You find a place. The rent is ₦1,800,000 a year, which seems survivable. Then the agent explains that the landlord wants two years up front, in cash, before you see a key.
This is the defining feature of the Lagos rental market. It catches everybody: people arriving from abroad, people arriving from other states, and Lagosians moving between flats.
What the law says
The Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 is clear. Section 4 makes it an offence for a landlord — or an agent — to demand or receive more than:
| Tenancy | Maximum advance |
|---|---|
| Monthly | 6 months |
| Yearly | 12 months |
It is an offence for the tenant to offer more, too, which is the part nobody mentions.
On a ₦1,800,000 flat, the lawful ceiling for a yearly tenancy is ₦1,800,000. The 24 months you will actually be asked for is ₦3,600,000 — 12 months more than the Law allows.
Warning
The Tenancy Law does not apply everywhere in Lagos. Section 1(3) excludes Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Those are exactly the areas where the rents are highest, and a landlord there is not bound by the limits above at all.
The advance is not the whole bill
The rent is the number you negotiate. It is not the number you pay. Each of these is charged on top, as a share of the annual rent:
| Charge | Rate | On ₦1,800,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Agency fee | 10% | to the agent |
| “Legal” or agreement fee | 10% | often to nobody in particular |
| Caution deposit | 10% | refundable, in principle |
Together that is 30% of the annual rent, or ₦540,000.
So the real figure to move into a mid-range one-bedroom is ₦4,140,000 — about 34.5 times the median monthly salary in Nigeria, handed over at once, before you have bought a mattress.
The “legal fee” deserves its own warning. It is charged for preparing the tenancy agreement. Ask to see the agreement and ask which lawyer drafted it. Frequently there is no lawyer and the document is a form bought at a stationer.
What you can actually do about it
You will probably pay it. Housing is scarce, landlords set the terms, and the alternative to paying is usually no house. Being right is not the same as having somewhere to live.
Knowing the number is still worth something.
- Ask for one year instead of two. It is the lawful position and some landlords will take it, particularly for a flat that has been empty.
- Get a receipt for every naira, naming the period the rent covers. Section 4 also requires the landlord to give one.
- Do not pay into an agent’s personal account. Pay the landlord, and get the landlord’s name onto the agreement.
- Check who actually owns it. An agent with keys is not proof of anything.
When the tenancy ends
Notice periods are set by section 13, and they are longer than most tenants expect:
- A monthly tenant is entitled to 1 month’s notice
- A yearly tenant is entitled to 6 months’ notice
A landlord cannot lawfully evict you by changing the locks, removing the roof, cutting off the power or sending area boys. Eviction is a court process. Self-help eviction is an offence under section 44, whatever the landlord believes about who is right.