The Honourable Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai has urged members of the public to be wary of allottees of State Housing Estates who engage in the indiscriminate transfer or sale of allocated homes without valid certification.

Akinderu-Fatai gave this word of caution while reviewing the activities of the Ministry early this week in Alausa, stressing that the State is aware that some allottees engage in the transfer of ownership of housing units without proper documentation.

According to him, “Many of these original allottees do not remit funds to the State Government after obtaining payments from unsuspecting members of the public. This often leads to loss of revenue to the State as well as incomplete data of homeowners under the State Housing Scheme”.

“In some cases, members of the public have fallen victim of swindlers, who make people pay even above government rates for fake allocations”, Akinder-Faatai explained.

The Commissioner, therefore, advised members of the public to always verify the status of any State Housing Estates with the Ministry of Housing at the State Secretariat before finalising any transaction, declaring that “Anyone who has the intention of procuring or buying a home from an allottee should endeavour to visit the Ministry of Housing in Ikeja for enquiry and clarification”.

He also seized the opportunity to outline the procedures for applying for change of ownership, imploring intending applicants to forward an application letter requesting for change of ownership with Letter of Authorisation from the original allottee.

Furthermore, he advised allottees or homeowners in the State Housing Estates to apply for Deed of Sub-Lease of their homes to enable them use the homes as supporting assets for other financial transactions.

Akinderu-Fatai also confirmed the readiness of State government to deliver on its mandate in the provision of high-quality shelter and increasing housing stock for the people of the State.