The Landlord and Tenant Template

The Landlord and Tenant Template

Foreword
The issues surrounding the relationships of landlords and tenants are as complex as
the types of properties that are let out on a daily basis all over the world. In Nigeria,
as in many other jurisdictions the general word on the street is that the law favours
the tenants while the Land lords are shylocks that must not be given any
considerations.

This e-book is written to give you the reader the current law relating to residential
property rentals in Nigeria. The book seeks to state the law in as concise a form as
possible giving life sketches, which are actually culled from decided cases of our
courts to properly explain the principles as much as possible to the layman.

It is meant for the businessman or investor in tenantable property, the letting and
managing agents, landlords, tenants, sub-tenants, all over the country and as a
guide to Persons in the Diaspora who own property here in Nigeria.

By the time you have read this e-book, you would know what the rights and duties of
tenants and of landlords are, the covenants that are assumed in a tenancy; whether
the agreement is written or not, the kinds of tenancies that the law recognises, who
a squatter is and the procedure for ending a tenancy. You will have learnt that the
law frowns on self help, and what the procedure is for evicting a tenant.

Is there a valid and invalid Notice to Quit? Certainly, and it could spell the
difference to your evicting the tenant or having to bear with him till you start all over
again.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is gradually being deployed for the resolution of
many landlord and tenant issues in the present commercial environment and is
encouraged by every court in Nigeria today. Many people do not yet know the
place of ADR in disputes with their landlord and think that the way out is to run away
without payment of rents. That is only as short lived as the landlord wishes to turn a
blind eye, especially given that identity verification is being encouraged at many
levels of endeavour by today's government.

Thank you for purchasing this eBook.....the purchase does not end there. Once you
download you will be included on our Facebook group at
www.facebook.com/groups/sisilawyerproperty . The discussions continue there so
that you are able to ask questions, air views and seek further help, for at least three
months from joining. New material will be loaded into the group as they relate to
landlord and tenants on a permanent basis; this you will be entitled to as long as you
have not opted out of the group before the time limit.

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This is the first in the series of eBooks by Sisi Lawyer. Watch out for more titles as
advertised or on our website at www.sisilawyer.com.ng

Aronke Omame
Sisi Lawyer

www.sisilawyer.com.ng

@sisilawyer101

facebook.com/groups/sisilawyer

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CONTENTS

1. Investigating the Property

- Considerations and Searches
Page 4

2. Types of Tenancies
Page 10

3. Covenants – Rights and Obligations
Page 14

4. The Quit Notice and Possession
Page 17

5. Final Words
Page 22


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CHAPTER ONE

INVESTIGATING THE PROPERTY

W
hen a person or a couple are in search of residential property it is
usual to find the premises either by virtue of the estate agents'
signboard on the premises or by a visit to their offices. Know that in
Nigeria the business of property management has not been regulated so you
have both the professionals and the touts. Property search is fraught with
myriad problems, people have been known to pay money or rent to agents
who have no dealings with the property, and have lost money thereby.
Prospective must be circumspect about property issues and must not leave
the search till the dying days of their needs, he usually settles for what is
available or the first property offered rather than the best available.
Landlords, too take advantage of the desperation of some tenants and
become lords unto themselves.

In the case of some landlords, the property is their investment cash cow and
they are willing to take in the first tenant, not caring to determine his
suitability. This usually results in a lot of costly problems later.

At the point of renting, a tenant will do whatever the landlord wishes. If his
rent is not complete he will beg, if he is asked to pay 5 years rent in advance
he will do so. However because most landlords do not take references from
tenants' guarantors or evidence that they have an income they run into
trouble for payment of rents from these emergency tenants. The tenants are
well settled in and without the visit of the court Sheriff and Baillifs they would
not budge and usually intend to continue to live rent free. When they leave
the premises, the state of repair is so bad, that the next desperate tenant is
required to redecorate and repair the property, so he leaves the property
agin in a poor state, gradually eroding the wind and water integrity of the
property over time.

There doesn't seem to be an innocent party at that point and when trouble
starts both are affected by the issues that usually end only in court.

Truth be told, eviction proceedings are not landlord friendly. The agents and
solicitors get the drafting and delivery of notices wrong. The evidences are
not complete; after such a long time the matters fail and the tenant sits pretty
in the house.

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This underscores the need to get it right at from the start. It is not all tenants
that start out wishing to be recalcitrant but the parties must remember that it
is an evolving relationship that both sides must endeavour to maintain very
well. Landlords and tenants need to meet and to ask themselves questions
about each other and the property. It may sound pedantic but agents tend
to resist allowing the tenants to meet with the landlords, because many have
been known to lose their commissions. Under the Recovery of Premises Act
1999 a landlord is defined to include his agent. The tenant must get
assurances from someone, and if he is debarred from seeing the landlord by
the agent, such agent must be willing either to be the message courier or
must show a letter of authority from the landlord, granting him leave to deal
with the prospective tenants and to give them all assurances about the
property.

