How to verify your landlord is real (without paying anyone)

Before you transfer rent, caution deposit, or agency fees to anyone, you should verify the person calling themselves "landlord" is actually the legal owner of the property. Most Nigerian rental fraud succeeds on this single weak point — the tenant never checks. It takes 30-60 minutes and costs nothing (or a small fee if you want extra confidence). The alternative is losing ₦2-5 million and starting your search over.

This post walks through three free verification methods that any tenant can do without a lawyer, and two paid methods for when stakes are higher. For the broader documents picture see the pillar property documents in Nigeria, explained.

Free method 1: Cross-reference documents against ID

The simplest and most protective check. It takes 5 minutes.

Step 1: Ask the landlord to show you any of: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), deed of assignment, or allocation letter (for estate units). Photograph it in good light. Read carefully.

Step 2: Ask the landlord to show you a government-issued ID — NIN slip, driver's licence, international passport, or voter's card. Photograph it.

Step 3: Compare the names. The name on the property document must match the name on the government ID. Exactly or with only obvious abbreviations:

• "Adeyemi Joseph Adebayo" on the C of O
• "AJ Adebayo" on the driver's licence — same person, acceptable
• "Adeyemi Joseph" (middle name dropped) — acceptable
• "Joseph Adeyemi" (name order flipped) — needs verification, but common in Nigerian official records
• "Adeyemi Family Trust" on C of O, "Adeyemi Joseph" on ID — different entities, requires documentation

What to do if the names don't match at all:

This is the most common scam signal. The scammer shows you documents for a property owned by someone else and their own ID, claiming some relationship to the real owner. Ask: "Why is the C of O in a different name?" Acceptable answers require documentation:

• "My father bought it, it's in his name, here's his death certificate and the letters of administration naming me as executor" — verifiable
• "I'm the landlord's agent, here's the agency agreement signed by the landlord" — verifiable
• "My company bought it in the company's name, I'm the director, here's my CAC directorship printout" — verifiable

Unacceptable answers:

• "The landlord is my uncle, he's abroad" — without a Power of Attorney, no
• "It's my property, the name is just old from when I bought it" — names don't change by themselves

If you can't get a documented match, walk away.