Renting in Lagos from abroad: deposits, agents and staying safe

Plenty of people need a Lagos tenancy before they land: returnees relocating, professionals starting a new role, families moving ahead of a school year. Renting from abroad is completely doable. It just punishes anyone who pays before verifying, because the two classic failures both live in that gap.

The two classic failures

• The agent who is not an agent. Someone with keys and confidence shows a property they have no authority over, collects an inspection fee or a deposit from several hopefuls, and disappears. The property was real; their mandate was not.
• The deposit that outruns the paperwork. You transfer a year's rent and a deposit to secure the flat before someone else takes it. The tenancy agreement follows later, or never, and the terms that arrive are not the terms you were promised.

Both work because urgency is real: good tenancies in good areas do move fast. The answer is not to slow down. It is to make the checks fast.

The order of steps that protects you

1. Verify the person, then the property

Before money is discussed, establish who you are dealing with and their authority to let this specific property. Ask directly: are you the landlord, or the landlord's agent, and can you evidence that in writing? An honest counterparty answers in minutes.

2. Inspect before you commit

If you cannot attend, someone independent should: a video call from inside the property on the day, or an inspection service acting for you, not the landlord. The TRE concierge inspects with a private video walkthrough filmed to your brief.

3. Read the agreement before any money moves

The tenancy agreement should exist, name the right landlord, describe the actual terms, and be reviewed by someone acting for you, before a transfer. A landlord who cannot produce an agreement before payment is telling you how the tenancy will run.

4. Protect the money at the point of payment

This is where TRE Lets changes the shape of the deal. On a TRE tenancy, the listing, the landlord's right to let and the terms are verified before you commit, and TRE tells you exactly what was checked and when. You pay the landlord or their agent directly, with nothing due until the terms are agreed in writing, and TRE never holds or releases your money. A verified tenancy carries the TRE-Verified Let mark: the listing checked, the right to let evidenced, the terms honest.

5. Document the handover

Photos of the meters, the fittings and every existing fault, on day one, shared with the landlord in writing. Deposits are lost at the end of tenancies by what was not recorded at the start.

Renting through TRE

Every tenancy on TRE Lets shows its checks, verified letting providers are listed on the public register, and the Lets desk handles the transaction end to end, including holding your money until the keys are in your hand. Tell the desk what you need on the request page and the search comes to you.

A mark is an assessment on the evidence, not a guarantee, and nothing here is legal advice. Have your own adviser review any agreement before you sign.