Enugu residents have raised the alarm over the activities of quacks posing as estate agents.
Most of the residents who spoke to our correspondent in an exclusive interview attributed the high cost of rent and land in the state to the activities of the quacks.
They accused them of forming a cartel with the intent to prevent the middle class from living in comfort.
A resident of Uwani who identified himself as Uwadiegwu Obodo said the cartel has made it difficult for people to afford an average apartment.
“ It is no longer funny at all. Most of these people are not qualified, and they are not real estate agents. They have formed a serious cartel, and most of the time, any landlord who dares them will not have his house rented.
“ What they are doing is not good at all. Do you know that these people charge close to the rent money, and if you refuse to pay their charges, most landlords will not allow you to live in their houses?
“ Another bad thing they do is reserve apartments for the highest bidder. They prefer renting houses to people suspected to be fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo boys. They don’t care about the source of the wealth; all they want is money.”
Another resident, who identified herself as Mrs Beatrice Onuma, said it was unfortunate that some people formed a cartel to inflict hardship on people.
“ The funniest aspect of the whole thing is that these quacks are so strong that when you go straight to the landlords for a house, the landlords will refer you to them because they encourage landlords to always increase money for rents.
“ Can you imagine somebody paying 500,000 naira for a one-bedroom flat and the quacks collecting between 150,000 and 200,000? How many people can afford this? Most times, the agents will advise the landlords to collect for two or three years so that their share will increase,” she stated.
They called on the Institute of Mortgage Brokers and Lenders of Nigeria to go after quack estate agents.
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