The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has directed landlords to stop imposing outstanding electricity bills in an apartment on a new tenant.
The commission said this in a tweet on Thursday.
According to the Commissioner, Finance and Management Services, NERC, Nathan Shatti, “a Landlord’s outstanding electricity bills cannot be enforced on a tenant.”
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This he said was in agreement with a court ruling that the bill of a previous tenant cannot be enforced on a new customer.
Recall that before this directive, a new tenant while moving into a new house takes on the outstanding electricity bill in the apartment.
This practice has been a source of controversy in the country with distribution companies disconnecting customers who failed to comply
But Shatti told new tenants who are asked to pay the outstanding bills of their landlords to report the issue to the NERC for appropriate action.