Get Guardian on GoogleProfessional associations in Nigeria’s built environment have outlined proposals for the establishment of a unified regulatory framework for the real estate sector, urging lawmakers to address professional misconduct, fraudulent property transactions and weak consumer protection without creating overlapping regulatory responsibilities.
The proposals were presented at a stakeholder conference organised by the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, in conjunction with the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, to deliberate on the proposed National Real Estate Regulatory Authority (NRERA).
With Nigeria’s property market expanding amid rising housing demand, private investment and the growing participation of informal operators, stakeholders said effective regulation was necessary to establish professional standards, improve transparency and protect property buyers, tenants and investors.
However, the proposed authority has raised questions about its relationship with existing professional and statutory bodies responsible for regulating different aspects of the built environment. The submissions are expected to shape the legislative debate, particularly on NRERA’s mandate, enforcement powers, registration of practitioners, disciplinary procedures and institutional relationships.
At the conference, President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Prof. Kingsley Ogboi, supported the establishment of NRERA, pledging the institute’s collaboration with the National Assembly, government agencies, professional bodies and the private sector.
He described the authority as an important step towards strengthening transparency, accountability, professionalism and public confidence in the real estate sector. “Real estate development goes beyond land ownership, property transactions, building construction and investment returns. It involves the systematic transformation of land into residential, commercial, industrial and other uses within an organised spatial framework,” he said.
Ogboi said such development required careful consideration of land suitability, land-use compatibility, residential density, infrastructure provision, accessibility, environmental sustainability and neighbourhood functionality.
These, he noted, were fundamental concerns of town planning and fell within the professional competence of registered town planners.
The NITP maintained that sustainable housing delivery and effective real estate regulation required the institutional recognition and active involvement of physical planning professionals. “Real estate development, housing delivery and human settlements must be planned. Town planning must be at the centre of Nigeria’s real estate regulatory framework,” he said.
The institute recommended that the proposed legislation provide for the representation of a registered town planner nominated by NITP on NRERA’s governing board. It also called for recognition of the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) as the statutory regulator of town planners, mandatory engagement of registered town planners in relevant development processes and integration of statutory planning approvals into the registration of qualifying projects.
Ogboi further advocated the establishment of a Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate within NRERA, headed by a qualified town planner, as well as the institute’s representation on technical committees responsible for developing national standards and guidelines.
The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), however, cautioned against provisions that could duplicate or undermine the statutory responsibilities of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON).
In its submission, the institute highlighted ESVARBON’s mandate under the Estate Surveyors and Valuers (Registration, etc.) Act, Cap E13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which covers the registration, discipline and professional practice of estate surveyors and valuers.
Presenting the submission, NIESV President, Muhammad Bature, said NRERA should complement existing regulatory institutions rather than create conflicting mandates or weaken the legal framework governing professional practice.
He also called for appropriate professional representation in the authority’s governance and decision-making structures, alongside effective mechanisms for transparency, accountability, professional standards and consumer protection.
The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) proposed an institutional arrangement that could promote industry regulation, protect consumers, enforce professional standards and coordinate stakeholders.
REDAN President, HRM Oba Akintoye Adeoye, said regulation should be industry-led, government-supervised and professionally supported. He identified developer registration, project disclosure, safeguards for off-plan transactions, consumer protection, reliable housing data and institutional coordination as essential components of the framework.
The association proposed six pillars for the regulatory system: registration and disclosure, transaction standards, off-plan safeguards, consumer complaints, housing data and institutional coordination.
It urged lawmakers to adopt a balanced, risk-based and development-oriented approach that recognises the diversity of Nigeria’s property market, including formal developers, small and medium-scale enterprises, institutional investors, cooperative housing schemes and affordable housing providers.
REDAN recommended separate registration categories for developers, development companies, project promoters and individual projects, with compliance requirements proportionate to their size, capacity, risk exposure and operations.
It also proposed a national register containing verifiable information on developers’ identities, corporate status, beneficial ownership, professional advisers and track records.
The association called for a transparent system to verify land titles and the authenticity of planning and building approvals through the relevant authorities.
On off-plan developments, REDAN acknowledged their importance as a financing mechanism for housing delivery but stressed the need to protect purchasers’ funds without making such projects financially unviable.
It recommended that off-plan projects be registered with NRERA before public marketing or the collection of deposits, subject to legally defined exemptions. Purchasers’ funds, it said, should be held in regulated escrow or ring-fenced project accounts, with arrangements reflecting the risks and financing structures of individual developments.
The association also proposed milestone-based disbursement, under which funds would be released in stages against independently verified construction progress. Periodic certification by registered professionals, including architects, quantity surveyors and engineers, would provide an additional layer of accountability.
For consumer complaints and dispute resolution, REDAN proposed a secure digital platform through which purchasers, tenants, investors and other affected parties could submit and track complaints.
It said the system should provide accessible, impartial and timely remedies while protecting developers against unfounded complaints, arbitrary sanctions and prolonged disputes.
Adeoye said the country needed regulation that protected property buyers, strengthened developers, encouraged investment, improved housing delivery and restored confidence in the market.
He added that NRERA’s success would depend on the quality of its enabling legislation, clarity of mandate, fairness of enforcement, affordability of compliance and participation of industry stakeholders.
Also, the Cromwell Centre for Research in Housing and Urban Development Ltd proposed a broader legislative framework for real estate regulation and market governance.
In a memorandum signed by its Chief Executive, Sola Enitan, the centre recommended a principal national real estate regulation, market governance and transaction management law, alongside amendments to the ESVARBON Act and other relevant statutes.
It said the legislation should clearly define the federal scope of regulation and prevent NRERA from exercising powers constitutionally reserved for state governments, particularly over land administration.
The centre also proposed the establishment of the Office of the Valuer-General of the Federation (OVGF) as the national strategic institution responsible for real estate market governance, property information, federal public-asset valuation, valuation policy and oversight of the national transaction management framework.
Under its proposal, NRERA would serve as the operational national market and transaction regulator, headed by the Valuer-General, with clearly defined federal jurisdiction.
ESVARBON, it said, should retain its independence as the statutory regulator of estate surveying and valuation, with NRERA expressly barred from exercising its professional registration, licensing and disciplinary functions.
The memorandum further recommended a National Real Estate Transaction Management System to cover regulated developers and projects, prescribed transactions, standardised disclosures, transaction identification, off-plan safeguards, marketing standards, complaints and market intelligence. It also called for a specialised Real Estate Regulatory Tribunal with procedural independence, fair-hearing safeguards and constitutionally compliant appellate arrangements.
