You find the flat, you agree the rent, and then comes the sentence: "It's two years."
Suddenly a ₦2,000,000 flat is a ₦4,000,000 problem, plus fees. Here is why landlords do it, and — the part almost nobody knows — what the law in Lagos actually says about it.
The legal position in Lagos
Section 4 of the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011 is unusually blunt.
4(3): it is unlawful for a landlord or his agent to demand or receive from a new or would-be tenant rent in excess of one year.
4(1): from a sitting tenant, the limits are six months for a monthly tenant and one year for a yearly tenant.
4(5): any person who receives or pays rent in excess of this is guilty of an offence, liable to a fine of ₦100,000 or three months' imprisonment.
So in most of Lagos, a two-year demand from a new tenant is not merely annoying. It is unlawful.
Two important qualifications, because they change the answer completely:
- Section 1(3) exempts four areas — Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Two-year demands there sit outside this rule, which is why you see them openly advertised in those postcodes.
- This is Lagos law only. Abuja is a separate jurisdiction, and two years upfront is routine there — real September 2026 adverts in Area 11 Garki quoted ₦7,500,000 × 2 years, and in Wuse 2, ₦50,000,000 × 2 years. Do not assume a Lagos protection travels.
And read section 4(4) carefully before you feel entirely righteous: it is also unlawful for the tenant to offer or pay more than a year. Both sides of that transaction are covered.
So why do they still ask?
Because the incentives are real, and understanding them tells you where you have leverage.
Inflation eats a fixed naira rent. A rent agreed today is worth measurably less in eighteen months. Front-loading two years is a hedge against the currency, not just greed.
Their own costs are lumpy. Service charges, repairs, estate levies and taxes arrive in blocks. Landlords use rent as working capital.
There is no mortgage culture to speak of. Many landlords built or bought with cash and treat rent as the return on that capital rather than as income against a monthly loan.
Recovering a property is slow. Where removing a defaulting tenant takes a long time, landlords rationally want more money in hand before handing over keys.
The market lets them. This is the honest one. Demand exceeds supply, so the terms are whatever the queue will accept.
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How to actually handle it
Be realistic about leverage. Quoting section 4 at a landlord with fifteen other applicants will usually just move you to the back of the queue. Use it where you have room.
- Ask early, before you spend on transport. "Is it one year or two?" is the first question, not the last. It changes the number by 100%.
- Raise the law calmly, once. "My understanding is that more than a year from a new tenant isn't permitted in Lagos — can we do one year?" Some will agree. Some will not. You lose nothing by asking once, politely.
- Use it where the unit has been empty. A vacant flat costs its landlord every month. That is the only moment the terms genuinely soften.
- Trade length for price. If they insist on two years, ask for a lower annual rate. Real Ikeja GRA adverts do exactly this — ₦25m for one year against ₦20m a year for two. If you are paying two years anyway, get paid for it.
- Offer something other than money. A longer notice period, a fixed review, or taking the flat as-is can be worth more to a landlord than an extra six months.
- Get everything in writing, especially the review terms, and collect your section 5 receipt for every payment.
The only reliable answer
All of the above is negotiation around the edges. The thing that actually solves a two-year demand is arithmetic.
A ₦2,000,000 flat demanded two years in advance is ₦4,000,000 plus fees. Split between two people it is ₦2,000,000 each — and the agency, legal and caution split too, because they are charged on the property rather than per tenant.
The lump is the barrier, not the rent. You can comfortably afford a monthly figure and still be completely unable to produce four million naira on a Tuesday. Those are different problems, and only sharing solves the second one.
Find someone to carry half of it on roommates, ask the one-year-or-two question before anything else, and never let money move before you have stood inside the room.
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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.