Rental Fraud in Lagos and Abuja: How to Verify a Landlord

You find a clean two-bedroom flat online. The photos are bright, the rent is lower than similar flats nearby, and the "agent" says three other people are ready to pay today. He asks you to send a deposit to hold it, and you can inspect "later". That sequence, cheap price plus pressure plus pay-before-seeing, is the core of most rental fraud in big Nigerian cities.

This guide gives you a repeatable set of checks to run before you hand over any money, whether you're renting in Lagos, Abuja or anywhere similar. It's general information, not legal advice. Rules on agent fees, notice periods and rent advance differ by state, so confirm current rules with a lawyer or the relevant state authority.

How rental scams usually work

Knowing the common patterns makes them easier to recognise in the moment.

The phantom listing. Photos are copied from a real listing or a foreign property site. The "landlord" is abroad or "travelling", so nobody can show you the place.
The fake agent. Someone with no authority over the property shows you a real, vacant flat, collects "inspection" and "form" fees from many people, then disappears.
The double-let. A genuine caretaker or a former tenant collects rent from you, while the real owner has no idea. Or the same flat is let to several people at once.
The rogue "family member". A relative or a tenant on the way out pretends to be the owner and takes a year's rent.
The disputed property. The landlord is real, but the title is contested, so you risk eviction after you've paid and moved in. See our guide on land fraud and the documents to verify for the ownership side.

Red flags before you even view

Rent clearly below the going rate for that street, with no explanation.
Pressure: "others are coming today", "pay now to hold it".
No physical address until you pay, or an address that doesn't match the photos.
The contact only uses WhatsApp, refuses calls, or won't meet at the property.
The owner is "abroad" and everything must be handled through one person you can't verify.
Payment requested to a personal account with a different name from the person you met.
A request for payment in cash into someone's hand, with no receipt.

Step 1: Check the listing itself

Save the photos and run a reverse image search. If the same pictures appear under another address, another price or another country, walk away. Compare the asking rent with at least three similar listings in that area, and ask neighbours or nearby shop owners what flats there typically go for.

Then ask the person to send the exact address and to meet you there. Genuine agents expect this. Scammers stall.

Step 2: Verify who you are dealing with

Ask yourself who has the legal right to let this property: the owner, or someone with written authority from the owner. Run these checks in order.

Ask the agent for proof of authority. That means a written letter or agency agreement signed by the owner, with the owner's phone number.
Call the owner directly. Use a number you got independently, such as from a neighbour, the estate association or the property management office. Don't rely only on the number the agent gives you.
Check the agent's business. A real agency should have a physical office you can visit, a registered business name and a track record. You can look for a business name through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) search on the CAC website. Registration alone doesn't prove honesty, but its absence is a warning. Also ask whether they belong to a professional body, then confirm membership with that body directly.
Ask the current occupants or neighbours. If the flat is occupied, ask who they pay and who owns the building. In an estate, the residents' association or facility manager usually knows.
Match names. The name on the ownership document, the person you speak to, the agreement and the account receiving money should line up, or have a documented reason why they don't.

Step 3: Verify the property and ownership

You don't need to be a lawyer to ask for basic documents. Ask the landlord to show proof of ownership: a title document, such as a Certificate of Occupancy, deed of assignment or a similar title paper, depending on how the land is held. Ask for a copy, and note that you can't judge authenticity by looking at it.

For anything beyond a short, cheap rental, pay a property lawyer to do a search at the relevant land registry. In Lagos that means the state land registry; in Abuja it's the FCT land administration. Confirm the current process and cost with the lawyer, as procedures change. For a high-rent flat, a few thousand naira on a search is small next to a year's rent.

Also look at the building. Does the landlord's story fit it? A "newly built" block with signs of years of occupation, or a building with several caretakers each claiming authority, deserves more questions.

Step 4: Inspect properly

Visit in daylight and again in the evening if you can, to check noise, security and street lighting.
Run taps, check the water source, test sockets and ask how electricity is billed (prepaid meter, shared meter or generator contribution).
Ask what service charges, estate dues, waste fees and security levies apply, and get the figures in writing.
Take dated photos of damage before you move in.

