How landlords, agents exploit tenants in Nigeria’s cities

Renting a house in major Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt has become a grueling ordeal, with landlords and estate agents colluding to exploit tenants.

In Lagos, searching for accommodation has turned into a frustrating and costly experience, where renters are forced to navigate inflated rents and arbitrary fees with little recourse.

Many tenants face charges that far exceed legal limits.

A two-bedroom flat that once rented for ₦1 million now goes for up to ₦3.5 million per year, with agency and agreement fees of ₦600,000 each, plus additional maintenance costs.

Chidinma Samuel, a single mother in Egbe, Lagos, paid ₦350,000 for a one-bedroom apartment but was forced to pay an extra ₦300,000 in fees.

Kingsley Odor, who spent six months searching for a three-bedroom flat in Surulere, found a unit for ₦3.5 million but was asked by the agent to pay an additional ₦1.2 million, bringing the total to ₦4.7 million.

These charges disregard the Lagos Tenancy Law of 2011, which caps agency fees at 10 percent of annual rent.

By that standard, Chidinma’s fees should have been just ₦35,000 and Kingsley’s about ₦350,000.

In highbrow areas, the situation is even worse, with two-bedroom apartments renting for ₦3.5–₦4 million attracting extra charges including agreement fees, commissions, service charges, and caution fees, pushing total costs to over ₦5 million annually.

Odor also recounted that some agents inflate rents without the landlord intervening, turning tenants into easy targets.

Analysts blame the crisis on weak enforcement, unregulated practices, and a widening housing deficit.

While the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) and the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMS) were introduced to protect tenants and improve housing affordability, many renters continue to face exploitation.

A new bill is in the works to safeguard tenants and check the exploitative practices of agents and landlords, but for now, renters in Nigeria’s cities continue to struggle in a system that heavily favors property owners.