I will make it short and simple.

My current rent was to expire in October 2019.. I decided to upgrade to a bigger house and a new location... So I consulted an agent to get me a good house, I gave him specifications and a price range of 150-160k...

We both visited some properties, though I wanted two bedroom flat, with borehole, prepaid meter and the likes... But I came to a house, it was three bedroom flat, the agent pointed to the overhead tank (2) in number told me its bore hole running water inside the house, he also told me its prepaid meter that the land lord had collected it just to fix...

I like the house and told him I wanted this one, the agent said the house is 180k + 20k agent fee.. Efforts to get a little reduction fell on deaf ears.. All I had was 150k so I told the agent I would pay 140k advance and pay the balance a month later, but I will have to move in by November ending..

The agent spoke to the land lord and said he agreed only if I write a statement and sign with a guarantor I would pay the balance as I promised, so I did and paid on the 15th of Nov 2019, I discovered the agent did not hand over the keys to me immediately and blocked all access to speak with the real owner of the house.. On the 28 of Nov the keys were handed over to me, then my world came back to earth...

I visited the house only for the second time to clean in preparation to park in say that weekend, I met other tenants and had a chat with them, they then informed me the landlord once tried to sink borehole but did not hit water, and so it was well water that was being pumped into the tank, and as it stands now its over a year the machine got damaged, they only fetch well water and by January the well usually dries up... I was informed the landlord has being promising prepaid meter but until now nothing, the former tenants owed over 200k in NEPA bill and NEPA cut the light with a warning not to reconnect unless they pay over 100k...

The decking leaks seriously during the raining season... The agent did not tell me this... Yet he took out is 20k from the 140k I gave to him and sent 120k to the land lord, I wrote an undertaken to pay a months later which is 15th DEC 2019.. I complained to the agent and he said the landlord will fix it as soon as I pay up the balance, the landlord himself promised to sink another borehole by Jan ending...

I told the agent I would not pay up the balance unless he and the landlord sinks the borehole and fix the prepaid meter, the landlord decided to drop water into the tank using water tankers, and is still promising to fix the prepaid as soon as I pay up..

Guys what do you advice... Hold onto the cash until they fulfill their commitment or pay up and and hold the land lord by his words.

What do you think

Let me guess the location, my mind is telling me the location is in abeokuta?


I will just advice you still hold on to the remaining balance, and let the lanlord do justice to his promise before you pay up, because this is Nigeria once you pay, you will just discover that both the agent and lanlord stops picking up your calls until it's time to renew your rent.

That's why, most time it's always good to do thorough inspection in the house you want to collect before you pay.