Ebonyi Assembly Passes Law Regulating Scrap Trade, House Rents and Agency Fees
The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill to regulate the sale and handling of metal and electrical scraps, standardise house rents and control estate agency fees across the state.
The bill was passed during plenary at the House of Assembly Complex on Nkaliki Road, Abakaliki, under the leadership of Speaker Rt. Hon. Moses Ije Odunwa. It will be cited as the Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026, and takes effect from August 11, 2026.
The legislation seeks to regulate the sale, possession, transportation and disposal of metal and electrical scraps, standardise rents, and curb excessive agency fees charged by both professionals and non-professionals.
Under the new law, no person may buy, sell, possess for sale, transport or dispose of metal or electrical scraps except as a licensed dealer in accordance with regulations made under the Act. Offenders face imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine of not more than ₦500,000.
The law also provides that any landlord who obtains an order for possession of accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact commits an offence and is liable to two years’ imprisonment.
Estate agents’ fees are capped at two per cent of the gross sum of the transaction. From the commencement of the law, the standard rent prescribed by the governor for different categories of accommodation shall apply, and landlords are prohibited from charging above the prescribed rates.
To promote transparency and professionalism, all estate agents operating within the capital city must register with the Ministry of Capital City Development.
House Leader Hon. Kingsley Ogbonna Ikoro said the legislation was designed to curb the vandalism of public and private property, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector.
Lawmakers who contributed to the debate, including Hon. Victor Nwoke (Abakaliki North), Hon. Nwodo Aloysius Nwodo (Ebonyi North-West), Hon. Oluchukwu Ukie Ezeali (Afikpo East), Hon. Friday Ogbuewu (Ezza South) and Hon. Celestine Ogba (Onicha East), described the bill as timely and necessary. They said it would help address rising cases of scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases in the state.
In his remarks after the passage, Speaker Odunwa noted that the activities of some scrap dealers had contributed to damage to public and private property and other societal challenges. He said the new law would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions in the state.
The bill was exhaustively considered by the Committee of the Whole, with members examining it page by page and correcting grammatical and drafting errors before it was unanimously passed.
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