How to spot a fake landlord or agent in Nigeria

The clearest sign of a fake landlord or a fake agent in Nigeria is a request for money before you have seen the property in person and confirmed who owns it. Other warning signs are pressure to pay today, excuses for not showing you inside, no documents, and an account name that doesn't match the person you are dealing with.

A genuine landlord or agent can wait for you to inspect, answer questions and issue a receipt. The checks below take a few days at most, and they cost far less than losing your rent to someone who never had the keys.

Signs you are dealing with a fake agent in Nigeria

One sign on its own may have an innocent explanation. Two or more together is a reason to stop and check properly.

• Money before inspection. They want rent, a deposit or a "form fee" to "hold" the flat before you have stood inside it.
• The price is far below what similar flats on the same street go for, and there is a story to explain it.
• They are always too busy to show you inside, or the "caretaker" who opens the gate seems unsure where the light switches or the meter are.
• The landlord is "abroad" or "in the village" and can't speak to you, even by video call.
• They rush you: other people are paying tomorrow, the offer ends tonight, the landlord is travelling.
• They can't name the owner, or the name keeps changing.
• They ask you to pay into a personal account in a different name, or in cash with no receipt.
• The listing photos also appear on other sites under different addresses or contact numbers.
• They refuse to put the agreement, the fees and the payment terms in writing.

Checks to make before you pay anything

Do these in order. If the person stops replying when you ask, you have your answer.

1. Inspect in person. Go inside, open the taps, try the doors and look at the meter. If you are abroad, send someone you trust, or ask for a live video call where they walk from the gate into every room.
2. Ask who owns the property and how the agent is connected to them. A genuine agent can tell you, and can usually arrange for you to meet or speak with the landlord before you pay.
3. Ask the neighbours, the estate security or the residents' association who manages the building. They often know if the flat is really vacant and who collects the rent.
4. In Lagos, check the agent or agency on the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) practitioner register. The authority's own advice is to confirm a practitioner's licence status before you transact. Outside Lagos, ask the agent for their company registration and office address, and visit the office.
5. Run the listing photos through a reverse image search. Photos copied from another listing, or from a hotel or a foreign site, are a strong warning sign.
6. Ask what document the landlord holds for the property. For a large payment, or anything involving land or a sale, have your own lawyer check the documents before you pay.
7. Make sure the name on the bank account matches the landlord, the agent or the agency named in your agreement.

Keep a paper trail when you do pay

Pay by bank transfer, not cash, so there is a record of who received the money. Keep the transfer receipt and screenshots of the chat where the amount was agreed.

Ask for a written receipt for every payment, signed by the person who received it, with the property address, what the payment covers and the period it covers. Read the tenancy agreement before you sign, and don't sign blank or half-filled pages.

Collect the keys on the day you pay, and check that they open every door. A scammer who has borrowed a flat for the afternoon can't hand over a full set of keys for long.

How property scams usually play out

Knowing the common patterns makes them easier to spot early.

• The borrowed flat. Someone with temporary access, such as a former tenant or a worker on site, shows a vacant flat to several people and collects money from each.
• The absent landlord. A "landlord" who lives abroad sends photos and a contract by WhatsApp and asks for rent before anyone can view.
• The copied listing. Photos and a description are lifted from a real advert and posted again with a new phone number and a lower price.
• Fee after fee. An inspection fee, then a form fee, then a "reservation" fee, and the flat is never quite ready to see.

What to do if you have already paid a fake landlord or agent

Act quickly. The sooner the bank and the authorities hear about it, the better your chances.

1. Stop paying. Don't send a "final" fee to release the keys.
2. Call your bank straight away, tell them the transfer was a fraud, and give them the receiving account details.
3. Save the evidence: receipts, account numbers, phone numbers, chats, voice notes and the original listing.
4. Report it at a police station, and report fraud to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In Lagos you can also file a complaint with LASRERA.
5. Report the listing to the website or app where you found it, so it can be taken down before someone else pays.

How OgaLanLord reviews property listings

Every listing is reviewed by our team before it goes live, including a call to the owner or agent. That review is a first filter. It doesn't replace your own inspection, your own questions or a written receipt, so keep making the checks above whichever website you use.

If something about a listing on OgaLanLord doesn't add up, report it to our team with the listing link and what happened. Our safety page has more on spotting fraud.

Questions people ask

Are agents who charge fees fake?

No. Genuine agents charge for their work. What matters is when you pay, who you pay and whether you get a receipt that says what the fee covers.

What if the landlord really does live abroad?

Many do. They should have a representative in Nigeria with written authority to let the property, and they should be willing to speak to you by video call before you pay.

Should I pay something to hold a flat I like?

Only after you have inspected it and made the checks above. Get a receipt that names the property and says whether the money is refundable.

Find a home and check it properly

Start with our step-by-step guide to renting a house in Lagos, then browse property listings on OgaLanLord. Whatever you find, inspect before you pay and keep every receipt.

Photos: cover, house keys held at a door lock by Shixart1985 (CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized), via Wikimedia Commons; contract, "Legal Contract & Signature - Warm Tones" by Blogtrepreneur (CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized), via Wikimedia Commons.