LANDLORDS' CHECKLIST

The landlord’s check list is not exhaustive, as circumstances of the

introduction may demand that more requirements are demanded. Here is a
basic list of what is expedient:

1. EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY OF THE TENANTS.

This may be in the nature of the copy of his National Identity Card,
International Passport or Current Driver's Licence. A tenant who resists
this probably has something to hide. To save himself from any
fraudulent use of his identity it is fair that the landlord sign a receipt of
the copy of the document.

2. REFERENCES
This could be either from his employer or a person who is acceptable to
the landlord who can assure the landlord that the tenant is able to pay
his rents. It is also wise for the landlord to complete his own background
checks. If the prospective tenant is self employed, it may be prudent to
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conduct background checks on the person. His business card is a first

place of check, his professional colleagues is another place etc
Property owners must remember that it is against the law to e against a
constitution protects everyone from discrimination on account of the
foregoing.
The Same Sex Marriages (Prohibition) Act 2013 ought to protect the
landlord from renting his premises to a person on account of his sexual
disposition. However it has been suggested that it is against the
Fundamental Human Rights, even though uncontested in our courts so
far.

3. TENANT’S FORM
It is wise to have a tenant form with details of identity, family, pets and
In Case of Emergency (ICE) names and numbers. It is wise to make
enquiries about why the tenant is moving house; watch his body
language if you want to know the truth. A tenant that has been
evicted by his landlord in the past, is not necessarily a bad tenant if he
can show that he fell upon bad times and has recovered. Such a
tenant ought to be able to get a reference from such previous landlord
stating why he had to move out.

4. COMMON SERVICES
If there will be common services you need to be sure that the tenants
income will be adequate to make the payment timeously and fully. By
all means please avoid a tenant who asks for time to pay the initial
rent. He will be a historically bad tenant as far as rent and service
charge payments are concerned.

5. TENANT’S BODY LANGUAGE

If the tenant is in a hurry to move into your premises, your mind should
throw up a red flag. Such tenants are usually irresponsible persons who
are probably running from the law. There are always exceptions to
every situation; his premises may have become inhabitable due to
floods or fire; he may have just been transferred to another town and
since he needs to pay for housing needs in his new place, it becomes
wise to locate his family into small quarters.

6. SECURITY DEPOSIT
It is customary to ask for a month's rent from the tenant as a security
deposit. This is refundable to him and can only be a set off towards part
of the cost of redecorating the property at the end of the tenancy.

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7. HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES

Tenants should be able to give a fair number of the proposed residents

that will live on the premises. This is to avoid overcrowding.
Overcrowding is a health and safety risk and may not be in the best
interest of the property. It prevents properties from being wind and
water tight as infrastructures will start to erode.

TENANTS’CHECKLIST

Tenants must satisfy themselves about these:

a. UTILITIES
The prospective tenant needs to satisfy himself that he is not inheriting
any bills from utilities suppliers like electricity or water. It is not a bad
idea, and should be supplied, if he asks the landlord or his agent for
proof of the last electricity payment.
Water and local government charges should have been paid.
Landlords may try to bully tenants into suppressing their enquiries about
these utilities, this should throw up a red flag to the tenant and unless
he wishes to pay the landlord’s debts he ought to insist that these are
paid before his tenancy commences.
In a number of states in Nigeria, it is the landlord’s duty, and they
attempt to push it to the tenant. This is why the new tenant must
demand to know. Similarly he made make his own private enquiries
from the utilities offices and local government.

b. LOCATION
An important consideration in choosing a rental property is how far
away from the tenant’s place of work it is. Considerations about
distance from children’s schools, family and even leisure are very
important.
On the whole, the further one moves away from the centre of the
town, the cheaper the rent is; but the cost of transportation might
mitigate against such cheaper accommodation.
The general safety of the location is pertinent, as well as if the property
is set apart from the neighbours. Coming home at night may become
a challenge, and so it may not be the most suitable, especially for a
family with children.

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c. AMENITIES
Distance or ease of access to amenities like hospitals, markets, places
of worship may be a mitigating factor against a particular property.

d. RENT – IS IT WITHIN BUDGET

It goes without saying that the rent must be within budget. The
International Labour Organisation benchmark is that no one should
spend more than one third of their salary or income on
accommodation.
Persons who pay rent above their capabilities usually aren’t able to
pay further rents.

e. DISREPAIR
A tenant must know the extent of the state of disrepair, and either ask
the landlord to repair such faults as damp from a leaking pipe, broken
windows, or broken water cisterns, or obtain his consent, in writing,
before embarking on any of such. The consent should also authorise
the tenant to deduct the cost of repairs from the next rent. Where a
tenant has such authorisation, the extent or limit of cost of such repairs
must be agreed between him and the landlord.

