Ebonyi and Abia Assemblies Pass Bills Regulating Rents and Agent Fees, Ebonyi Adds Scrap Trade Regulation

The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a legislation to regulate scrap trading, house rents and estate agent fees in a bid to curb vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector. The bill, titled “The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026”, was passed at Wednesday’s plenary session presided over by Speaker Moses Odunwa. It will become law once Governor Francis Nwifuru gives his approval. The legislation prohibits the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation or disposal of metal or electrical scraps except when carried out by licensed dealers operating in accordance with regulations made under the law. Offenders face imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine of up to N500,000. The bill also caps agents’ fees at no more than two per cent of the gross amount of a property transaction. Landlords who obtain possession of accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation or concealment of material facts commit an offence punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment. From the commencement of the law, landlords are required to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for applicable categories of accommodation. All estate agents operating in the state capital are also required to register with the Ministry of Capital City to promote transparency and professionalism in property transactions.

Just days earlier, the Abia State House of Assembly passed its own bill to overhaul the state’s tenancy system. The Abia State Property and Tenancy Regulatory Authority Bill 2026, also known as H.A.B 34, was passed during plenary presided over by Speaker Emmanuel Emeruwa. Sponsored by Deputy Speaker Augustine Okezie and lawmaker Mandela Obasi, the legislation establishes the Abia State Property and Tenancy Regulatory Authority to regulate the housing and tenancy market across the state. Unlike Ebonyi’s bill, the Abia legislation does not address scrap trade. It focuses solely on tenancy matters, capping agent commissions at five per cent of the total rent payable, down from the current practice where agency fees rise as high as 20 per cent. Unlicensed agents face fines of up to N10 million. The law is designed to shield tenants from arbitrary rent increases, excessive charges and other unfair practices by some landlords and house agents. Both bills are now awaiting assent from their respective governors.

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Presenting the Ebonyi bill, the House Leader, Kingsley Ikoro, said the legislation was designed to check vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector. “This legislation is very important to us as a people because it will help check vandalism of critical assets, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector,” Ikoro said. Contributing to the debate, Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu and Celestine Ogba described the legislation as timely and necessary to address scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases. The speaker noted that scrap dealers had caused considerable havoc in society, adding that if assented to, the legislation would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions. The bill was considered clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole, with members correcting identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it into law.

The Abia bill comes against the backdrop of growing public outrage over soaring rents in Umuahia and Aba, where residents have repeatedly accused some landlords and estate agents of working together to inflate housing costs. Civil society organisation Spaces for Change has commended the Abia Assembly for passing the legislation, describing it as a major step towards making housing more affordable, secure and fairly regulated. The group has also called on other state governments, particularly Lagos, to adopt similar tenancy reforms. With both bills now awaiting gubernatorial assent, residents of Abia and Ebonyi states are hopeful that the new laws will bring relief to tenants and curb the excesses of scrap dealers who have been blamed for vandalising public infrastructure.

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