Step 5: Pay safely

Pay by bank transfer, never in cash without a receipt, and pay only after you've seen the property and verified the owner. Check the account name at the time of transfer. If the agent says the rent goes to the landlord, the account name should be the landlord's or the agency's registered name.

Separate the amounts: rent, agent fee, legal or agreement fee, and caution deposit if any. Ask for each to be listed and get a receipt for each one. Never send "inspection fees" to people you haven't met. If someone insists on a cash deposit to "reserve" the flat, offer a small refundable amount against a signed holding note, or decline.

Because the money for rent is usually large, build it up in advance rather than borrowing in a hurry. Our post on sinking funds for rent and school fees shows how, and a rushed budget is exactly what scammers exploit.

Step 6: Get a proper tenancy agreement

Do not move in on a verbal promise. A written agreement should include:

Full names of the landlord and tenant, with the property's exact address.
Rent amount, payment dates and what period it covers.
Any deposit and the conditions for its return.
Notice periods for both sides.
Who handles repairs, and who pays service charges and utilities.
Signatures of both parties and a witness, dated.

Keep your copy and all receipts safe, ideally photographed and backed up. Have a lawyer read it if the rent is significant. Tenancy rules differ between states, and Lagos has its own tenancy legislation, so ask the lawyer what applies to your case rather than assuming.

A hypothetical worked example

Say Ada is relocating to Abuja and finds a flat listed at ₦1,800,000 a year when similar flats nearby are ₦2,800,000. The agent asks for ₦50,000 as an "inspection fee" and ₦500,000 to hold the flat.

Instead, Ada does this. She insists on meeting at the address first. The agent comes up with an excuse, so she asks for a letter of authority and the landlord's number. He sends a number, but a neighbour tells her the landlord's name is different. She runs a reverse image search and finds the same photos on another listing in a different area. She has now spent nothing but a few phone calls and avoided losing roughly ₦550,000 upfront, with the full year's rent still to come.

The numbers are made up, but the sequence is realistic: low price, fees before viewing, vague authority, mismatched details.

Lagos and Abuja: what differs

Issue	Lagos	Abuja
Common risk	Many agents on one listing, pressure on high-demand areas	Fake agents and caretakers collecting fees on empty flats
Land registry checks	Through the state land registry, via a lawyer	Through FCT land administration, via a lawyer
Estate rules	Check estate dues and residents' association rules	Check service charges and any district-specific rules
Rules on fees and notice	Confirm current Lagos tenancy rules with a lawyer	Confirm current FCT rules with a lawyer

Both cities have honest agents. The difference is the checks you do, not the city.

Common mistakes to avoid

Paying because a flat "looks like it's going fast".
Trusting a signed paper without verifying who signed it.
Sending money to an account in a name unrelated to anyone you met.
Not asking for receipts for small fees, which add up.
Letting a friend's recommendation replace your own check. A friend can be fooled too.
Moving in before the agreement is signed.

If you've already been scammed

Contact your bank straight away with the transfer details and ask about a dispute or trace. Speed matters.
Keep every chat, receipt, listing screenshot and phone number.
Report to the police, and see our guide on checks for real-estate schemes on social media if the "agent" was found there.
Warn the platform that hosted the listing.
Be wary of anyone who offers to "recover" your money for an upfront fee. Victims are often targeted a second time.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to pay an agent to "hold" a flat?

Only after you've seen the property, verified who has authority and received a written, signed acknowledgement stating what the money is for and whether it's refundable. Without those, it's a risk.

What if the landlord lives abroad?

That's common and not automatically a scam. Ask for a power of attorney or signed authority for the representative, then confirm it directly with the landlord by video call and through a lawyer.

Can I trust a flat listed on a big property website?

Not automatically. Listings on any platform can be fake or copied. Run the same checks regardless of where you found it.

Should I use a lawyer?

For a long lease or high rent, yes. A lawyer can verify title, review the agreement and advise on state rules. Compare their fee to the amount you're about to pay.

Your next step: before you contact any agent, write down a short checklist from this guide (authority letter, owner's number, address visit, account name, receipts) and refuse to pay until each line is ticked.

This article is for general information only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Prices, rates and rules change quickly, so check current details before making money decisions.