₦airaland Forum

I just read a piece on EconomyPost.ng where many Lagos residents are calling on the Lagos State House of Assembly to regulate or even outlaw unregistered house agents. They highlighted cases where tenants paid huge “agent” and “agreement” fees on top of already high rents, with little service in return. In some parts of Lagos rents have gone up by 50–100 % in a year.
This got me thinking about how most of us actually find places to rent or buy. A lot of people still depend on street agents, but there are now several online platforms that try to make the process less stressful. For example:

www.PropertyPro.ng, big directory of houses and flats across Nigeria.
www.PrivateProperty.com.ng, lists different types of property with filters by area.
www.maxaba.com, newer platform focused on verified landlords/agents and showing all fees up front before you even go for inspection.

I’m curious if anyone here has used any of these (or others) and what your experience was like. Do you think using verified online channels can help reduce some of the “agent wahala” highlighted in the EconomyPost article?
[url]https://economypost.ng/featured/extortion-lagosians-ask-house-of-assembly-to-outlaw-house-agents/2025/09/08/
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Property scams are everywhere these days, especially online. To protect yourself:

✅ Verify the agent/owner – don’t rely on phone calls alone, ask for office address and ID.
✅ Inspect before you pay – never pay for a house or land you haven’t seen physically.
✅ Check property documents – C of O, survey, deed of assignment. Cross-check at the land registry if possible.
✅ Avoid “too good to be true” deals – extremely cheap offers are usually red flags.
✅ Use trusted platforms – sites like www.maxaba.com
list thousands of properties, and you can filter verified listings to reduce risk.

👉 Have you (or someone you know) ever been scammed while house-hunting? Share your experience so others can learn.