f. FACILITIES
What are the facilities that come with the house? Water and electricity
must be established. Take care that you see that water is supplied or if
pumped from a borehole, that the pump is in perfect condition. Check
that there is electricity supply and that there aren’t any lose wires
around the house.
Do you have a car park assigned to you, if it a multi tenanted house. In
such multi tenanted premises, ask a little about the nature of the other
tenants. Are they noisy people, in the name of praying? Do they party
a lot and are they allowed to spread chairs all over the compound?
The agent would probably counsel that you all live in pace, but
establish the boundaries so that the peace may be achievable.
Is there a common generator? Where is it situated? If everyone has
their own generator, where do the upstairs residents locate theirs? Is it
going to be near the bedroom window of your own apartment?

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g. HEALTH AND SAFETY

Tenant needs to satisfy themselves that there isn’t any dangerous
staircase or open electrical socket in the house. Whether there will be
children or not this should be sacrosanct. Is there cross ventilation in the
every room?
How is gas designed to be supplied into the kitchen? Gas cylinders are
best kept outside the kitchen. You need a permit from the fire service if
you store, handle or use an aggregate quantity of Level 1,2,3 aerosol
product in excess of 45.4kg net weight. Caterers please take note.

h. COMMON SERVICES
In any multi tenanted edifice, whether a house or an estate, there
needs be some shared services. Those that should engage the enquiry of the
tenant, where there isn’t a service charge to cover all, include responsibilities
for burnt bulbs on stairways, keeping the compound clean, maintenance
and dislodging of septic tanks.
If service charge is to be paid make sure you ask and understand your
liability and how it will be determined from time to time.

A FINAL WORD

These lists are in no way exhaustive but represent the basic questions a
person ought to ask of the other before the relationship starts. You no doubt
have been told that in any agreement there are landlord and tenant
covenants. These are the topic of Chapter 3 and have not been discussed in
this chapter. Preparatory to any contract of tenancy between the parties,
these enquiries are what will offer the basis of the offer from the tenant and
the acceptance from the Landlord. It is always wise to insist on having a
written agreement. In many parts of our country, landlords collect lawyer’s
fees from their tenants, yet do not provide any written agreement. This is theft
or deception and really is actionable. Lawyers are entitled to fees collected
on their behalf so that they may be held liable when something goes wrong
in the drafting.

While it is wise to make these enquiries, a lot of touts or unprofessional people

have entered into the business of property rentals, and are making a lot of
money but giving very poor service. Landlords usually patronise the services
of such people and then cry foul when the tenants turn out to be less than
worthy.

Similarly it has been known of prospective tenants who paid rents to ‘agents’
only to find that they had no authority to put up the property for rent and do
not get access into the property after the payment, because the ‘agent’
can no longer be found.

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This is why you need not only to read and understand the points in this eBook
but to put them into practise as much as possible. Property is wealth and it is
only an unwise man who would go to bed with fire in his roof.

CHAPTER TWO

TYPES OF TENANCIES

T
he rise in wealth and prosperity of any nation shows in the rate of development
of infrastructure including housing for its people. Housing is a social need and a
responsibility of every democratic government. It goes without saying that the
need cannot be satisfied by government alone and so people profit from building
residential property to make profit. This makes it imperative to regulate the
relationships that arise between persons who we have grown to call landlords and
those we call tenants. Regulations include the control of rent payments and their
arbitrary increments, wrongful eviction and illegal holding over by tenants.

The creation of the relationship of tenancy is not regulated by any law but over the
years, common law, the responsibilities and rights of both parties have been
recognised due to the way law has evolved. Current laws attempt to define
tenancy as holding or interest in land or property under a tenancy agreement.

Many landlords believe that the law of residential premises is stacked against them.
The procedure for recovery of premises from a tenant is guided by strict observance
of the law and is of such technical nature that if not properly progressed, the
landlord has to start the process all over again. There is no gainsaying that litigation is
long and cumbersome and so it is necessary to get it all right from the start.

WHO IS A LANDLORD?
Every landed property has a landlord; whether built or not.

A landlord is defined under the Recovery of Premises Act 1990 as

‘. a person who is entitled to the immediate reversion of premises and

includes the attorney or agent of any such landlord or any person receiving
(whether in his own right or as attorney or agent) any rent from any person for
the occupation of any accommodation in respect of which he claims a right
to receive the same.’

