Crises shoot up house rents in Jos South LGA

The lingeringviolence in Joshas shot up the rents of houses in the Southern part of the city, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.NAN correspondents, who went round some parts of the city, reported that rents had skyrocketed in many settlements in the South as more people were relocating there from the crisis-prone Northern part.At Rantya, for instance, a two-bedroom flat, that used to cost N150,000 per year has gone up to N250,000.The three-bedroom apartments, which hitherto cost N200,000, are now between N300,000 and N400,000.A one-bedroom flat, hitherto rented at between N80,000 and N100,000, currently goes for between N150,000 and N180,000.At New Abuja, a fast developing settlement, the situation is the same as a one-bedroon apartment, which went for N70,000 early this year, is now N150,000.The two-bedroom apartments in the area, which used to go for N150,000, is N250,000 on the average.NAN discovered that the situation was worse with shops whose rents had more than doubled in many locations in the South in the past few months.Mr Ezekiel Panmun, a Landlord in Rantya Low Cost Housing Estate, told NAN that the estate agents had always suggested the increments.'They (agents) knock my doors everyday and want to know if there are vacant rooms. Where there is, the will always reject the amount you require.'Normally, they can assure you of a customer for any amount they suggest.'According to him, a two-bedroom flat at the low cost setlement costs N300,000 per year.Mr Joseph Dangbai teacher, however, blamed the landlords for the rising rents in the South of Jos.'Sometimes, it has to do with the attitudes of some landlords, some of them are just greedy and very exorbitant in their charges for such flats.'In some cases, the charges are not only high, but prospective tenants are forced to pay for two years.'The situation is worsened by the rush. If you delay even a bit, someone else is too willing to pay,' he said.
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