To verify an estate agent in Nigeria, check three things before you pay anything: who they are, whether they have the owner's authority to let or sell the property, and where your money is going. In practice that means confirming any professional registration, searching the business name at the Corporate Affairs Commission, visiting the office, seeing the landlord's written instruction and proof of ownership, and paying only into an account you have matched to a name, with a receipt. The checklist below can be worked through in an afternoon.
It assumes you already have an agent in front of you. If you are still looking for one, start with how to find an estate agent in Nigeria.
1. Check professional registration
Estate surveying and valuation is a regulated profession in Nigeria. Practitioners are registered with the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and belong to the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), which keeps a membership directory. Ask the agent which firm they practise under and for a registration number, then confirm the name with the body. A certificate sent as a photograph proves little on its own.
Many people who let property hold no such registration, especially at street level. That is a fact of the market rather than proof of bad faith, but it moves the weight onto every other check on this list. An agent who claims a registration that does not check out has answered the question for you.
2. In Lagos, ask about LASRERA
Lagos State has a Real Estate Regulatory Authority, LASRERA, with which property practitioners operating in the state are expected to register. If you are renting or buying in Lagos, ask whether the agent or their firm is registered and under what name, and check that name with the authority. A complaint about a practitioner operating in Lagos can also be raised with the authority.
3. Search the business at the CAC
A firm that gives you a company name, a letterhead or a company bank account should appear on the Corporate Affairs Commission's public search. Look for an exact match between three names: the one on the search, the one on the receipt you are offered, and the one on the bank account. A “company” whose account turns out to be in an individual's name is not a company payment.
4. Visit the office
Ask where the office is and go there before you pay. You are looking for a place of business that other people can confirm, not a meeting point at a filling station. Note the address, the signboard name and the full names of the people you deal with. An agent with a fixed address has something to lose, and you have somewhere to return to if the deal goes wrong.
5. See the authority to let
An agent acts for the owner, so ask to see the instruction: a signed letter or mandate from the landlord authorising the agent to let that property. Where several agents stand in a chain, only one of them holds that instruction, and that is the person whose paperwork counts. If the property is managed rather than simply advertised, the management agreement does the same job.
6. Meet the landlord or see proof of ownership
Before rent is paid, speak to the landlord at least once, in person if you can, and ask for sight of a document that shows who owns the property. For a tenancy you do not need a full title investigation; you need the name on that document to match the landlord named in your tenancy agreement and the account the rent is going to. Neighbours, the caretaker or an existing tenant can usually confirm who the landlord is.
A purchase is different: title has to be verified at the land registry by your own solicitor. For Lagos, see how to verify a C of O in Lagos.
7. Control where the money goes
- Rent goes to the landlord. Pay the landlord's own account, or a verified company account. Avoid an individual agent's personal account.
- Nothing without a receipt. That includes small sums: an inspection charge, a holding deposit or a “commitment” payment.
- Nothing before you have seen the property. View it, meet the people involved, then pay.
- Transfers, not cash. A bank transfer leaves a record of who received the money and when.
- Fees last. The agency and agreement fees fall due when the landlord has confirmed the letting and the agreement is ready to sign. What those fees should be is covered in agency and agreement fees in Lagos.
What each receipt should say is set out in what a tenancy receipt must contain.
The checklist in one place
| Check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|
| ESVARBON / NIESV | The name and number confirmed by the body, where registration is claimed |
| LASRERA (Lagos) | The practitioner or firm registered with the state authority |
| CAC search | Business name matches the receipt and the bank account |
| Office | A fixed address you have visited |
| Authority to let | A signed instruction from the owner for this property |
| Landlord and ownership | One name across the ownership document, the agreement and the rent account |
| Payment | Transfer after viewing, to a matched account, with a signed receipt |
When a check fails
One gap is not always fatal. An unregistered agent with a real office, a written instruction and a landlord you have met is a very different risk from a registered name you cannot confirm and an account that does not match. Two or more failures, or any pressure to pay before you have finished checking, is a reason to walk away. The patterns fraudsters rely on are described in how to avoid property scams in Nigeria.
You can cut the number of intermediaries by starting from listings that name the advertiser: search homes for rent on Cabans. Agents and landlords who want to be found by tenants doing these checks can list a property on Cabans.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if an estate agent is registered in Nigeria?
Ask for the name the agent practises under and any registration number. Estate surveyors and valuers are registered with the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and are members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV). In Lagos, property practitioners are expected to register with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA). Check the name with the body itself rather than relying on a certificate sent as a photo.
Are all estate agents in Nigeria licensed?
No. Many people who work as agents, especially in the letting market, hold no professional registration. That does not make every one of them dishonest, but it means the other checks matter more: a registered business, a real office, proof of the landlord’s instruction, and payments that are documented.
How do I confirm that an agent really represents the landlord?
Ask to see the agent’s authority to let, which is a signed instruction from the owner, and ask to meet or speak to the landlord before paying rent. Compare the landlord’s name with the name on the proof of ownership and with the landlord named in the tenancy agreement. The three should match.
Should I pay rent into an agent’s personal account?
Avoid it. Pay rent to the landlord’s own account, or to a company account in the name of a registered business you have checked. If a payment to an agent is unavoidable, the landlord should confirm the instruction in writing first, and you should receive a signed receipt straight away.
How do I check that an agent’s company is real?
Search the business name on the Corporate Affairs Commission public search. It shows whether a company or business name is registered and its status. The name on the search should match the name on the agent’s receipts and on the bank account you are asked to pay into.
What if the agent refuses to let me meet the landlord?
Some landlords prefer not to deal with tenants day to day, and that is reasonable. What is not reasonable is an agent who can produce no written authority, no proof of who owns the property and no route to the owner at all. Without at least one of those you cannot know that the person taking your money has the right to let the property.
Related guides
How to find an estate agent in Nigeria · Avoid property scams in Nigeria · Estate agent fees in Nigeria · Inspection fees: should you pay? · Lagos area guides
Take the next step
Keep your research practical: search for property in Lagos, compare live options for properties in Lagos, or list your property on Cabans to reach active buyers and renters.
Not ready yet? Get an email when new listings go up in Lagos.