A complete 8-step tenant guide — calculating your real move-in cost, choosing the right area, spotting scams, negotiating, and signing safely.
Every cost you should budget for before renting an apartment in Nigeria — not just the headline rent.
| Cost Item | Typical Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rent | Your agreed rent | Paid upfront in full or in agreed instalments |
| Agency fee | 5–10% of annual rent | Paid to the estate agent. Negotiate — 5% is increasingly common |
| Legal / agreement fee | 5% of annual rent | For drafting and stamping the tenancy agreement |
| Service charge | ₦20,000 – ₦300,000/yr | Covers estate security, cleaning, waste, generator diesel in some estates |
| Caution / security deposit | 1–2 months' rent | Refundable at end of tenancy if property is undamaged. Not universal |
| Utility connection fees | ₦5,000 – ₦30,000 | PHCN reconnection, water board registration if applicable |
Example: a ₦600,000/year apartment in Yaba could cost ₦750,000–₦900,000 to move into in the first year once all fees are included.
The rent figure alone never tells you what renting an apartment in Nigeria will actually cost. Before searching, calculate the full first-year cost: annual rent, agency fee (typically 5–10% of annual rent), legal and tenancy agreement fees (typically 5% of annual rent), service charge (if the property is in an estate), security deposit (some landlords request one to two months' rent as caution), and any connection fees for utilities. In Lagos or Abuja, a flat with ₦600,000 annual rent may require ₦900,000–₦1,000,000 to move in after all costs. Budget for the full amount before beginning your search.
Area selection is a permanent trade-off between rent affordability and commute time. In Lagos, living on the Island (Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi) is more expensive but reduces daily commute if you work there. Mainland options (Yaba, Gbagada, Surulere, Ikeja, Magodo) offer significantly lower rents but add 45–120 minutes to a daily Island commute. In Abuja, Maitama, Wuse 2, and Garki are the premium zones — Gwarinpa, Kubwa, and Lugbe offer much more affordable rents. Decide on your maximum acceptable commute time before filtering by price.
Use a property platform that verifies listings — this filters out a significant proportion of scam and ghost listings. On Cabans, all listings are verified before going live, which means the property exists and the contact is legitimate. Filter by: property type (flat, mini flat, self-contain, detached house), number of bedrooms, area, and price range. Read the full listing description carefully — a good listing will state generator hours, service charge, parking, and payment terms. If a listing has no photos, no price, or no description, move on.
Before arranging a viewing, ask: (1) Is the property still available? (2) What is the annual rent and what payment terms are acceptable — annual, 6-monthly, or quarterly? (3) What is the service charge and what does it cover? (4) How many hours of generator power per day? (5) Is parking available and included? (6) When can the property be available for moving in? These questions take two minutes to ask and eliminate properties that do not meet your requirements before you spend time and money visiting.
Never rent an apartment in Nigeria without a physical inspection. Photos can misrepresent size, condition, and neighbourhood. At the viewing: check water pressure at multiple taps, ask to see the generator and confirm it starts, check all electrical sockets, inspect the ceiling for water stains, check window and door locks, check mobile network signal strength in the apartment, and walk the neighbourhood at different times of day if possible. Your viewing is also your opportunity to negotiate — a property with visible maintenance issues gives you legitimate leverage.
Before paying anything, verify that the person you are dealing with has the legal right to let the property. Ask to see the title document and confirm the name matches the person or company you are dealing with. If the property is managed by an agent, confirm they have a written mandate from the titled owner. Caution: the most common rental fraud in Nigeria involves someone who does not own the property collecting rent and deposits from multiple victims. Verification takes less than an hour and prevents devastating financial loss.
In Nigeria's rental market, negotiation is expected. Common negotiation points: rental price (compare to two or three comparable listings in the same area and negotiate toward market rate), payment terms (quarterly or 6-monthly instead of full annual upfront), service charge inclusion or reduction, agreement to repaint walls or carry out specific repairs before move-in, and caution deposit terms. For well-presented properties in high-demand areas, negotiation room is smaller. For properties that have been vacant for more than six weeks, landlords are usually willing to move significantly on price or terms.
A signed tenancy agreement is your legal protection as a tenant. It should state: property address, parties' names, duration of tenancy, rent amount, payment dates, landlord's obligations (maintenance responsibilities), tenant's obligations, conditions for renewal, and notice period for termination. Read every clause before signing. Pay by bank transfer — never cash without a receipt. Keep all payment receipts indefinitely. A landlord who refuses to provide a written tenancy agreement is a landlord you should not rent from.