At Section 47 of Tenancy Law 2011 of Lagos State a landlord is defined:

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"Landlord" in relation to any premises means the person entitled to the

immediate reversion of the premises or if the property is held in joint tenancy
or tenancy in common, any of the persons entitled to the immediate
reversion and includes --
(a) the attorney, solicitor, agent or caretaker of any such landlord;
(b) any person receiving (whether in his own right or as an attorney or agent)
any rent from any person for the occupation of any premises in respect of
which he claims a right to receive the same; or
(c) a former landlord where the context so requires:

WHO IS A TENANT
Justice Cassey of the West African Court of Appeal – the Supreme Court for West
Africa before we got our independence – in 1955 said in the case of one Mr
Okedare against one Mr Hamid that

The Recovery of Premises Laws have been enacted in various States

principally to provide for procedures a landlord must adopt to recover
possession. Such procedures a landlord must adopt to recover possession.
Such procedures are primarily to protect the interest of the tenant against
that of the landlord.

Under the Recovery of Premises Act 1999(Abuja) a tenant is defined to include any
person occupying premises, whether on payment of rent or otherwise, but does not
include a person occupying premises under a bona fide claim to be the owner of
the premises.

Lagos State defines tenant as

To include a sub-tenant or any person occupying any premises whether by

payment of rent or howsoever or by operation of law and not persons
unlawfully occupying any premises under a bona fide claim to be the owner

If the definition of tenant was so easy then why do landlords have problems when a
tenant does not vacate their property?

The law today recognises different types of tenants and strangely landlords do not
seem to know them.

a. The tenant by effluxion of time

b. The yearly/monthly tenant
c. The Tenant at Sufferance
d. The tenant at Will
e. The tenant

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f. Squatters
g. Licensee

THE TENANT BY EFFLUXION OF TIME

This tenant comes in to property for a stated period. In his agreement it states the
time certain. It is usually stated as ‘five years certain’ or words to that effect. It means
that if he takes possession on 1st January 2000 his tenancy ends on 31st December
2005. His agreement may entitle him to pay rent yearly but he may not be given any
notices before the end of the period, save where he does not pay his rent or breaks
other tenant’s covenants. He is expected to hand over the key not later than that
date and the property in the perfect condition it is handed over to him.

He is not there because the landlord agrees and he is there even though the
landlord disagrees. If he wishes to carry on as a tenant they agree to a year by year
payment of rent he becomes an annual tenant

THE YEAR BY YEAR TENANT

The annual tenant pays his rent yearly. He is entitled to stay on the premises for as
long as he pays the rent yearly and to be given quiet enjoyment of the premises. His
duty is to make sure that the premises are in a tenantable state at all times and he
does not relent on payment of whatever service charges due on the premises.

THE TENANT AT SUFFERANCE

Mr Okoye applies to Mr Briggs to be his tenant. At the end of the term granted
Okoye doesn’t have money to rent a new place, Briggs has indicated that he no
longer wishes to rent the premises so wants Okoye out. Okoye does not leave.
Okoye does not ask him for any further rent.

The law says Okoye is neither o tenant nor is he a trespasser, because his original
occupation was lawful but he is also not a tenant because his term has ended and
the landlord does not wish him to be there any longer. He is holding over so he is a
tenant at sufferance......indeed the Supreme Court says

A tenancy at sufferance arises where a tenant, having entered into a valid

tenancy, holds over without the landlord’s assent or dissent. Such a tenant
differs from a trespasser in that his original entry was lawful, and from a tenant
at will in that his tenancy exists without the landlord’s consent. A tenancy at
sufferance canaries only by operation of law, and not by express grant, for it
assumes an absence of agreement between landlord and tenant.......There

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can of course be no claim for rent as such, for rent is a service which depends
upon a proper tenure by consent.

THE TENANT AT WILL

A tenant at will is a tenant who has the landlord's permission to stay on the property
past the expiration of the rental agreement. Also, a tenant who occupies rental
property with the landlord's consent and makes rent payments without a written
lease is called a tenant-at-will. A holding-over tenant differs from a tenant at will in
that the latter has permission of the landlord to stay beyond the expiration date of
the agreement, while the holdover tenant does not. A tenant at will is typically
required to continue rent payments as long as they are permitted to remain.

A tenant as will is different from an annual tenant because he has permission and
not an agreement, whereas an annual tenants’ has agreement for a renewable
tenancy each time.

Most tenants, who have no agreement, will be categorised as tenants at will.

THE TRESPASSER

Is the man who comes into someone’s property without any permission. He really has
no protection in law, but remember that sometimes agents collect money on
landlords’ behalf when they have no such authority. Is such a person a trespasser?
The law is not clear on that so landlords need to beware of who is acting on their
property ostensibly for them. Remember that the definition of landlord includes his
agent.

A FINAL WORD
We can see that while there is only one type of landlord there are several types of
tenants. The landlords are the ones who need to be careful and circumspect when
they decide what time of tenancy they wish to create. When a tenant by efluxion of
time decides he wants to leave before his term certain, there will be consequences,
because he has led the landlord to make certain plans or to have certain
expectations. This may not be so if in their written contract the parties are allowed to
give notice of termination of the tenancy. Whereas an annual tenant is free to leave
as he likes, provided he does not owe rent....but then does he have security of
tenancy while he is building his own house, for instance? That is does his tenancy,
then, not depend on the whims and caprices of the landlord, on a yearly basis?

