"If they have not beaten one house agent, the rest will not learn. Rent is 600k and you are telling me total package is 1 million. As per who?? Mtcheeeeeeew."
That was a real post on X this month, and the feeling behind it is completely understandable. But the person who has actually lost money needs something more useful than rage, and the person who has not lost it yet needs a method.
So this is two guides in one: how to track an agent before you pay, and what to do if you have already been hit.
What a real agent legally is
Start with the definition, because it reframes everything. Under the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011, an "agent" means a person usually employed by the landlord in the letting or leasing of the premises or in collecting rents, or a person specially authorised to act in a particular manner by writing under the hand of the landlord.
Read that again. Being an agent is not a job title you award yourself. It is a relationship with the landlord, and it is either an employment or something in writing.
So the question that filters most fake agents in one move is not "are you the agent?" It is: "Who authorised you, and can I see it?"
Lagos also requires real estate practitioners to register with the state regulator, LASRERA. Asking for a registration number is a normal, reasonable request. How someone reacts to being asked is itself information.
Build the file before you pay
This is the "tracking" part, and it takes four minutes. If things go wrong later, the difference between a case and a shrug is whether you collected these at the time.
- Their full name, as written on an ID, plus a photo of that ID if they will allow it.
- Their phone number, saved and called — not just WhatsApp. Screenshot the profile.
- Their LASRERA registration number, or the written authority from the landlord.
- The exact property address, plus your own photos and a short video of the unit you were shown, with the date.
- A screenshot of the original advert, including the price, the posting account and the date. Adverts get deleted the moment things go wrong.
- The account name you are asked to pay into. If it does not match the landlord or a registered company, stop and ask why in writing.
- Every conversation in writing. Move the key promises to text, even if you agreed them on a call: "Confirming what we discussed — rent is X, total is Y, you are authorised by the landlord Mr Z." Their reply is now evidence.
And keep the paper the law entitles you to. Section 5 obliges a landlord to issue a rent receipt stating the date, the names and addresses of landlord and tenant, the premises, the amount and the period covered, with a ₦100,000 fine for failing to. Section 10 requires a separate receipt for caution, service charge or facilities payments.
Tired of agents? Deal directly with the person you will actually live with. Flatmate users can choose to verify with a government ID and a live selfie, so check for the badge before you reply to anyone. Download Flatmate free.
If it has already happened
Move quickly, and in this order. Speed matters more than anything else, because money moves on.
- Call your bank immediately and report the transfer as fraudulent. Ask them to flag the beneficiary account and raise a recall. The first hours are the only hours where this sometimes works.
- Report at a police station and obtain a written incident report. You will need it for the bank, and later for everything else. Take your file with you.
- Report the practitioner to LASRERA. This is the state body that registers and disciplines real estate practitioners in Lagos, and a complaint against a registered agent has teeth a WhatsApp rant does not.
- Report to the platform where the advert appeared, with the screenshot and the account details. This is usually what stops the next person.
- Consider a consumer complaint to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, with your supporting documents.
- Speak to a lawyer, or the Lagos State Citizens Mediation Centre, about recovery. Mediation is free and far faster than litigation.
Now the honest part. Recovery is difficult and often does not happen, particularly where the account was mule-operated and emptied the same day. Report anyway. A named, documented complaint is frequently what ends somebody's run, and you may be the person who stops the next ₦850,000.
Do not let them do it twice
Be careful after a loss. People who have just been scammed are targeted again by "recovery agents" who promise to retrieve your money for an upfront fee. That is the same scam wearing a different shirt. No legitimate recovery route asks you to pay a stranger first.
Or remove the layer entirely
Every version of this depends on one structural weakness: a stranger standing between you and whoever actually controls the property, holding all the information and all your money.
Peer-to-peer flat-sharing removes that layer. You deal with the person you will actually live with, you can see whether they have verified with a government ID and a live selfie, and you can video call before committing. With SecurePay, the payment partner holds the protected amount. Inspect before you authorise release: the app does not check that a viewing happened, and refunds follow the selected protection policy.
Look at shared apartments in Lagos, and whatever route you take, build the file before you pay.
🛡️ Protect your money. Your rent should not move before you have seen the place. With SecurePay the payment partner holds your protected payment. Inspect before you authorise release; refunds follow your selected agreement policy. Get Flatmate free on iOS and Android.
This article explains general provisions of the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011. It is not legal advice and has not been through professional legal review. For a specific dispute, speak to a lawyer or the Lagos State Citizens Mediation Centre.
Research: September 2026. Advert examples describe prices collected then, not current availability. Confirm current charges, applicable rules and in-app payment terms before committing.