Ogun State house agents, under the auspices of Integrity Crusaders Estate Agent Association Of Nigeria (ICESAAN), have called for the re-orientation of landlords in order to ease the housing burden on residents.
Chairman of the Sapon, Quarry, Adigbe, Obada, and Ile-Ise Awo unit of the association, Abeokuta, Olufemi Alayaki, made the appeal in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST .
Alayaki lamented that in an effort to satisfy the expectations of the majority of landlords, the state’s housing cost has been on the rise.
The ICESAAN chairman, while admitting the high cost of building materials among others, stated that some landlords insist on taking more than the usual 10% as caution fee, thereby putting the burden back on the client.
He harped on the need for a change in mindset among landlords, asserting that the majority of them moved from Lagos and Abuja and are bringing with them pre-existing standards from those places.
The Chairman said, “Before we come to the agents, the landlords also need to be re-orientated. Most of the complaints put on us (agents) come from the landlords.
“Some landlords who have properties in Ogun state migrated from Lagos and they brought the exposure from there. Majority of them bring the same template from Lagos and Abuja down to Abeokuta.”
Alayaki, however, urged the Federal and state governments to build more affordable houses for its residents.
He added, “The solution lies with the government, you can imagine the cost of a bag of cement now, talk of iron, granite and even the workmanship, by the time you calculate all these things, you would realize that no small amount can build a good accommodation now.
“So I think the Federal government needs to come in with more affordable facilities, they should build more affordable houses.”
Meanwhile, he asked its members to cease any unlawful client extortion and to adhere fully to the norms and regulations outlined in its constitution.
