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Landlord Rights vs Tenant Rights: What You Should Know

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It is not a sine qua non for landlords to issue a quit notice to tenants before they can evict them from their property.

This exception is according to the books as revealed by Family Lawyer, Olamide Onifade. 

Expatiating on the rights of landlords and tenants on Whaats UpLagos with Mary-Ann Duke Okon and Stretch, the Principal Partner of Olamide Onifade and Associates explained the conditions under which that clause is applicable. 

"It is a covenant in most agreements that you should not sublet a property", she stated. 

"The moment they (the tenant) do that, you (the landlord) are entitled by law to go to court for recovery of that premises; and you don't need to serve them a quit notice."

"You only need to serve them a seven-day owner's intention to recover because they have breached a very, very fundamental part of the covenant", explained Olamide. 

However, while tenants are originally entitled to six-months notice prior to eviction, a seven-day notice can again suffice if it is stipulated in the tenancy agreement. 

Hence the need for tenants to insist on seeing and understanding the agreement -which can also be verbal- before appending their signature and proceeding to pay for an apartment. 

"As a tenant, you are entitled to a valid quit notice, but is subject to what you've signed," stressed the Family and Real Estate Lawyer.

She explains more about the application of quit notices as regards defaulting on rent payments and encroaching on tenants' privacy by landlords.

Click the video to watch.


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