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CHAPTER THREE

Covenants – Rights and Obligations

T
here cannot be any over emphasis about the fact that in entering into the
relationship of landlord and tenant, both parties must understand that it is
imperative that there is a written contract. Many landlords collect fees,
purportedly on behalf of their lawyers and do not give a contract, because they
never intended to enter into a formal contract with the tenant. Some of them do not
give receipt of payment. Landlords do this at their own risk; in Lagos State there is a
fine of N100, 000.00 for not giving a tenant receipt for his rent payment

a. There is no proof of the date of the commencement of the contract, so

tenants can void as many Notices as they wish, since the notice is tied to the
anniversary of the tenancy. In Lagos State, this requirement of anniversary of
tenancy has been done away with for a yearly tenancy.

b. There is no detail about how to hand over the premises back to the landlord.
Wise landlords put clauses about inspection prior to handing over in the
contracts and tenants are bound. While it may be argued that a tenant has a
duty to repair and keep in good condition all the time, many tenants have
been known to disrepair the premises and make away with expensive items
like electrical wiring, electricity meters, unpaid rents, unpaid electricity bills
etc.
c. Tenants generally feel, especially in a residential tenancy that there is an
unequal bargaining power with the landlords are generally suspicious of their
landlords; the landlords too are suspicious of their tenants. A contract will ally
whatever anxieties the one has of the other.

Most laws recognise the sanctity of the home. Therefore, tenants of residential
properties are generally afforded more rights and protection than those of
commercial properties. It is also because of the presumption of unequal bargaining
power that residential spaces are afforded more protections. Therefore the landlords
of residential buildings have a number of duties, which are sacrosanct, whether or
not there is a written contract.

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DUTIES OF LANDLORDS

DUTY TO GRANT POSSESSION TO TENANT

Once a tenant has paid rent the landlord has a duty to deliver possession. It is not
unknown that landlords collect money from new tenants even though they have a
holding over tenant, assuring the tenant that the old tenant will soon lave. The duty
to grant vacant possession to a tenant cannot be waived as the tenants do not
have any privity of contract.
In the event that the possession is delayed, the contract or a supplementary
document must be appended stating the new date of the commencement of the
tenancy.

DUTY TO ENSURE THAT THE TENANT HAS QUIET ENJOYMENT OF THE PROPERTY
This means that during the tenancy, the landlord cannot interfere with the use of the
premises by the tenant, as long as he is not using the premises for unlawful purposes.
Though the landlord can enter the premises in an emergency, a mere necessity to
ensure that all is well is not an emergency. That is why a landlord needs to have
verified his tenant’s identity and occupation before entering into the relationship.
The duty of quiet enjoyment also extends to any one claiming authority through or
from the landlord. Consequently, his wife or children cannot decide to park cars, or
to cook on the premises that are let to a tenant.
If the landlord resides on the same premises, he cannot move his generator to a
place where the noise and fumes from such would disturb the quiet enjoyment of
the premises of his tenant. These issues must have been settled by the tenant before
the relationship commenced, so as to forestall any claims of foreknowledge against
the tenant.

THE DUTY TO MAKE THE PREMISES WIND AND WATER TIGHT

The property must not only be habitable, but it must remain habitable. If a tenant
enters into a property during the dry season, and finds that the roof is leaking after
the rains start, the landlord has the duty to repair such roof. Similarly if due to a surge
in the supply of electricity to the premises, the electric supply goes off, it is not the
duty to of the tenant to repair. Repairs that make the property not habitable are the
responsibility of the landlord, written contract or not. The law assumes that a landlord
has given a warranty that his house is wind and water tight before subjecting a
family into residing there at his own profit. A tenant who is not happy with the
condition of the house, must report it to his landlord, and where the landlord gives
authority in writing for him to repair the premises, he should suggest deduction of

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such costs from the next year’s rent, if the tenancy is continuing. Without such written
authority, he may not have any recourse to a refund.

DUTIES OF TENANTS

THE DUTY TO PAY RENT

A tenant has a duty to pay rent and any service charges agreed upon, levied on
the premises. A tenant does not have the duty to pay land charges or local
government charges for the tenement, as this is a contract between the landlord
and the State

DUTY TO KEEP THE PREMISES IN A STATE OF GOOD REPAIR

Tenants have a duty to keep the premises in a state of good repair. This extends
beyond painting the premises at the end of the tenancy. In the ocurse of the
tenancy, the premises are expected to be kept clean, and walls etc, are not
expected to be broken down. This may be agreed with the landlord however, and
then it does not become a breach of covenant.
A tenant also cannot choose to turn any part of the premises into socially
unacceptable use, like a poultry etc

