₦airaland Forum

‎I need to share this while the annoyance is still fresh, because I don't think I've fully recovered.
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‎So I started looking for a new apartment about two months ago. Simple request — 2 bedroom, decent area, nothing crazy. I thought "okay, this should take a week or two max." Fast forward two months later, and I have officially aged.
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‎Agent Number 1 — The Ghost
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‎First agent I contacted seemed very serious on the phone. "Oga no worry, I get better house for you, very affordable." We agreed to meet by 10am on a Saturday. I got there by 9:45am like a responsible adult. Man didn't pick his calls until past 12pm. When he finally answered, "Ah sorry oga, wahala dey my side, make we do tomorrow." Tomorrow never came. I never heard from him again. To this day I don't know what "wahala" caught him.
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‎Agent Number 2 — The One Who Showed Me A Completely Different House From The Pictures
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‎This one sent me beautiful pictures on WhatsApp — tiled floor, POP ceiling, nice kitchen cabinets, the whole vibe. I was already mentally moving my furniture in. Got there in person... my brother, it was a different house entirely. No tiles, no POP, kitchen "cabinet" was one shelf nailed to the wall. When I asked him about the pictures he showed me, he said with a straight face, "ah that one na sample, make you see the potential." Potential ke? I wanted to see an apartment, not attend a vision-casting service.
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‎Agent Number 3 — Inspection Fee Wahala
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‎This one wanted inspection fee upfront before even confirming the house still dey available. I paid ₦5k "just to be sure," only for him to now say "ah sorry oga that particular house don dey taken since last week." So why did you collect my inspection fee for a house that's not available again? He then tried to hook me up with "another better one" like nothing happened. I collected my legs and left.
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‎Agent Number 4 — The Landlord Interrogation
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‎Finally found a place that looked promising. Nice area, decent price, agent seemed straightforward. Then I met the landlord. This man interviewed me like I was applying for a Central Bank governor position. Marital status, church, what I do for a living, my parents' occupation, whether I "party" (his words), how many people will be "coming in and out" of the apartment. At some point I nearly asked if he needed my BVN and blood type too.
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‎Agent Number 5 — The Agreement Fee Trauma
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‎Almost secured a place with another agent. Agreed on rent, agreed on the apartment, everything looking good. Then agreement time reached, and suddenly: agency fee, legal fee, caution fee, "association" fee, and one more mysterious fee that nobody could properly explain what it was even for. By the time I calculated everything, I realized I was basically paying almost double the actual rent just in "fees" alone. I calmly thanked them and walked away with what remained of my sanity (and my money).
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‎Where I finally landed
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‎Eventually found a place through a friend of a friend — no agent wahala, no mysterious fees, landlord was normal and didn't ask me about my church affiliation. Just straightforward negotiation and I moved in within a week. All that stress for two months, and the solution was right there through personal connection the whole time.
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‎Anyway, I'm still recovering emotionally from this whole experience. House hunting in this country should genuinely come with hazard pay.
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‎Who else has house-agent horror stories? I know I'm not the only one that has suffered for this country 😩👇

Must be Lagos.
Agents in other states don't stress like that.

House agents are the weapons fashioned against us in this country recently.

Imagine an agent who have zero idea on how much a bag of cement is sold, placing 500k on a house of 800k

Most Lagos agents are agents from hell

The best thing is for the government to start regulating house agents. Get them registered and make them accountable for dubious and sharp practices. Enact a law that will criminalize fake house agency. But Nigerian lawmakers will prefer to share money doing nothing

Agents people na wahala people abeg

To rent house nowadays be like visa application

Lagos agents that would make heaven are not yet born.

How much is the rent and what type of apartment ?

This info would bring more interesting light and live into the topic.

Anambra govt.has banned them and their nefarious activities

There's no good-hearted agent alive.

Agents this days are greedy, with intent to suck life out of you

If I share my own in Calabar eh... E go shock you

YOUNGELDER1:
Must be Lagos.
Agents in other states don't stress like that.

they do my brother. In rivers state here na still the same wahala

House agents are wicked. I heard one agent making calls opening his wide lips telling the person on phone, "agent and agreement fee is 900k for a house of 1.5m"

And this man himself don't pay house rent oooo, I heard he squat with someone.

DeltaBachelor:
Agents people na wahala people abeg

Dont pay anything to the agent that he does not deserve or work for"

Agreement fee: it is not the agent to do any ''Agreement'' with you. It is between you and the landlord

Legal fee: it is between you and the lawyer that drafts and witnesses the Tenancy Agreement between you and landlord.

