Tips, horror stories, budgeting hacks, and real talk from people who've been there.
Port Harcourt agency at 20% and a line called drink money, against Lagos's predictable stack and a statutory one-year cap. Six suburbs worth shortlisting, with real prices.
You cannot write a clause that evicts anyone. What you can write: nine clauses including the acknowledged-debt wording that changes everything if they stop paying.
Three categories that behave completely differently, a four-column inventory, and the exit rule to agree at purchase rather than at departure.
Four risks when money goes straight to an agent, how SecurePay holds a protected payment, and the checks to make before authorising release.
A complete eight-section template you can copy straight into a note and fill in together: money, bills, guests, kitchen, cleaning, noise, security and how it ends.
Abuja bundles agency and legal at 20%, adds an inspection fee, and routinely asks for two years upfront. Real Area 11 and Wuse listings, and why Lagos rules do not apply here.
On ₦77,000, renting your own place in Lagos does not work. The four things that actually do, a budget in the right order, and planning for allawee arriving late.
What a real agent legally is, the seven-item file to build before you pay, and the exact order to move in if you have already been hit.
The honest arithmetic on a ₦250k month, why the lump sum beats people who can actually afford the rent, and three routes that genuinely close the gap.
A resumption date makes this a timeline, not a panic. Eight weeks out, the first fortnight after arrival, and the three questions to ask HR that are rarely volunteered.
Written consent is what decides whether your flatmate is a sub-tenant with rights or a person in unlawful occupation. And under section 12, the breach is yours.
You cannot soundproof a rented room on a budget, but you can reduce noise. Why foam panels do nothing, where sound actually enters, and the generator no curtain fixes.