DUTY TO PEACEFULLY VACATE THE PREMISES AT THE END OF THE TENANCY

A tenant has the duty to vacate the premises peacefully at the end of the tenancy.
Peaceful vacation includes restoring the property to the good state it was in at the
commencement of the premises. A vigilant landlord would have a contract of
inspection at least 4 weeks before the end of the contract, to enable the parties
agree what needs to be repaired by the tenant, and a week before to ensure that
such repairs have been completed. This is a duty expected to be performed within
the term of the tenancy

A FINAL WORD
The duties listed above are recognised in law, whether or not there is a written
agreement. However there are usually a number of other requirements, which are
determined by the nature of the occupation, family situation of either the landlord
or the tenant. A tenant who is a caterer will need to obtain certain licences from the
Fire Department and may need to carry buildings insurance in the joint names of
landlord and tenant.
Similarly a landlord who resides on the same premises with his tenants, who provides
services including security or possible generator services, will need to enter into more
detailed covenants for bearing the cost of these services.

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There can never be a one size fits all contract between all tenants and a particular
tenant. The time has come for landlords to be mindful and diligent in ensuring the
integrity of their properties if they intend to pass them to future generations.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Notice to Quit & Recovery of Possession

I
n my experience there is nothing that sends greater jitters down the spine of a
tenant than the quit notice......but this is what Hon. Justice Chizoba N. Oji of the
High Court of Justice of Abuja had to say about the procedure for ejecting the
tenant, when refusing the eviction of the tenant in the case of Engr. Baba Sanda
Liman and Hajia Altine I. Dogo

‘I cannot end this judgment without advising counsel to be very circumspect

in the way and manner notices to quit are served on tenants for the purpose
of recovery of premises. The Recovery of Premises Act is a technical statute
and therefore must be adhered to strictly if a landlord wishes to succeed in his
action. It is unfortunate that the Plaintiff has to start his process of recovery
afresh to enable him quit the Defendant from his premises.’

Now, to many tenants this is cheering news, which they never knew. So rather than
stay the course they start to run from pillar to post.

I do not expect landlords to be pleased with the last sentence but landlords need to
learn from this too. So a circumspect landlord would see it as a win-win situation
once his lawyer gets its right.

Before a Notice to Quit may issue, there must be a relationship of landlord and
tenant and there must be a premises. It follows therefore that a tenant at sufferance
(see Chapter 2 for definition) is not entitled to such a notice.

Unfortunately, many people have resorted to using the Notice to Quit at the wrong
time, and therein lies the frustration of a lot of landlords, who then unlawfully, take
things into their own hands.

It is not lawful for a landlord to take the law into his own hands, before or after an
order of possession has been given by a competent court. What I mean is that
before an order for possession, the landlord cannot evict the tenant by removing

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the roof or disconnecting the water or indeed the electricity. If he does that he will
be liable in damages to his tenant.

Prof Akinbayo Akinkugbe had actually obtained an order for possession against his
tenant, Ewulum Holdings Ltd. The former tenant then sought an order for extension of
the date of possession from the court. They wanted time beyond what the court
ordered, to make arrangements to vacate, and had brought an application to the
court for this purpose. Over the Christmas holidays, Ewulum travelled and on the 4th
January, Prof forcibly entered the premises and threw out all his property, including a
number of very expensive items. The matter was litigated to the Supreme Court who
had this to say

A landlord who resorts to self-help in a bid to recover possession of the

premises tenanted by him runs foul of the law and he is liable in
damages. See (1) EliochinNig Ltd v. Mabadiwe (1986) 1 NWLR (pt. 14) 47, (2)
Ihenacho v. Uzochukwu (1997) 2 NWLR (pt.487) 257 and (3) Mil.Gov. of Lagos
State v. Ojukwu (1986) 2 S.C. 277. The law is common place that a claim for
damages for trespass is at the instance of a person in lawful possession of the
land such as in the instant case where the occupation of the premises by the
respondents has the backing of the law. Therefore, the act of forceful entry
into the premises and the subsequent eviction of the occupants together with
their property is one of clear case of trespass for which damages ought to be
paid by the appellant to the respondents.

Suffice to say that the owner of the premises ended up with a penalty of N10, 000.00
payable to his tenant. In my opinion he got off lightly.

DEFINITION OF NOTICE TO QUIT

This is a notice to the tenant to quit a property for the use of the landlord. A Notice
to Quit is only required when the landlord needs his premises for uses recognised by
law, during the pendency of a rental period. It only arises in situations when the
landlord requires the premises for purposes of repairs, or personal use etc. It is usually
in the statutorily prescribed form except where the parties have agreed how the
relationship will be terminated.