Caution fee: it is between you and landlord' The agent does not own the house for him to receive any ''caution'' fee from you. There should be a separate receipt and refundable

Agency Commission: this is what the agent should receive; and don't let them split (duplicate) it by saying ''Agency fee'' and ''Commission''. It should be one single fee: Agency Commission.

Has to be Lagos. Which on be "association" fee again ooo... lol very hungry agents

egobright:
If I share my own in Calabar eh... E go shock you

my brother calabar na another wahala. Wahala promax. My experience in calabar was something else.

YOUNGELDER1:
Must be Lagos.
Agents in other states don't stress like that.

You haven't been to Edo State.
Over here, you would pay inspection fee between 5-10k and when it's time to go and inspect the apartment, you are expected to pay mobility for the agent.
Then, you are expected to go through rigorous interview by the landlord or lawyer and also provide a valid means of identification, including ID of your work place.
Finally, you are expected to pay 10% of the yearly rent as legal fee, 20% as agency fee, caution fee of between 100-200k and lastly utilities fee (gateman, dirty)

Currently battling the same issue. Told them budget they said “Houses dey no worry” tell me why all the houses where above budget and some lacked basic amenities.

tiswell:
Anambra govt.has banned them and their nefarious activities

There's no good-hearted agent alive.

they play .well all the same house agents are criminals without gun

When it comes to anything Agents, the natural averagely experienced Nigerian Mind knows that anything can happen.
Since I was a boy, more than 20+ years ago, I felt it.
Sick sick people.

So should you find yourself in a situation where absolutely need to deal with Agents, the mind should be absolutely prepared.

Lagos agents are dubious

YOUNGELDER1:
Must be Lagos.
Agents in other states don't stress like that.

Don't be stupid this Monday. Agents are the same everywhere. Just that one pass another.

When the Anambra state government brought up their issue I was very happy, this people did signs and wonders to me last two years when I was looking for house, after wasting my time and money finally got it by myself and directly to the landlord.

Oh.
How are the experiences so similar?!

My house is under water and I'm seriously looking for a new place.

I've been shown houses that looked like they were part-time poultries.
I've seen places that look like they housed a colony of unruly dibias until they were picked up — unceremoniously by Soludo dibia-hunting-brigade, leaving them no time to put the place in order.

I've been taken to places where the tfare to the express is 2k to and fro.
I've been shown houses that are everything but never in any way close to the darling I was shown on phone.
Agents have taken me to places where they in their right mind, cannot stay just to obtain inspection fee.

Friends are searching.
Family are combing for me too.
But for every reasonable house they manage to find, the price ensures that I don't bother going for inspection.

It's easier to find a wife in Lagos than to find a clean affordable apartment.

mikeapollo:
Dont pay anything to the agent that he does not deserve or work for"

Agreement fee: it is not the agent to do any ''Agreement'' with you. It is between you and the landlord

Legal fee: it is between you and the lawyer that drafts and witnesses the Tenancy Agreement between you and landlord.

Caution fee: it is between you and landlord' The agent does not own the house for him to receive any ''caution'' fee from you. There should be a separate receipt and refundable

Agency Commission: this is what the agent should receive; and don't let them split (duplicate) it by saying ''Agency fee'' and ''Commission''. It should be one single fee: Agency Commission.

All this fees just to rent a house
Hmmm! Ok

If you're in need of house painter am available! Let give your apartment a nice look don't mind those agent's it's their way

YOUNGELDER1:
Must be Lagos.
Agents in other states don't stress like that.

You should try Uyo.

Agents would collect inspection fee, you'd book a viewing appointment. He'd arrive late and take over two hrs. Then you'd show up at the place and the gate is locked. He'd be showing you the interior from the outside, telling you to look closer.

Uyo agents are just village people learning agency work.

The first one I'd ever met showed up in shorts and a t-shirt. Took us to view a place where the kitchen cupboard was 1metre from the ceiling and no light. Asked about the connection and he said "pay first, that one na small thing".

Same agent was to show me another apartment and the relative to the owner told him he couldn't let him through at the moment. The local champion started screaming on the phone, yelling to the top of his lungs saying "Who are you?! I'm a big boy". At the end of the day, I gave the hungry man lunch money.

That was the last time I was normal with an agent.

Mostly LAGOS and ENUGU








NA HELL FIRE.

Looking for house in major cities of Nigeria is energy sapping.