Corps Members Lament Extortion By House Agents In Osogbo, Seek Govt Intervention

Fatimoh Olanrewaju, Anthony Faji

Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted to Osogbo, the Osun State capital, have lamented a hike in the cost of house rent and charges by agents in the city.

The corps members also complained that they were being extorted by agents and caretakers through high charges and other fraudulent practices, calling on the state government to come to their aid.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday on some of their challenges in Osogbo, the corps members said the high cost of house rent and extortionate practices of the agents remained top of their challenges in the state capital.

According to them, the amount being charged for house rent and agent fees was outrageous, adding that some of them (corps members) had been duped by the agents. 

A single room self-contained in Osogbo, according to findings by OSUN DEFENDER, goes for between N80,000 and N200,0000 depending on the area and facilities, while the agents charge between N30,000 and N70,000 fees.

Also, a room and parlour self-contain is between N150,000 and N300,000 with the agent charging between N50,000 and N100,000.

For a two-bedroom apartment, the price is between N150,000 and N400,000 based on the facilities and location, while the agent charges N50,000 and N100,000.

The medium also learnt that some agents jack up the price of the accommodation in their care, thereby increasing the amount of the house rent far above what the house owner asked for.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that nobody is regulating the conduct of the agents in the state, a situation that gives them the liberty to do whatever they want. 

Speaking with the medium, a corps member, Olaitan Adebowale, said she had to stay with a family member when she couldn’t secure decent accommodation at a reasonable amount. 

She said: “Accommodation price in Osogbo is too much compared to other areas of the state, and even the neighbouring state capitals. 

“We all know how the economy of the country is and feeding has taken a larger percentage of our allowance. If we are left to face this kind of treatment from house agents, how do we survive?

“I know some of my colleagues who requested to be taken to another town in Osun because of the high cost of accommodation. The state government needs to find a solution to this.”

Another corps member, Afolabi Olaniyi, lamented the extortion by some of the house agents, disclosing that he was duped by an agent who failed to provide the accommodation he showed him after paying the required fee. 

He said: “The agent showed me an apartment at Owode Ede and he said the total package was N175,000. The house rent was N130,000 while he charged N45,000 as his fee. 

“After paying the amount, the agent took me to a different house entirely and all efforts to get my money back have not yielded any positive result. 

“We are corps members who came from other states and it would not be too good if prospective corps members are hearing what we are facing in the hands of the so-called house agents in Osogbo.”

Time For Govt To Curb Agent’s Fraudulent Practice – Expert

Meanwhile, an Estate Management expert, Foluso Adegboye, has attributed the actions of the house agents in the state capital to the lack of a regulatory body.

Adegboye who spoke in a telephone interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said the estate management job has been bastardised by people who don’t know anything about the job. 

According to him, some youths now see house agents as a means of survival, stating that the state government has to wade in to arrest the menace. 

The expert also frowned at accommodation owners who left their houses in the hands of people who knew nothing about the job and took advantage of accommodation seekers.

He said: “I think it is high time the state government found something to do about the menace of house agents in Osogbo. They are the cause of the astronomical increase in the cost of house rent and they are affecting those struggling to make a living in the state.

“There should be a regulatory body to check their excesses. They are doing what they like to house seekers because no one is checking their activities. 

“Most of the people who turn themselves to house agents know nothing about the job. All they need is to secure a small shop to use as an office and start victimising accommodation seekers. It is very unfortunate that a house agent now makes 10 times what some seven to nine employees are taking home as salary.”