The Extent of the Existence of the Rights of a Tenant in Nigeria

Abstract

The Law of Landlord and Tenant is principally derived from the law of contract and property law. The Common law which is the bedrock of these two areas of the law is founded on laissez faire: freedom to contract, to choose the person with whom to contract, to insert any terms in a contract and so on. The relationship of landlord and tenant clearly underscores the responsibilities of the landlord to the tenant and vice versa. The Landlord’s obligations to the tenant are the tenant’s rights and vice versa. This paper examines the extent of the existence of the rights of a tenant in Nigeria. In so doing, it looks at the key terms such as the landlord, tenant, rights of a tenant, and the extent of these rights. The paper also posits that the current legal framework is lopsided because it affords the tenant the least protection and concludes by stating that protecting the tenant has become imperative as the party with the weaker bargaining power in such contractual relationships