LASRERA Begins Sensitisation, Compliance Exercise of Unregistered Real Estate Practitioners in Ikeja

The enforcement unit of Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) has extended its enforcement drive to some parts of the State to ensure that real estate practitioners operating in the State duly register their presence with the Authority.

This is In line with its mandates to regulate, sanitise and effectively monitor the real estate sector in Lagos State. This enforcement and sensitisation exercise that started on Thursday at Ikeja and its environs, is expected to be extended to other parts of the State as one of the strategies by LASRERA to raise public awareness about the government’s efforts to sanitise the real estate.

At the commencement of the compliance enforcement exercise, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka explained that it was important to notify members of the public that it is an offence to practice real estate in any of its forms, including those displaying “To Let, To Lease, For Sale etc” in their offices or on properties without being duly registered with the Agency.

Benson-Awoyinka, who was represented during this exercise by the Director. Enforcement Unit of LASRERA, Mr Deji Badejo,, said there was need to restrict posting of banners on Residential and Commercial properties by unregistered Real Estate Individuals/Organisations who can easily swindle unsuspecting members of the public of their investments or hard earnings.

She added that many members of the public have been defrauded in the past by imposters and fraudulent real estate practitioners, stressing that the government cannot continue to fold its arms and allow irregularities that was capable of driving many genuine investors/investees away from the sector again.

Benson-Awoyinka also stated that the Agency had earlier written letters to over 1,000 Real Estate Individuals/Organisations in the State to honour the State Government’s call for regularisation of the sector, while also expanding the market confidence of those in the Diaspora to invest in the sector. 

“Let me state clearly here that following the letters earlier delivered to practitioners across the State, only a few of these practitioners responded to the content of the letters, hence the need to embark on this enforcement and compliance exercise so that relevant stakeholders in the built sector and the general public can attach importance to the call by the Agency to sanitise real estate transactions in the State,” the Special Adviser emphasised.

Benson-Awoyinka assured all residents of the State that the enforcement drive would be a continuous exercise until all practitioners in the Real Estate Sector of Lagos State are captured under LASRERA’s database inline with  international best practice.

She used the opportunity of the enforcement exercise to call on members of the public to report dubious Real Estate Practices to the Agency’s email on: lasrera@lagosstate.gov.ng, or call the following numbers: 090- 199-999- 77, 090- 199-999-97, 090- 40000- 333, 090- 40000- 444, 090- 40000-555 or contact the headquarters of LASRERA at Block 21st,  First Floor, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.