You have a resumption date. That is the useful thing about a corporate move — you know exactly how much time you have, which means the whole problem becomes a timeline rather than a panic.
Here is how to use the weeks before you start.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Signing a year before the first day.
You do not yet know what your commute feels like at 6am, which entrance of the office you use, whether you will be in four days or five, or whether the role involves travel. Lagos makes you pay for guessing wrong on any of those, every single working day, for twelve months.
So plan in two stages: everything that does not depend on the commute happens now; the address waits until you have done the journey once for real.
Eight weeks out
- Get your office's exact address, not the area. Victoria Island is not one place, and neither is Ikeja.
- Set your ceiling as a total, fees included. Agency at ten per cent, legal at ten, a caution and a service charge routinely add thirty to sixty per cent to the advertised rent — a real Ajah listing went from ₦900,000 to ₦1,450,000 all in.
- Ask HR three questions. Is there a housing allowance or advance? Is it paid before or after resumption? Does the company have relationships with serviced apartments? An advance changes what you can do, and it is routinely available and rarely volunteered.
- Start talking to potential flatmates. Not to sign anything — to agree people, budgets and rough areas.
- Book a bridge. Four to six weeks somewhere short-term. This single step removes the pressure that causes bad decisions.
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Pick the area from the office
Island office (VI, Ikoyi, Lekki). There is no cheap room on VI or Ikoyi — a two-bedroom in Oniru was advertised at ₦15,000,000 rent, ₦23,000,000 all in. Realistic routes are sharing a flat closer in, taking a BQ, or living along the corridor at Ajah, Badore or Sangotedo and pricing the toll and fuel honestly.
Ikeja or Alausa office. Ogba, Oregun, Agidingbi, Ojodu and Maryland. Note Ikeja GRA is exempt from the Tenancy Law under section 1(3), which is why two-year demands appear openly there.
Yaba, Surulere or Ilupeju office. The widest choice and the best value. Look at the residential pockets behind the commercial streets.
Whatever you choose, compare options on rent plus a year of commuting from that address, at the hour you will actually travel. A cheaper flat that costs ₦2,000 more a day is roughly ₦500,000 dearer across the year.
First fortnight after you arrive
- Do the commute from two or three candidate areas, on a weekday, at your real hours.
- Ask colleagues where they live and what it costs them. Fastest, most reliable local intelligence available, and nobody minds being asked.
- View in daylight, stand inside the exact unit, check water, meter and power, and photograph every existing fault before you pay.
- Verify who you are dealing with. Check for the verification badge, video call, match the account name, and ask any agent who authorised them.
- Collect your receipts. Section 5 requires a rent receipt with the names and addresses of both parties; section 10 requires a separate one for caution and service charge.
What to ask about the building, not just the flat
Corporate movers consistently over-index on the unit and under-index on everything around it. Before you commit, ask:
- What power does the compound actually get? Ask a resident rather than the agent, and ask whether a generator runs during the working day.
- Is there a prepaid meter in the unit's own name? Shared or estimated billing is a recurring monthly argument.
- What does the service charge cover, and how often is it reviewed? On serviced blocks it behaves like a second rent.
- What time does the gate close, and what transport runs at 8pm? You will be coming home late more often than you expect.
- What does the street look like in heavy rain? Ask a neighbour.
Why sharing suits a corporate move specifically
Two reasons beyond the money.
First, the lump. Your salary may comfortably cover the rent monthly and still leave you unable to produce a year of it in one transfer before your first payday. Sharing halves the rent and the agency, legal and caution, because those are charged on the property rather than per tenant.
Second, the timing. A room in an established household can usually be taken far faster than a whole flat, which matters when you have a fixed resumption date and no appetite for a rushed year-long commitment.
One structural note: under section 7(6) a tenant may not sublet any part of the premises without the landlord's written consent, so get both names on the tenancy or that consent naming you.
Start lining people up now on shared apartments in Lagos, and decide the address after your first real Monday.
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Research: September 2026. Advert examples describe prices collected then, not current availability. Confirm current charges, applicable rules and in-app payment terms before committing.