Residents in Ekiti State may soon heave a sigh of relief as the state government has a meeting with Estate agents in the state.
The meeting was in response to the growing concerns raised by residents of Ekiti about exorbitant house rents and outrageous increase of rents by property owners in Ekiti State.
Addressing the issue, Governor Biodun Oyebanji instituted a delegation to engage estate agents in the state.
The delegation led by the Special Adviser(Mortgage and Housing) to the governor, Dr. Gboyega Oloniyo, had an interface with the leadership and members of the Estate, Rent, and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (ERCAAN), Ekiti State chapter.
The government delegation expressed dissatisfaction with the high cost of living in the state, particularly the relentless hike in house rents, thereby initiating review of operations and activities of the agents.
Dr. Oloniyo said: “Many have attributed this to Estate Agents, who acquire properties from landlords at low costs and lease them out at exorbitant rates. This deprives average citizens of access to decent housing
“Many agents and landlords have inflicted pains on their tenants unnecessarily even when shelter is essential and must be available, accessible and affordable.”
The Special Adviser revealed that Governor Oyebanji’s administration is also working on ensuring housing availability and affordability for all in the state, adding that 34 hectares of land have been approved for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to build affordable houses with many other interventions in the pipeline to improve housing conditions in the state.
In their response, the agents expressed their gratitude to the Governor for visiting them and giving them opportunity of engagement.
They acknowledged the validity of the public complaints and admitted that bad actors were operating within their ranks and would cooperate with government to flush them out.
The agents also revealed that some landlords are part of the problem, as they build houses even in slums and lease them out at high prices similar to houses in more developed areas.
They, however, expressed their readiness to work with the government to bring sanity to their operations and to apprehend errant members.