Onuesoke backs Senate on monthly rent proposal
...says annual rent collection is unjust
A CHIEFTAIN of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Onuesoke has commended the Senate over its proposal for monthly rent.
Addressing journalists yesterday at Asaba International Airport, Asaba, Delta State, he said the Bill is a good step in the right direction saying, “the annual rent collection is unjust and illegal anywhere in the world. The Bill is a good initiative from the Senate”.
The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to regulate rent payments in Nigeria.
The Bill, sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi of All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Kogi, specifically seeks to stop yearly advance payment of rents and compel house owners to collect monthly rent in arrears.
According to the chieftain, the proposed Bill is a welcome development as it will ameliorate the hardship faced by the downtrodden.
However, he expressed fear that the bill may create a lot of confusion between landlords and tenants.
He said, “To me, it is a ‘cash out mentality’ for a landlord to ask for a year’s rent from their tenants. Everywhere across the globe, house rent is paid monthly. Your rent should be tied to your income. When you get your income, you pay your rent and other bills. Waiting for a year to give your landlord the bulk sum is not the best.”
Onuesoke however pointed out that the Bill, if passed into law cannot work particularly in Nigeria where people are struggling with few houses. “I am afraid the Bill, if passed into law, cannot work particularly in a society where many are struggling with few houses. It lacks simple economic principles,” he stated.
