Renting in Nigeria: what the Lagos tenancy law covers, and what it doesn't
In Lagos a landlord may ask a new tenant for at most one year's rent in advance, and you end a yearly tenancy with six months' notice. That is in the Tenancy Law of 2011. But precisely Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Apapa and Ikeja GRA are not covered. So choose your neighbourhood with the law and the travel advice side by side.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
If you rent a home in Lagos, the landlord may ask you, as a new tenant, for at most one year's rent in advance. That is in section 4 of the Tenancy Law of 2011, the tenancy law of Lagos State. Anyone who asks for or pays more commits an offence. You end a yearly tenancy with six months' notice, and you get a receipt for every payment. But the law does not apply everywhere: Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island are exempted. Those are exactly the neighbourhoods where many foreigners look for a home.
What does the Lagos tenancy law say?
| Topic | What the law says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Rent in advance, new tenant | at most 1 year | 4(3) |
| Rent in advance, sitting tenant | at most 6 months for a monthly tenancy, 1 year for a yearly tenancy | 4(1) |
| Penalty for asking or paying too much | a fine of N100,000 or 3 months in prison | 4(5) |
| Receipt | mandatory for every rent payment | 5 |
| Deposit and service charges | a separate receipt, and a written account at least every 6 months | 10 |
| Agent or lawyer | paid by whoever engages them | 11 |
| Notice without an agreement | 1 week (tenant at will), 1 month (monthly), 3 months (quarterly and half-yearly), 6 months (yearly) | 13 |
| Rent increase | a sitting tenant can ask the court whether an increase is unreasonable | 37 |
Why does a landlord ask for a year in advance?
Because it is allowed, and because it is common. The law only forbids more than a year for a new tenant. So on arrival, count on a year's rent at once, plus the deposit and service charges the landlord charges separately. For that deposit and those charges, section 10 gives you the right to a separate receipt and to an account of what happened to the money.
Section 11 deals with the costs of an agent or lawyer: whoever engages the professional pays them. If the landlord engages an agent, that agent's bill is not yours.
Does the law apply in all of Lagos?
No. Section 1(3) exempts four areas: Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. The governor can exempt more areas by order. Housing of an educational institution for its staff and students, and rooms in a hospital or care facility, also fall outside it.
In Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Apapa and Ikeja GRA, the Lagos tenancy law does not protect you against several years' rent in advance, and the notice periods of section 13 don't apply there either. Only your contract counts. Have it read by a lawyer you choose yourself, and pay no rent before you have the signed contract.
For other states and for Abuja we could not check the tenancy rules at an official source. Ask there what applies before you sign.
How do you choose a neighbourhood?
With the travel advice alongside. NederlandWereldwijd rates red eleven states in the north and the Middle Belt (except the city of Kano), Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Abia in the south-east, the border areas with Benin, Niger and Cameroon, and the coastal area of the Niger Delta. The rest of the country is orange.
The travel advice also names risks that matter for a home. In the Niger Delta there are sometimes attacks in gated residential areas. Kidnappings occur across the country, especially along main routes between cities. Of the Federal Capital Territory, the area around Abuja, NederlandWereldwijd writes that there were no attacks in the past year. Read the page again just before you sign: it changes.
Why do you need the lease for your visa?
For the residence permit as the spouse of a Nigerian, the immigration service asks for proof of a stable residence in Nigeria, naming a lease or a utility bill. So keep your signed contract and the receipts. Which permit fits you is in the residence routes.
What do you do in a dispute?
The law gives jurisdiction to the courts in Lagos, and names mediation, such as the Lagos Multi-Door Court House or the Citizens Mediation Centre, as an option. If the landlord raises the rent, as a sitting tenant you can ask the court whether the increase is reasonable (section 37). Buying a house instead of renting? First read buying a house in Nigeria. The steps around housing are in the plan for Nigeria.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.7: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Nigeria or go straight to step 5.7 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 (Official Gazette no. 37, 26 August 2011), sections 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13 and 37 — lagosstatemoj.org
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for Nigeria, with the red states and the risks per region (changed 6 July 2026) — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- Nigeria Immigration Service — Service Level Agreement 2026, the lease as proof of a stable residence — immigration.gov.ng
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