The lingering violence in Jos, the Plateau State capital, has shoot up the rents of houses in the Southern part of the city, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
NAN correspondents, who went round some parts of the city, report that rents had skyrocketed in many settlements in the South as more people were relocating there from the crises-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, per annum.
The three-bedroom apartments, which hitherto cost N200,000, is now between N300,000 and N400,000.
A one-bedroom flats, hitherto rented at between N80,000 and N100,000, currently go for between N150,000 and N180,000.
At the New Abuja, a fast rising settlement, the situation was 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 at Rantya Low Cost, located in the South of Jos, 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, they will always reject the amount you require.
“Normally, they can assure you of a customer for any amount they suggested.’’
According to him, a two-bedroom flat at the low cost settlement 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.
He said that some of the flats were just “too costly’’, stressing that new flats were even worse.
NAN reports that most residents, depending on their religious beliefs, see places like Angul-Dee, Ray-field, Hwolshe, Anglo Jos, Kufang and Dadin Kowa as ‘’safe heavens’’.
Other settlements considered safe include Rantya, New Abuja, Sabon Barkin, Bukuru Low Cost, Zarmaganda, among others.
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