QUIT NOTICE & AGREEMENTS

Understanding Tenancy Agreements Before Quit Notice

In Nigeria real estate space, the tenancy agreement has always been either written or oral but there is the emphasis laid on the former for evidence in the court of law in case there is a default from the landlord or tenant.

In this part of the world, it is necessary to have an understanding of the various types of tenancy agreements as a tenant and landlord before issuing a notice to quit a property.

In this weekly article on Real Estate Today, We are taking the responsibility to educate, inform and entertain Nigerians on what you should know about the real estate industry which also includes housing, land, rent, and related issues.

This week, we would be talking about understanding tenancy agreements before quit notice.

Let us take a look at the types of tenancy agreements as well as how they will affect your decision to evict a tenant.

Tenancy at Will: A tenancy at will implies a situation whereby you allow a tenant to occupy your property without a defined tenancy duration. In this case, the tenant occupies your property but with no definite or specified time frame.

Periodic Tenancy: This means an agreement where the tenancy continues until either the tenant or the landlord gives written notice to end it.

Fixed-Term Tenancy: This can also be referred to as a fixed tenancy, which stretches to a fixed period of time. This is the most popular type of tenancy in Nigeria because it only lasts for a space of 6 months depending on what your tenant wants.

The time-span of this tenancy must be documented on the tenancy agreement. If otherwise, then it could be considered invalid.

As a landlord, the length of the quit notice that you issue on your tenant rests basically on the type of agreement that you have with the said tenant.

Tenancy is based on agreement and this agreement covers the length of the quit notice that you can issue.

However, in a situation whereby there is the absence of a written agreement stating the length of the quit notice, you may apply the following statute:

Weekly tenancy – A 1-week notice

Monthly tenancy – A 1-month notice

Quarterly tenancy – A 3-month notice

Half-yearly tenancy (6 months) – A 3-month notice (applies to Lagos only)

Yearly tenancy – A 6-month notice

Above one year – A 6-month notice

Tenancy at will – A 1-week notice