Moving into a new house: a checklist for tenants in Nigeria

Before you carry a single box into a new rented home, check the meter, the water supply and the locks, and record the condition of every room. Then sort out fire safety and pest control in the first week. This moving into a new house checklist puts those jobs in order, says which artisan handles each one, and tells you what to ask the landlord or caretaker while they are still around to answer.

Most of it takes a day or two. Doing it before your furniture arrives is easier than doing it around your furniture.

Before you move your things in

1. Record the condition of every room. Take dated photos and a slow video of the walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, sockets and fittings, and send a copy to the landlord or agent. It helps you when you move out and ask for your caution deposit back.
2. Ask the landlord or caretaker for every key, the meter details, how water gets to the flat, and who to call for repairs.
3. Fumigate while the rooms are empty. Ask the fumigator which chemical they will use and how long to keep the rooms closed before anyone sleeps there.
4. Clean and paint, if the agreement allows it, before the furniture goes in.

Electricity: check the meter and the account

Write down the meter number and find out which distribution company (DisCo) serves the building. If it is a prepaid meter, check that it accepts a token and shows the units correctly. If it is a postpaid meter, ask for the last bill.

Ask the landlord, in writing, whether anything is owed on the account, and confirm it at the DisCo's customer care office before you start paying for light. Old debts left by the last occupant are easier to sort out on day one than after the DisCo disconnects you.

If the DisCo doesn't resolve a billing or meter problem, the regulator sets out the route on its complaints and redress page: a written complaint at the DisCo's nearest customer care unit first, then the NERC Forum office for your area if you aren't satisfied with the answer.

Walk round with a phone charger and test every socket. Check that the changeover switch for the generator or inverter works, and that the wiring at the distribution board looks tidy. Scorch marks, loose cables or a smell of burning are jobs for an electrician before you plug in a fridge.

Water: tank, pump and taps

Find out where your water comes from: a borehole, a well, the public supply or a water vendor. Ask who pays for diesel or power for the pumping machine, and how the cost is shared between tenants.

• Ask when the overhead tank was last washed. If nobody knows, arrange for it to be cleaned before you rely on the water.
• Run every tap and flush every toilet. Look under sinks for drips and around the toilet base for damp.
• Check the water heater, if there is one, and whether it has a safety valve.
• Find the stopcock or valve that shuts off water to your flat, so you can close it fast if a pipe bursts.

Locks, doors and windows

Former tenants, agents and workers may still have keys. Ask the landlord whether the locks were changed after the last tenant left. If not, ask for permission to change them, and agree in writing who pays.

A carpenter or locksmith can change the lock cylinders without replacing the whole door. Check the burglary-proof bars on the windows, the back door, and any door to a shared corridor or rooftop. Keep one spare set of keys with someone you trust, not under the mat.

If you live in an estate, introduce yourself at the gate and ask how gate passes for visitors and deliveries work. Save the numbers for estate security and the residents' association.

Fire and gas safety

Buy a fire extinguisher for the kitchen and learn how to use it before you need it. Fit a smoke alarm in the corridor between the kitchen and the bedrooms, and press its test button regularly.

• Keep the gas cylinder where air can move around it, check the hose and regulator for cracks, and turn the cylinder off at night.
• Put the generator outside, away from windows and doors. Generator fumes contain carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell, and it can kill people in their sleep.
• Don't run heavy appliances from one extension board.
• Know two ways out of the building, and keep the keys to the burglary-proof door where every adult can reach them.

Your moving into a new house checklist for the first week

• Meter number noted, DisCo identified, no debt on the account
• Every socket tested; changeover switch working
• Tank cleaned or confirmed clean; pump arrangement agreed
• All taps, toilets and drains working, with no leaks
• Locks changed or confirmed changed; spare keys with someone you trust
• Fire extinguisher and smoke alarm in place; generator outside
• Rooms fumigated
• Photos and video of the flat's condition sent to the landlord
• Numbers saved for the caretaker, landlord, estate security and a plumber and electrician

Which artisans you may need

You may need some of these in your first few weeks.

• Electrician: faulty sockets, the changeover switch, new lighting points or an inverter connection.
• Plumber: leaks, a weak shower, a running toilet or a new water heater. Our guide to hiring a plumber in Lagos lists the questions to ask.
• Carpenter or locksmith: lock cylinders, doors that don't close, wardrobes and shelves.
• AC technician: servicing units that have stood unused. See how to choose an AC technician.
• Fumigator and cleaner: before the furniture goes in.

Get a written quote before any work starts, and agree with the landlord beforehand who pays for repairs to things that were already broken when you moved in.

Book the artisans you need

You can find artisans on OgaLanLord and compare their profiles, with photos of past work and reviews from customers. A booking is a free scheduling request; you agree payment directly with the artisan. For a bigger job you can hire with escrow instead: you fund the job, OgaLanLord holds the money, the artisan submits proof of the work, and you approve to release payment or raise a dispute. A platform service fee is shown before you pay.

Photos: cover, "Cross section of blocks in Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja, Lagos State" and gate, "Main gate, Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja, Lagos State", both by Addjimedu (CC0, cropped and resized), via Wikimedia Commons.