...it must be in writing

It is expected that the landlord will issue the notice himself. We have defined who a
landlord is earlier. It is usual however that if he asks his agent or solicitor to issue the
notice, the fact of that authority is stated in the wording of the notice. It must be
addressed to the tenant by his name, and must state the nature of the tenancy. It
must state the date the tenant must leave the premises, (watch out for technicality)
or deliver up possession. If the tenant has not been served by the preceding 30th
June the notice becomes invalid. Care should be taken that the words of a notice

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are clear and decisive, without any ambiguity, or giving an alternative to the tenant,
or else it will be invalid.

.....the calculation of the period of notice

The length of the notice is calculated from the date of service of the notice.
Therefore if the six months’ notice is given to mature on 31st December of a certain
year there must be six clear months from the service of the notice and the 31st
December.

.....it must be served personally

Although laws of the various states, with regard to possession and eviction of tenants
may have slight variations, the notice must be served personally on the defendant,
either by the agent or solicitor. Service by courier is acceptable but a signature must
be obtained. The judge in the case of Engr Liman and Hajia Dogo refused to accept
the service of the pasting of the notice on the front door. She did not say it was not
recognised but she was not satisfied that the landlord made enough effort to find
the tenant, in order to serve her with the notice.

PERIOD OF NOTICE TO QUIT

The period of notice depends on the tenancy type. The tenancy type depends
upon the way the rent is paid. Consequently, a tenant who pays his rent weekly is
entitled to a week’s notice, while a monthly tenant is entitled to a month’s notice. A
tenant who pays his rent yearly is entitled to six months’ notice.

It bears repeating that the validity of the notice and its service are fraught with
technicalities, which a lot of landlords and agents do not avert their minds to. It is
particularly painful for most landlords that their expectation of vacant premises after
a long and sometimes frustrating court process, to find that they are denied orders
for possession because the Notices were technically wrong or invalid.

For a notice to be valid, it must

a. ....be in the prescribed form, except where the notice period has been
agreed outside statute;
b. .....it must be in writing;
c. .....it must be served personally;
d. ....it must be given within clear lunar periods.

What is a lunar period? This is probably the most technical of the process. Where the
anniversary of a tenancy is say 24th of November, and the landlord needs to give 6
months notice, there must be 6 clear months in the period of calculation. That
means that the 24 days in November, not being up to a lunar month, the six months
be calculated as consisting of May, June, July, August, September and October. The

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tenant must have been served with such a notice on or before the preceding 30th
April.

Similarly if the notice is for a month, the one month, to be valid, must be a clear
month.

WHO SHOULD GET A NOTICE TO QUIT?

Not every tenant needs to be given a notice to quit. A notice to quit is for the
determination of a tenancy. So once a tenancy comes to an end there is no reason
to determine it further. A tenancy that has a set period is one that does not require
statutory notice.

It has been argued that an annual tenant does not require a notice to quit unless
the landlord’s reasons for wanting use of the property, falls within those given by
statute.

Where a tenant has not paid rent he is technically said to be holding over. What
every such tenant is entitled to is a notice of seven days bringing the tenancy to an
end.

THE SEVEN DAY NOTICE

To evict any tenant, the seven days notice is to be given. This must be validly
served. It is known as the Notice of Owner’s Intention to Recover Possession.
The rules about service are apposite. Thereafter the landlord will apply to
issue a writ to claim possession and mesne profits.

At no time must the landlord resort to self help.

MESNE PROFITS
The word ‘Mesne’ is pronounced as ‘mean’

Once the period of every tenancy comes to an end the tenant is said to be
holding over and is eligible to pay mesne profits to the landlord. It is no longer
referred to as rent. Mesne Profit is calculated at a daily rate. Hear how our
able Justices have defined Mesne Profits

"...the rents and profits, which a tenant who holds over after lawful
termination or expiration of his tenancy or a trespasser has or might have
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received during his occupation of the land or premises in issue, and which he
is liable to pay as compensation to the person entitled to possession of such
land or premises" Augie JCA in Nweke vs Ibekwe (2013)

‘’Mesne profits are awarded in place of rents, where the tenant remains in
possession after the tenancy agreement has run out or been duly
determined’’. Pemu JCA in Nweke vs Ibekwe(2013)

‘’The expression mesne profits simply means intermediate profits, that is profits
accruing between two points of time - that is between the date when the
Defendant ceased to hold the premises as a tenant and the date he gives
up possession. Rent is different from mesne profits. Rent is liquidated, mesne
profits are not. Rent is operative during the subsistence of the tenancy, while
mesne profits start to run when the tenancy expires and the tenant holds
over. The action for mesne profits does not lie unless either the landlord has
recovered possession or the tenant's interest in the land has come to an end
or his claim is joined with a claim for possession’’ – Oputa JSC in Ahmed Debs
vs Cneico (1986)

A FINAL WORD
The issuance of a Notice, be it a Notice to Quit or a Seven Days Notice of
Owner’s Intention to apply to Recover possession is very technical and must
not be taken lightly if the landlord is to succeed in evicting his tenant
properly. Many tenants do not wait for that to happen, before absconding
with the mesne profits due on the premises. However if you have take n
references you will be able to recover any mesne profits granted by the
court.

