…as income trails rent with ratio surging above UN benchmark
Low- and mid-income households in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory (FCT), are inching closer to breaking point and social dislocation as the rental crisis in the city deepens, pushing many to the suburbs.
The city’s housing market is, increasingly, sliding deeper into an affordability crisis over rising construction costs and mounting charges by landlords and agents who push rents beyond the reach of many.
Findings show that many tenants are grappling with sharp rent increases, multiple agency and legal fees, caution deposits, and service charges that now consume a significant share of household income.
Arbitrary rent increases in the city, as in other large cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, have reached an alarming level. The rent-to-income ratio in these cities has surged 60-70 percent, more than double the 30 percent recommended by the United Nations (UN).
