10 Mistakes Tenants Make When Renting a Property (And How to Avoid Them)
Finding a decent place to rent in Nigeria is hard work. This is true whether you’re in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, or elsewhere. House hunting consumes weekends. Agents chase you for “inspection fees.” Once you spot a place you like, the rush to “pay quickly before another person takes it” is real. That urgency leads to expensive mistakes.
Here are the ten most common tenant mistakes—and how to avoid them.
1. Paying rent before physically inspecting the property
Pictures lie. Wide-angle lenses make rooms look bigger. Good lighting hides mould and damp patches. Photos will never show you the gutter behind the fence, the okada noise at 6am, or the generator house right under the bedroom window.
Never pay rent without seeing the property, or having a trusted local inspect and send you a live video of the space, checking taps, toilets, sockets, and ceiling for leaks.
2. Not verifying who actually owns the property
Property fraud is common. Some agents rent out properties they don’t manage. Caretakers may disappear with the rent. Sometimes, fraudsters show false documents for buildings they don’t own.
Before paying anything:
- Ask to meet the landlord in person, not just the agent.
- Ask neighbours in the compound or on the street who the real landlord is. This five-minute conversation has saved many people millions of naira.
- Ask to see proof of ownership (Certificate of Occupancy, Deed of Assignment, or Governor’s Consent).
- Confirm whether there’s a property manager and who is authorised to collect rent.
If an “agent” is dodgy about letting you meet the landlord, walk away.
3. Paying “agent fees” and “legal fees” without understanding what they cover
In most cities, tenants pay a 10% agency commission. They also pay another 10% legal/agreement fee on top of rent. In Lagos, there may also be a caution fee and service charge.
Under the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 (Section 4), a landlord or agent cannot demand more than one year’s rent in advance from a new tenant, or more than six months’ rent in advance from a sitting monthly tenant. If anyone is requesting two or three years’ rent upfront, that violates the law in Lagos — and is a red flag elsewhere in Nigeria.
Know what you’re paying for, ask for a written breakdown, and push back on unjustified charges.
4. Not insisting on a written tenancy agreement
A tenancy agreement clarifies rent, duration, renewal terms, repair responsibilities, and how the lease can end—your key protection if issues arise.
While not legally mandatory, a written agreement is your main protection. Oral agreements can leave you at the mercy of memory. When disputes arise, a written agreement makes all the difference.
Insist on one. If the landlord refuses, that tells you everything you need to know about what renting from them will be like.
5. Signing the tenancy agreement without reading it
Nigerian tenancy agreements often contain clauses that catch tenants off guard. These include: no pets, no running a business from the flat, no painting the walls, and no subletting. Other common clauses: landlord can enter “at any reasonable time,” tenant pays for all repairs regardless of cause, or automatic forfeiture of caution fee.
Read all clauses. If the wording is vague, ask for specifics. Clarify repair responsibilities and the scope of maintenance.
If the contract is long or complex, pay a lawyer ₦10,000–₦30,000 to review it. It’s cheap protection against a year of trouble.
6. Not checking for outstanding bills and levies
Before you move in, confirm in writing that the following are fully settled:
- Electricity (PHCN/DISCO) bills are especially critical if the property uses an estimated meter instead of a prepaid meter. You can inherit debts of hundreds of thousands of naira.
- LAWMA / waste disposal bills
- Water rates / borehole levies
- Estate service charges and security levies
- Land Use Charge / tenement rates (usually landlord’s responsibility, but confirm)
Ask the landlord for the most recent receipts. If the property doesn’t have a prepaid meter, seriously consider making meter installation a condition of renting.
7. Paying rent for an uncompleted or “almost ready” building
“We’ll finish it before you move in” is one of the most expensive sentences in Nigerian real estate. Projects overrun. Workers disappear. Your paid rent leaves you couch-surfing while work drags on.
Only pay rent for a property that is genuinely move-in ready. If you must commit to an unfinished building because the location is perfect, insist on a specific handover date set out in the agreement.
- A refund clause if the date slips by more than 30 days
- Rent starting from the actual handover date, not the signing date
8. Not researching the neighbourhood
Rent gets you the building—not the neighbourhood—and you’ll be living in the latter.
Before committing, research:
- Security — is there a history of robbery, cultism, or area boy harassment? Talk to shop owners nearby.
- Power supply — how many hours a day does this street get light? Which DISCO band is it on?
- Water — borehole, well, or tanker-dependent?
- Flooding is a risk. Drive through after heavy rain if you can, or visit during the rainy season. Lekki, parts of Lagos Island, and low-lying areas in Ibadan and Warri are badly affected by flooding.
- Traffic and transport — how long is the commute to work at 7am, not at noon?
- Noise — churches, mosques, bars, mechanic workshops, and generator clusters can make life unbearable.
Visit the street at least twice: once during the day and once at night.
9. Not documenting the condition of the property before moving in
Most Nigerian landlords collect a caution fee or security deposit. This is often equivalent to one or two months’ rent. It’s refundable at the end of the tenancy if the property is returned in good condition. “Good condition” is where disputes happen.
Before bringing in your belongings, record a video walkthrough. Narrate defects. Take dated photos and send these to the landlord or agent for a time-stamped record.
When you move out, that recording is the difference between getting your caution fee back and losing it to “damages” that were there before you arrived.
10. Not collecting a proper receipt for every payment
Every naira you pay — rent, agency fee, legal fee, caution fee, service charge — must come with a receipt. The receipt should show the landlord’s full name, or the registered name of the property management company, the tenant’s full name, the amount paid (in figures and words), the date of payment, the address of the property, what the payment is for (rent, caution fee, etc.), and the signature of the person receiving.
- Landlord’s full name (or the registered name of the property management company)
- Tenant’s full name
- Amount paid, in figures and words
- Date of payment
- Address of the property
- What the payment is for (rent, caution fee, etc.)
- Signature of the person receiving
Bank transfers are safer than cash — the transfer alert is a formal record. If you choose to pay in cash, insist on a receipt before handing over the money. Under Section 5 of the Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011, tenants have a statutory right to a written receipt for rent paid. Without a receipt, a landlord may claim you never paid.
One bonus tip: know your rights before you need them
Landlord-tenant relationships in Nigeria are governed by state, not federal, law. For example, Lagos enforces the Tenancy Law 2011 (currently being considered for an update bill in 2025). Each state—such as Rivers State, Ogun State, and the Federal Capital Territory—has its own Rent Control and Recovery of Premises laws. Confirm which law is in force where you are renting. Across Nigeria, the following generally hold:
- A landlord cannot evict you by force, change your locks, cut your power, or throw out your belongings. Eviction must go through proper notice and a court order.
- You’re entitled to “quiet enjoyment” of the property — the landlord can’t harass you or show up unannounced.
- Notice periods for termination depend on your tenancy type. It is typically 7 days for weekly tenancies, 1 month for monthly tenancies, and 6 months for yearly tenancies, unless your agreement says otherwise.
Renting in Nigeria isn’t stress-free. Tenants who get burnt usually skip one of these steps. Take your time. Verify everything. Get it in writing. Keep your receipts.