Imagine this: you’ve been renting an apartment for the past few years and have been happy with your landlord and the property. However, your landlord suddenly decides that it’s time for you to leave. You are worried about raising rent for a new apartment, and the time you have being limited, this has been the experience of a lot of renters. This article aims to educate you on how much notice a landlord should give a tenant before eviction laws can take effect.
A landlord can give you eviction or quit notice for various reasons: Disputes, inability to pay rent, they want change in tenants but eviction laws provide a clear picture of the procedures that landlords must follow when wanting to remove a tenant from their property. The relationship between landlords, and tenants is governed by tenancy agreements and laws, which outline the rights and responsibilities of each party.
A “quit notice” or “an eviction notice” is a legal document given by the landlord to their tenant. Its aim is to inform the tenant of the landlord’s intention to reclaim their property. It’s important to note that tenancy laws vary across all states in the Nigerian Federation, and this article focuses on Lagos State. Additionally, it’s crucial to understand eviction laws. Educating tenants about their rights, providing safeguards against unjust evictions, and informing them about potentially exploitative practices are all vital aspects which should be taken with utmost importance.
Ensuring a quit notice by a landlord heavily relies on tenancy laws. The types of tenancy laws include weekly, monthly, quarterly, six-month, and yearly tenancies. The most common tenancy agreement is the yearly tenancy, allowing tenants to renew after one year. Corresponding to the above, the following states the period of time landlords are expected to give for quick notice before eviction:
- One month’s quit notice for a monthly tenant: This implies that a one month notice of quit must be issued for a tenant who has a monthly tenancy.
- Three months’ quit notice for both quarterly and half-yearly tenants: This implies that the landlord must have issued a notice of quit three months before the end of the tenant tenancy.
- Six months’ quit notice for a yearly tenant: This implies that the landlord must have issued a notice of quit, six months before the end of the tenant tenancy.
It’s also important to know that these periods can be subject to changes in cases where both the landlord and tenant agree in a tenancy agreement. Additionally, this action is unnecessary in the context of a fixed-term lease, as the landlord permits the term to naturally conclude before issuing a “Seven Days Owner’s Intention to Reclaim Possession.”
Contents of a Notice of Quit:
- The tenant’s name.
- The landlord’s name.
- The commencement date.
- The date to surrender possession (which must not coincide with an ongoing tenancy).
- The type of tenancy (yearly or monthly).
- A description of the property.
Overall, the importance of thoroughly reading and understanding the tenancy agreement before signing cannot be overstated. When a tenant signs a legal document, they are bound by the agreement within the document. The law has no place for ignorance concerning signing a tenancy agreement. Need to rent a place in Lagos check out HIYALO.