Africa: Real Estate and Construction

A South African court held a landlord liable for severe injuries sustained by a minor child when a heavy sliding gate toppled onto him at rented premises. The judgment examined whether the landlord breached his duty to maintain reasonably safe premises and whether the absence of adequate safety mechanisms constituted negligence, with significant implications for property owner liability insurance.

The tenancy system in Lagos State has, for many years, been plagued by several challenges, including weak enforcement of existing laws, abusive exploitation and discriminatory practices by landlords, exploitative tendencies of agents, and arbitrary rent increases, to mention a few. In an attempt to curb these practices, the Lagos State Government has proposed the Lagos State Tenancy & Recovery of Premises Bill, 2025 (the “Bill”), which is designed to overhaul and sanitize the landlord-tenant relationship in Lagos State. The Bill is structured in four parts, comprising 45 Clauses.

A Lagos off-plan property development appeared ready for market with printed brochures, active construction, and growing media attention. However, when a prospective buyer's lawyer reviewed the title documents, fundamental legal issues emerged that the developer had never anticipated, ultimately costing them the sale and revealing how inadequate legal foundations can undermine even the most promising real estate projects.