The Notices must be properly served on the tenant and some states allow
that the notice is simply placed within a conspicuous part of the premises, like
the front door. Notice to Quit become necessary only where the landlord
wishes to use the property before the end of the term granted.

The tenant who holds over is only entitled to seven days’ notice, and every
tenant who does not pay his rent when due, technically, holds over.

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CHAPTER FIVE

Final Words
The relationship of landlord and tenant has been a very tenuous one,
traditionally from history. It is not only within Nigeria that this relationship gets
sour. Yet it need not be so. On the one hand, some tenants are intransigent
and do not care to secure the integrity of premises, hence the detailed
investigations that become necessary in choosing a tenant. Be that as it may,
the landlord should insert as many clauses for his protection as may be
necessary

On the other hand, it is the landlords who are difficult to deal with. A good
landlord ought to ensure that his tenant is comfortable while living in his
premises. It improves the karma of the house and makes it wind and water
tight.

We have been on a journey that has equipped us with our needs as either a
tenant, landlord, rental property investor or indeed a property agent. As we
discussed there are different laws that regulate the relationship of Landlord
and tenant and so this ebook can only discuss general principles. Largely,
except for Abuja and Lagos where new laws have be promulgated, the
Recovery of Premises Edict (now law) applies.

Landlords and tenants are advised always to seek advice from legal
practitioners and not touts who refer to themselves as ‘estate agents’. It is
true that there are some people who set up business as Estate Agents, and
who are not qualified in that field, but have over time, acquired the
knowledge and skills of the industry. This eBook is written with such people in

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mind as well. They should enter into alliance with lawyers, who should give
them sound advice about tenancy issues and who can render services to
them in the event of such need.

How much have you learnt? It's important to know and as I said a download
of this book entitles you to joining the Facebook Group. There you may ask
questions and share experiences for everyone's benefit. When we know what
ails us as tenants or what ails a landlord then we learn to make adjustments
for each other.

So let's start with these scenarios and see how much you have learnt.
(Please note that none of the scenarios here represent the circumstances of
any one known to me but are all scenarios in my imagination. Any likeness to
a real life situation is merely co-incidental.)

SCENARIO ONE

Emeka is married and has two children, aged 13years and 6yrs old. He works
with a large multinational company, precisely Guinness, and is at a middle
management cadre. His forte is in business development and he has rose
very rapidly in the company. He has management possibilities and promotion
looms high on his radar. His wife, Bisola, was a Senior Manager at Ecobank.
She has just been returned to Nigeria from secondment to Gambia but
unfortunately she was rationalised in the last two months. She is job hunting as
she wants to remain in the corporate world. Their younger child has sickle cell
anaemia and gets quite sickly.

Emeka has just been seconded to help with the development of Guinness in
Seychelles. It is a golden opportunity for him because it means that Diageo,
the owners of Guinness have recognised his contributions to the brand. He
will be away for at least three years.

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He is currently building his own house, but had to slow it down due his wife's
job loss and the fact that she now has to depend wholly on money from him
for her needs.

They have to vacate the company residence provided at Ikoyi, as the

accommodation comes with the local position. He is considering renting
alternative accommodation for his family. You are his agent and he has
asked you for advice as to what he should look out for so that his family are
comfortable and safe.

Please list them.

SCENARIO TWO

Adaeze is a single mum and caterer. She has a very thriving business and
does all her cooking on her premises. The premises is owned by her and
consists of a semi detached wing and two facts on the other wing . One day
due to negligence of her staff a fire started, at night, on the premises which
totally destroyed her kitchen, and a substantial part of the living room of the
tenant on the other side that shared a wall with her kitchen. It was by the
grace of God that both families got out safe.

The premises tenant cannot live on the premises due to the heavy damages
and has sought your advice as to what claims to make fro the landlord. What
are the precautions Adaeze should have taken as well as the tenant before
renting the premises?

SCENARIO THREE

Abubakar has rented premises from Chief Olowonla and paid for three years.
Chief did not give him a receipt. Three years are up and Chief wants hi to
pay for a further three years or else to get out of the premises. The house is in
Yaba. What kind of tenant has Abubakar become? Abubakar has sought the
help of his friend Amos a property agent as to how to stay in Alhaji's house
either with no further payment of at best paying only a year's rent.
What are the issues that Amos needs to look into to give his friend good
advice?

I hope that this book has given a good level of knowledge and assurance to
you, be it as a landlord or as a tenant. This would give me the comfort of
knowing that we as a people realise that law does not have to be the jargon
that has led to mis-information of the past.

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To every tenant it is my wish that you will soon build your own premises and to
every landlord I pray that you be led to good tenants, who will give you less
hassle and pay your rents

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