisation and title documents.

He explained that delays in processing land documents could contribute to rising housing costs, adding that the state had automated the application process to improve efficiency.

Hamzat said his manifesto's “Everyday Dignity” component was intended to ensure that housing costs did not undermine residents' standard of living.

Although Lagos already has legal provisions restricting excessive advance rent demands, enforcement has remained a challenge for tenants across the state.