Before You Renovate A Rented Apartment In Nigeria, Here’s One Thing You Should Know.

Before You Renovate A Rented Apartment In Nigeria, Here’s One Thing You Should Know. , Finding the perfect house is nearly impossible. The structure of the building might be to your taste, but the interior might be nothing to write home about. Seeing a shop space in a perfect commercial location but not liking how dilapidated it looks and wanting to refurbish it is perfectly normal. However, what is not normal is taking steps to alter or add to the parts of a rented building without the consent of your landlord.

In a tenancy, the implied obligation to make repairs on the rented property falls on the tenant, except where there are specific provisions stating otherwise. This obligation does not extend to making a new or different building or improving the premises in such a manner as to change the initial structure. In other words, the tenant is to keep the building in relatively the same condition as it was when he rented it.

In Lagos state, where the tenant makes improvements on the premises with the previous written consent of the Landlord, after the tenancy comes to an end, such tenant would be entitled to claim compensation. If the tenant fails to get the written consent of the landlord and effects changes on the premises, the landlord would be entitled to these remedies as provided for under Section 6(2} Lagos Tenancy Law. They include:

1. An action for damages.

2. An action for forfeiture if the agreement provides for it.

3. The landlord may enter to carry out the repairs, and claim from the tenant the cost of doing such repairs.

4. In some cases, an action for specific performance.