In short: the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 still governs residential and business tenancies in most of Lagos. A replacement bill, the Lagos State Tenancy and Recovery of Premises Bill 2025, passed second reading in July 2025 and has been with the House of Assembly’s Housing Committee since. Until it is passed and assented to, the notice periods, advance-rent caps and anti-eviction offences below are the law.
Where the 2011 Law applies, and where it does not
Section 1(1) applies the Law to all premises in Lagos State, residential and business. Section 1(3) exempts Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island, and allows the Governor to exempt other areas by order. Section 1(2) also excludes emergency shelters, care and hospital facilities, and accommodation run by educational institutions for staff and students. Lekki, Yaba, Surulere and most of the mainland are therefore covered.
How much rent a landlord can demand in advance
- New or prospective tenant: no more than one year’s rent (section 4(3)).
- Sitting monthly tenant: no more than six months (section 4(1)).
- Sitting yearly tenant: no more than one year (section 4(1)).
The cap binds both sides. Section 4(2) and (4) bar tenants from offering more, and section 4(5) makes a breach an offence punishable by a fine of N100,000 or three months’ imprisonment. Where a landlord demands more, the Law gives the tenant a written basis to refuse.
Notice periods: the table every tenant and landlord should keep
Where the tenancy agreement sets no notice period, section 13(1) fixes the minimum notice to quit:
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| Type of tenancy | Minimum notice to quit |
|---|---|
| Tenant at will | One week |
| Monthly | One month |
| Quarterly | Three months |
| Half-yearly | Three months |
| Yearly | Six months |
After the notice to quit expires, or where a fixed-term tenancy has ended, the landlord must serve a further seven days’ written notice of the owner’s intention to apply to recover possession (section 13(5), Form TL5). Only then can a claim for possession be filed. A paper on the door that says “vacate in three days” satisfies none of these steps.
Self-help eviction is a criminal offence
Section 44(1) makes it an offence to demolish or alter premises to force a tenant out without the court’s approval, to forcibly eject or attempt to eject a tenant, or to threaten or molest a tenant to the same end. The penalty is a fine of up to N250,000 or up to six months’ imprisonment. Possession is recovered through the court, not by changing the locks, removing the roof or cutting the water.
What the 2025 Bill would change
As reported by Premium Times in November 2025, the Bill would keep the one-year cap for new tenants but limit sitting monthly tenants to three months in advance, raise fines for advance-rent breaches to N1 million, cap agency fees at 5% of annual rent with registration of agents, criminalise cutting utilities, blocking access or seizing property to force an eviction (N1 million or up to six months), and fast-track possession claims by originating summons with hearings within 14 days. The Lagos State Government said in May 2026 that the Bill was at committee stage. None of these changes is law until the Bill is passed and signed.
Practical points for landlords, tenants and their advisers
- Check first whether the premises are in an exempted area. In Ikoyi or Victoria Island, the Recovery of Premises regime and the terms of the lease do the work.
- Put the tenancy type in writing. The notice period follows the tenancy type, not the amount paid.
- Serve both notices, in the prescribed forms, and keep proof of service. A defective notice can defeat a possession claim.
- Tenants facing a forcible eviction should document it and report it; the conduct is an offence under section 44, separate from any civil claim.
- Watch the Bill. If it passes in its reported form, agency fees, advance rent for sitting tenants and eviction procedure will all change.
Sources: Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 (official text); Premium Times, 30 November 2025; Gazette, 27 May 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice.
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