Short Let in Lagos: The Complete Renter's Guide

Renting a short let apartment in Lagos is one of the best accommodation decisions you can make — whether you're visiting for business, relocating on a temporary assignment, escaping your home environment for a proper recharge, or waiting for a longer-term rental to come through. A good Lagos short let gives you full-apartment comfort, reliable power, working internet, a kitchen, and privacy at rates that compete directly with hotels — often for less cost once you factor in what you actually get.

This guide gives you everything you need: which Lagos areas suit which purposes, what drives the price, what should be included, the red flags that signal a scam, and how to book and pay safely online.

The short version: many Lagos short lets on Cabans can now be booked online. Open a home, and if its page shows a booking box, pick your dates, press "Reserve" and pay securely through Paystack. You can browse shortlet apartments in Lagos right now.

What is a short let apartment in Lagos?

A short let is a furnished apartment rented for a short period — typically anywhere from one night to three months. Unlike a hotel room, a short let gives you a full living space: a kitchen you can actually cook in, a separate bedroom, a sitting room, and in many cases multiple bathrooms. Unlike a standard long-term rental, there is no tenancy agreement, no year-upfront payment, and no agency fee — you book, pay, and move in.

In Lagos, short lets range from compact studio apartments to luxury 4-bedroom penthouses with private pools. The market has grown enormously since 2020, driven by demand from business travellers, diaspora returnees, relocating professionals, and increasingly by local Nigerians choosing staycations over hotel stays or travel abroad.

How much does a short let cost in Lagos?

We do not print a price list, because prices change with the area, the home and your dates. These are the things that move a Lagos short let's price up or down:

• The area. Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki usually cost more a night than Ikeja, Yaba, Gbagada or Surulere.
• Your dates. December, public holidays and big events cost more. Hosts can set higher prices for busy days.
• Size and finish. More bedrooms, better furniture and extras such as a pool or gym push the price up.
• Power. 24-hour power with diesel included costs more, but a home that bills diesel on top can end up dearer.
• How long you stay. Some hosts offer a longer-stay discount, such as "7+ nights, 10% off", or free nights. You get whichever saves you more, never both.
• Fees. A host may add a cleaning fee and a refundable caution deposit. Paystack's payment fee is added when you pay.

To see a real price, open a shortlet and choose your dates: the booking box shows the price of each night and your full total before you pay. To compare two homes fairly, use the same dates and compare the totals.

Browse short lets in Lekki | Browse short lets in Victoria Island | Browse short lets in Ikoyi | Browse short lets in Ikeja

What should be included in a Lagos short let

A good Lagos short let should include the following as standard. If a listing omits any of these, ask explicitly before booking:

• Fully furnished rooms: Bed with mattress, sofa set, dining table, wardrobe. Quality varies — look for photos of the actual apartment, not stock images.
• Fully equipped kitchen: Cooker/microwave, kettle, pots, plates, and cutlery. Essential if you plan to cook even occasionally — eating out every meal in Lagos adds up quickly.
• 24-hour generator backup: Non-negotiable in Lagos. Confirm explicitly that the building has a diesel generator that runs continuously, not just for a few hours. Ask how the diesel cost is handled — included in the rate or billed separately.
• Stable internet / Wi-Fi: Confirm speed and reliability, especially for business travellers. Most good short lets offer 10–50Mbps broadband; top-end serviced apartments in VI and Ikoyi offer fibre.
• Air conditioning: All modern Lagos short lets should include A/C in both the bedroom and sitting room. Confirm before booking.
• DSTV or streaming: Typically included. Confirm channel package if it matters.
• Weekly or bi-weekly cleaning: Most serviced apartments include at least one cleaning per week. Nightly stays often include daily tidying.
• Security: Confirm the security provision — 24-hour estate security, CCTV, and estate access control are standard in good short lets. Avoid standalone buildings with no security presence.
• Water supply: Confirm borehole vs LAWMA supply. A functional overhead water tank is the minimum — running out of water mid-stay is a common complaint in lower-quality listings.