These warning signs appear in a significant proportion of Nigerian rental scams. If you see any of them, pause before proceeding.
⚠ No physical address or vague location
A listing that says 'Lekki Phase 1 area' with no street name or estate is a red flag. Legitimate landlords can give a specific address for viewing.
⚠ Price significantly below market
A 2-bedroom flat in Lekki listed at ₦250,000/year when comparables are ₦700,000–₦900,000 is almost certainly fraudulent. Scammers use low prices to attract maximum victims.
⚠ Cannot arrange a viewing
If an agent or landlord is consistently unable to arrange a physical viewing — 'key holder is unavailable', 'I'm travelling' — walk away. A genuine landlord wants you to see the property.
⚠ Requests payment before inspection
Never pay any amount — including a 'holding deposit' or 'registration fee' — before you have physically inspected the property and verified the landlord's identity. No legitimate landlord requires pre-inspection payment.
⚠ Pressure to decide immediately
Real urgency exists in competitive markets, but artificial urgency ('three other people are viewing today, you must decide now') is a manipulation technique. Take the time you need for verification.
⚠ No tenancy agreement offered
A landlord who does not offer a written tenancy agreement is offering no legal protection for your tenancy. It is not a good sign about how disputes will be handled later.
Check all of these at every viewing — issues found here are your negotiating leverage.
Water pressure — run all taps simultaneously
Generator — ask to start it and check runtime hours
Electrical sockets — test with a phone charger
Ceiling and walls — check for water stains, damp, or cracks
Window and door locks — open and close all of them
Mobile signal strength in each room
Natural light — visit during the day, not early morning or evening
Parking — confirm number of spaces and whether included
Security — gate type, CCTV, gateman hours, estate patrol
Neighbourhood — walk the street and assess condition of neighbouring properties
Agency fee in Nigeria is typically 5–10% of the annual rent, paid by the tenant to the estate agent who facilitated the letting. On a ₦600,000/year apartment, agency fee would be ₦30,000–₦60,000. Agency fees are not standardised and are negotiable — pushing back to 5% is increasingly accepted, particularly in softer rental markets or for longer tenancies. If you are dealing directly with the landlord (no agent), there should be no agency fee — but confirm this explicitly.
Landlords in Nigeria typically request: a valid government-issued ID (national ID card, international passport, or driver's licence), one to three months' pay slips or a bank statement to demonstrate income (for professional tenants), a letter of employment or business registration (where applicable), and a passport photograph. Some landlords — particularly in high-end estates — may also request a reference letter from a previous landlord or employer. These requirements vary; private landlords in lower-rent brackets often ask for very little beyond ID.
Three verification steps: (1) Use a platform that verifies listings before they go live — Cabans reviews all listings to confirm the property exists and the contact is genuine. (2) Arrange a physical viewing before any payment — a scam listing will always find a reason to avoid an in-person visit. (3) Verify the landlord's identity and ownership — ask for the title document and confirm the name. If any of these three steps are blocked or resisted, treat the listing as suspicious.
Yes — negotiation is normal and expected. Research comparable listings in the same area first. For properties that have been vacant more than six weeks, negotiate on both price and terms — landlords become more flexible the longer a property sits. Common negotiation wins include: 5–10% rent reduction, quarterly or 6-monthly payment terms instead of full annual payment, painting before move-in, or specific repairs. Premium properties in high-demand areas (Lekki Phase 1, Victoria Island, Maitama) have less negotiation room.
Service charge is an annual fee paid by tenants in estates or gated developments to cover shared facilities and services — typically: 24-hour estate security, cleaning of common areas, waste collection, estate road maintenance, and sometimes communal generator or borehole access. Service charges range from ₦20,000/year for basic estates to ₦300,000+/year for premium gated developments with full facilities. Always clarify what the service charge covers and whether it is included in the rent or billed separately. Surprise service charges are one of the most common post-agreement tenant complaints.
The most affordable areas with reasonable infrastructure and access to the Island: Gbagada (₦250,000–₦600,000/year for 2-bedroom), Surulere (₦200,000–₦500,000/year), Yaba (₦250,000–₦700,000/year, especially near the tech cluster), Ikeja (₦300,000–₦800,000/year), and Magodo (₦350,000–₦900,000/year in Phase 2 estate). Ajah and Sangotedo on the Island axis offer Island proximity at mainland-adjacent pricing (₦350,000–₦900,000/year for 2-bedroom). Avoid making a final decision without visiting at different times of day to assess commute and neighbourhood conditions.
Browse verified rental listings across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan. Every Cabans listing is checked — so you can search with confidence.