The other time, it was about a landlord who dealt with his tenant. This time, it is a 23-year old tenant with age saying he is energetic, that has reversed the order by dealing with his Nigerian landlord. The 23-year old, Martins Kenneth was alleged to have stabbed his landlord for his audacity to increase house rent in this critical period of harsh economic conditions. He was said to have beaten up and stabbed his landlord with a broken bottle after he was told that his house rent has been increased.
ALSO READ: When Should A Landlord Increase House Rent?
The complainant explained that when he confronted the accused about the damage he had done, the accused instead of apologising pushed him to the floor and started beating him.
Who is to blame? The landlord or the tenant? While I don’t intend to be biased in my judgement, I would like to still consider the tenants’ side of the story which I think many people would not choose to listen to.
Landlords, need to be empathetic. They shouldn’t just increase house rent as if tenants are money machines. There should be a right way and time to increase house rent if need be. On the other hand, there is a Lagos State Tenancy Law which prevents tenants from being victims of inconsiderate landlords. So, I would throw a big blame at Kenneth for either being ignorant of such law or for not taking advantage of the provisions of the law.
ALSO READ: 5 Ways to Avoid Increase in House Rent
The law states that no landlord should increase rent without a substantial period of pre-notification. Read more about it here. However, my judgement could be so biased, so, I’d like to know what you think. Kindly share in the comment section below.
ALSO READ: 5 Tips to Pay Your House Rent With Ease in Nigeria
News Source: The Street Journal