Choosing the right Lagos area for your short let

Your choice of Lagos area will define your daily experience more than the apartment itself. Here's a practical breakdown:

• Victoria Island — for business travellers: The highest concentration of corporate offices, law firms, banks, and multinationals in Nigeria. Walk to meetings. Best for short business trips where convenience to work is the priority. Restaurants, bars, and amenities are within walking distance of most VI short lets. Traffic in and out of VI can be severe — if your meetings are spread across Lagos, the commute advantage disappears. See short lets in Victoria Island.
• Lekki Phase 1 / Chevron — for the best overall balance: The most popular short let destination in Lagos for a reason. Good apartments, Atlantic access, a growing food and nightlife scene, and reasonable proximity to VI. Best for leisure stays, extended business stays, and family visits. Expressway traffic is the main drawback for cross-Lagos trips. See short lets in Lekki.
• Ikoyi — for premium leisure and luxury: Lagos' quietest and most prestigious residential island. Ideal for recharging, anniversary stays, or hosting visiting family who expect the best. Limited nightlife but excellent fine dining, the Ikoyi Club, and lagoon views. The most expensive area, with the best-maintained buildings. See short lets in Ikoyi.
• Ikeja — for mainland value: Best value-for-money short lets in Lagos. Good for airport proximity (15 minutes), frequent travellers, and those working in Ikeja GRA or Computer Village. Lower nightly rates with many good-quality apartments. See short lets in Ikeja.
• Ajah / Sangotedo — for extended Island-axis stays on a budget: Lower rates than central Lekki with improving amenities. Best for monthly stays where you'll be working locally. See short lets in Ajah.
• Yaba — for tech professionals and short academic visits: Walkable to UNILAG and most tech hubs. Fewer luxury options but strong value for solo travellers and couples. See short lets in Yaba.

For a deeper neighbourhood comparison: Best Areas for a Short Let in Lagos. Torn between the two sides of the city? Read should you stay on the Island or the Mainland?

Short let scams in Lagos: how to spot them and stay safe

Short let scams are one of the most common property fraud categories in Lagos. The pattern is usually the same: an attractive listing at a slightly-below-market price, a friendly host who insists on WhatsApp communication, a request for partial or full payment via bank transfer before viewing or confirming the booking, and then either a fake apartment or no response after payment.

Here is how to stay safe:

• Book and pay on Cabans. Cabans checks short let listings before they appear. On a listing with a booking box, you pay securely online through Paystack, and your booking, what you paid and your cancellation deadline sit on your stay page.
• Never pay a host straight to their bank account for an online booking. Anyone who asks you to pay outside Cabans for a stay you found on Cabans is a warning sign.
• Request a video call tour for anything you arrange yourself. Ask the host to show you the apartment live on video — the actual unit, not recorded footage. A genuine host can do this. A scammer usually cannot.
• If you book any other way, get it in writing. Insist on a written confirmation, a business name and a physical address before any transfer.
• Prices far below similar homes are a red flag. Compare a few similar shortlets in the same area for the same dates. If one is far cheaper with full service included, something is wrong.
• Confirm the physical address and verify it on Google Maps before arriving. Some scam listings use real building photos but provide a non-existent address.

Short let vs hotel in Lagos: the honest comparison

For stays of three nights or more, a good short let apartment usually beats a comparable hotel on value — especially in Lagos, where taxes and service charges can be added to a hotel's room rate. A short let gives you a kitchen, a full sitting room and reliable internet, and the booking box shows your full total before you pay.

Hotels win on: room service, daily cleaning, consistent brand standards, same-day booking, and being the safest option for solo one-night stops when you don't have time to vet an apartment.

Short lets win on: space per naira, kitchen access (crucial for dietary restrictions or cost control on long stays), privacy, local neighbourhood experience, and value on monthly or extended stays.

See the full comparison: Short Let vs Hotel in Lagos: Which Is Better Value?

How to book a short let on Cabans

1. Find a short let you can book. Browse by area on the short let page. Open a home: if its page shows a booking box with dates and a price, you can book it online.
2. Check the listing details carefully. Confirm power backup, internet, cleaning and what is included. If something matters to you and it is not on the page, message the host before you book.
3. Pick your dates. Green dates are free. The box shows the nights, any cleaning fee, any refundable caution deposit and the free-cancellation deadline.
4. Reserve and pay securely. Press "Reserve" and we hold your dates for 30 minutes (half an hour). Pay online through Paystack, in naira; Paystack's payment fee is shown before you pay. Pay only on Cabans, never straight to a host.
5. Check your stay page before you travel. Once your stay is confirmed, the address, arrival steps and house rules are on your stay page in My Stays. When you arrive, tap "I have arrived"; your door code and Wi-Fi show there once the host checks you in. Lagos traffic is unpredictable, so leave extra time.

If your plans change, cancel before the host's free-cancellation time and you get back 100% of your booking. Paystack’s payment fee is not refunded. Refunds reach you within 14 days at most, usually in about 5 days. Every step is explained in the guest help centre and in how booking a shortlet works.

Own a furnished flat in Lagos? List your Lagos shortlet and take bookings online.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Monthly shortlets in Lagos · Best areas for a short let in Lagos · Shortlet vs hotel in Lagos · Shortlet scams: warning signs