To pay less for a longer shortlet stay, book the whole stay in one go at a home that rewards longer stays. Hosts on Cabans can offer a longer-stay discount or free nights. You see the saving in the “Price Breakdown” before you pay, and you always get whichever offer saves you more.
This works for a weekly shortlet in Lagos, Lekki or Abuja, and for a stay of a month or more. Below, we explain each offer in plain words, work through real examples without prices, and show what never gets cheaper.
Longer-stay discounts
A longer-stay discount takes a percentage off every night once your stay is long enough. A host can set up to three steps, called tiers. For example:
- 7 nights or more: 10% off;
- 14 nights or more: 15% off;
- 28 nights or more: 20% off.
The highest tier you reach counts, and it applies to all your nights. With the tiers above, a 10-night stay gets 10% off all 10 nights. A 30-night stay gets 20% off all 30 nights. A 6-night stay gets no discount at all.
When your dates qualify, the Price Breakdown shows a green line named after the offer, such as “7+ nights, 10% off”. The “Total” already includes the saving.
Looking for a weekly stay now? Browse shortlets in Lekki or shortlet apartments in Abuja, then pick a full week of dates.
Free nights offers
A free-nights offer gives you whole nights for nothing. It reads like “Stay 5 nights, get 1 free”. That means: stay 6 nights, and pay for 5.
The offer repeats as your stay grows. With “Stay 5 nights, get 1 free”:
| Nights you stay | Free nights | Nights you pay for |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | 1 | 10 |
| 12 | 2 | 10 |
Two things to know. First, the free nights are always the cheapest nights in your stay. Second, a home with a free-nights offer shows it above the calendar, in a green line with a small gift icon. So you can spot it before you choose your dates.
You get the better of the two
Some hosts offer both a discount and free nights. You never get both on one stay. Cabans works out which one saves you more money on your dates, and gives you that one. You do not have to choose, and you cannot pick the worse one by mistake.
The Price Breakdown shows the offer you got, by name. If you want to see the other offer win, try a longer or shorter stay and watch the line change.
Worked examples
We use “nights’ worth” instead of naira, so the maths works for any home. In the first three examples every night costs the same. The host offers 7+ nights at 10% off, 14+ nights at 20% off, and “Stay 5 nights, get 1 free”.
| Your stay | The discount saves | Free nights save | You get | You pay for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 nights | Nothing (under 7) | 1 night | 1 free night | 5 nights’ worth |
| 7 nights | 0.7 of a night (10%) | 1 night | 1 free night | 6 nights’ worth |
| 14 nights | 2.8 nights (20%) | 2 nights | 20% off | 11.2 nights’ worth |
When nights cost different amounts. Say your 7 nights include a busy weekend at a higher price. The free night will be one of the cheaper weekday nights. So it may now save less than 10% off the whole stay would. Cabans compares the real money, night by night, and gives you the bigger saving.
The one-night-short trap.Look at 6 nights and 7 nights with only the 10% discount. Six nights cost 6 nights’ worth. Seven nights at 10% off cost 6.3 nights’ worth. So the seventh night costs you less than a third of a normal night. If you might need it anyway, it is worth checking the Total for one more night.
What never gets discounted
- The cleaning fee. A fixed amount, charged once per stay.
- The caution deposit. You get it back after you leave if nothing is damaged. It is shown as “Caution deposit (refundable)”.
- The payment fee. You pay online through Paystack, and Paystack’s payment fee is added when you pay. It is shown before you pay, and it is not refunded.
Discounts and free nights only ever make the nights cheaper. But a longer stay still helps with the cleaning fee: charged once, it adds less to each night the longer you stay. The number of guests never changes the price.
Before you book a long stay
A long stay is a bigger payment, so check these first:
- Free cancellation. The booking box shows until when you can cancel for a full refund of the nights, the cleaning fee and the caution deposit. A stay booked after that time cannot be cancelled. Refunds reach you within 14 days at most, and usually in about 5 days.
- Leaving early. Unused nights are not refunded unless your host approves a refund. Book the length you need, not extra “just in case”.
- Changing dates. Before you arrive, you can ask to change your dates. The discount is worked out again for the new length. A longer stay needs the host to accept.
- Staying longer. Once you are checked in, you can ask to extend. The host must approve, and the extra nights must be free. They cost the home’s night prices, with no discount, and you pay for them online through Paystack.
- The longest stay. Under the calendar, “Longest stay” shows the host’s limit when it is under 90 nights.
Our help guide shows how to check dates and the price for a stay, step by step.
Other ways to pay less on a long stay
- Pick quieter dates. Hosts can set higher prices for busy dates, such as December and public holidays. The same stay a few weeks earlier or later may cost less.
- Look one area over. On a long stay, a slightly longer ride can save a lot. In Lagos, compare the Island with Mainland areas such as Yaba. In Abuja, compare the centre with Gwarinpa.
- Choose the right size. A spare bedroom you never use still costs money every night.
- Book one stay, not several. Two short bookings mean two cleaning fees, and neither may reach an offer.
- Compare Totals. Two homes with the same night price can end up far apart once offers and fees are added.
Finding homes with offers
There is no search filter for offers yet. You find them on each home’s own page. Here is a quick way to do it:
- Open shortlets in the area you need, such as Ikeja, Lekki or Wuse 2.
- On each home, look above the calendar for a green free-nights line.
- Pick your full dates, not just the first night.
- Check the Price Breakdown for a green discount line.
- Compare the Totals, not the night prices.
In Nigeria, “weekly rent” for a furnished flat usually means a shortlet booked by the week. Some hosts set their price per week. Cabans then shares that price over the 7 nights, so a shorter stay pays its share of the week.
Staying a month or more? See monthly shortlets in Lagos. Or find a shortlet you can book anywhere in Nigeria.
A host yourself? Read weekly and monthly shortlet discounts for hosts, then list your short let.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a weekly discount on a shortlet?
Choose a home whose host offers one, and book the whole week in one booking. On Cabans, pick your full dates and look at the Price Breakdown. If your stay reaches the host’s offer, a green line names it, such as “7+ nights, 10% off”, and the Total already includes the saving.
Can I get a longer-stay discount and free nights together?
No. If a host offers both, you get whichever saves you more money on your dates, never both. Cabans works it out for you, so you do not need to choose.
Which nights are free with a free-nights offer?
The cheapest nights in your stay. If some nights cost more than others, for example a busy weekend, the free night is one of the cheaper ones.
Is the cleaning fee discounted on a long stay?
No. The cleaning fee and the caution deposit are never discounted. But a cleaning fee is charged once per stay, so on a long stay it adds very little to each night.
If I change my dates, does my discount change?
Yes. When you change your dates, the discount is worked out again for the new length of stay. A shorter stay may lose a discount, and a longer one may gain one.
Do I get money back if I leave a long stay early?
Usually not. The unused nights are not refunded unless your host approves a refund. So book the length you really need, and do not add nights just in case.
Related guides
Monthly shortlet or rent a flat? · How long is a short let? · Cheap shortlets in Abuja · How much is a shortlet in Lagos? · How to book a shortlet in Lagos
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