The payment step is where most rental fraud succeeds. You've viewed the flat, met the landlord, signed the agreement — and then you transfer money to an account name that doesn't quite match, in a currency that isn't traceable, at a time you can't easily reverse. Millions of naira move this way across Nigeria every week, and a meaningful fraction never makes it to the rightful landlord.
This guide ranks the payment methods Nigerian landlords accept, from safest to most dangerous, with specific guidance on what to do and what to avoid at each step. It's drawn from the Trust & Safety playbook we use at NoBroker Nigeria and from the fraud reports we see weekly.
If you're paying through an agency, this is the gold standard. A corporate account belongs to a limited company or business name registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The account name matches the registered business. The agency has a CAC RC number you can verify on publicsearch.cac.gov.ng. If anything goes wrong, the account is traceable to a legal entity with directors and a registered office.
How to verify: Before transferring, ask the agency for:
Their CAC RC number
Their registered business address
Confirmation that the transfer destination account name matches their business name
Cross-check the RC number on the CAC public registry (60 seconds — instructions in CAC registration: how to check if your agent is real). If the RC number is invalid, the agency is unregistered, the "corporate" account is fake, and you should walk away.
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Victor founded NoBroker Nigeria after paying ₦420,000 in broker and legal fees on a single Lekki rental in 2023. He writes from lived experience of the Nigerian rental market and the verification processes the platform runs every day.
What can go wrong: Very little. The fraud surface is smaller with corporate accounts because they're harder to open (require registered business, directors' KYC, address verification) and easier to freeze (banks cooperate with legal process against corporate accounts).
Most Nigerian landlords receive rent in a personal account. That's fine, provided the account name matches the name on the property documents.
The critical check: Before transferring, confirm that:
The name on the C of O or deed of assignment
The name on the tenancy agreement (landlord/lessor)
The name on the destination bank account
The name on the landlord's NIN or ID
All match. Not "close enough." Match.
If the C of O is in the name of "Adeyemi Joseph Adebayo" and the bank account is "A.J. Adebayo," that's the same person. Acceptable.
If the C of O is in "Adeyemi Joseph Adebayo" and the bank account is "Adeyemi Consulting Limited," that's a different entity. Unacceptable without an explanation and a written Power of Attorney linking them.
If the names don't match at all, stop. Ask the landlord to explain. The answer "it's my company's account" is not acceptable without documented authorisation.
The NUBAN name-lookup trick: Every Nigerian bank account has a unique NUBAN. When you enter an account number into your bank app to make a transfer, the app displays the account name before you confirm. Use this. If the displayed name doesn't match the landlord's legal name, stop.
What can go wrong: The account is genuine but belongs to someone adjacent to the real landlord (relative, friend, fake Power of Attorney). Your recovery path is slower than with a corporate account because personal accounts require more evidence for a bank to freeze.
Some landlords and agencies have portable POS terminals. You swipe your card at the property during signing. This creates a bank-side record tied to a specific merchant ID.
When to use: Smaller payments (deposits, viewing deposits if the property is real and the agency is verified). Less common for full rent because Nigerian POS limits are typically ₦100-500k per transaction depending on the bank.
Why it's safer: The transaction is tied to a POS terminal registered to a specific merchant. If the merchant is a registered agency, you have the same traceability as a corporate account transfer.
What can go wrong: Fraudulent POS terminals exist — typically rented or stolen — that display "approved" and produce fake receipts while the transaction is actually reversed or never submitted. Mitigation: use a major-bank POS (GTB, Access, Zenith) and wait for your phone's SMS alert before leaving.
A bank draft is a cheque guaranteed by your bank — the funds are already debited from your account, and the draft is payable to a named party. For large transactions (₦5M+) or where the landlord is older or suspicious of online transfers, a bank draft is a formal option.
How it works: You visit your bank, request a draft for a specific amount payable to the named landlord. The bank debits your account on the spot and issues a physical draft. The landlord deposits it at their bank; funds clear in 1-3 working days.
Why it's safe: The draft is a certified instrument. Only the named payee can cash it. No fraudulent rerouting possible.
When to use: Large amounts where online transfer limits are an issue, or when the landlord specifically requests a draft for their own record-keeping.
Avoid. A personal cheque from you to the landlord relies on your account having sufficient funds when the landlord deposits it, which can be weeks after the handover. Most landlords refuse them. Some still use them in traditional deals but they serve nobody well.
Cash has no paper trail. A receipt signed by the landlord is not a bank record; it's a piece of paper. If the receipt is lost or the landlord disputes it, you have no bank-side evidence of the transaction.
The counterargument ("but the landlord prefers cash because they don't have a bank account") is a scam setup line in 90% of cases. Every functional Nigerian adult has a bank account; "preferring cash" usually means "preferring no trace."
The practical maximum cash transaction for any legitimate rental purpose is around ₦50-100k — small deposit, sundry fees. Anything above that should move through a bank. Under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, cash transactions above ₦5 million between individuals must be reported by banks, so cash at rent-scale is not only risky, it's also legally dubious.
Any "landlord" asking for rent in USDT, Bitcoin, or to a "mobile money wallet" you don't recognise is running a scam. Property transactions in Nigeria are naira-denominated and bank-denominated. Period.
Every payment should leave these artifacts, on your side, saved forever:
The bank transfer receipt (screenshot of the success screen)
The bank statement entry showing the debit
An email or WhatsApp message from you to the landlord within 24 hours of payment, stating: "Transfer of ₦X made on [date], reference [bank transaction ID], for [property address], covering [period covered]." This creates a second channel of evidence.
The landlord's written receipt — signed, dated, stating the property address, the amount, and the period covered
The stamped tenancy agreement — or if unstamped, at least the signed agreement with witness signatures
Most Nigerian bank apps allow a "narration" or "reference" field on outgoing transfers. Use it. Write:
"Rent [property short name] [period covered]" — e.g. "Rent Lekki P1 Admiralty Apr26-Apr27"
This creates a permanent note inside the bank's own transfer record. If later a dispute arises, your bank can produce the transfer with its narration. The scammer's bank can be asked to match it. This single habit has saved multiple NoBroker tenants from "the transfer didn't include a reference to rent" arguments.
This is the single most important rule and one I wrote separately in rental scams in Nigeria and the double-allocation scam, but it bears repeating because it bridges the scams and payment guides:
Sign the tenancy agreement first. Then pay.
Not "pay first, sign tomorrow." Not "half now, half at signing." The agreement is executed (both signatures, both witnesses) in your presence, and then you transfer. Ideally within minutes.
The order matters because:
A signed agreement is a contractual commitment the landlord cannot revoke without default
Payment before signing is the scam setup line for multiple fraud patterns
A signed-but-unpaid-yet position is a much stronger legal posture than a paid-but-unsigned one
Call your bank fraud desk (dedicated line, not general customer service). If the money hasn't been withdrawn or moved to a second account, some banks can freeze or reverse within 24-48 hours. GTB, Access, Zenith, UBA all have fraud desks; get the number from their app or website.
File a police report. Bring the transfer receipt, the agreement, all communication. You need the police extract for the next step.
Send the police extract to the scammer's bank. The bank is obligated to freeze the account on a police extract pending investigation.
And if you want the payment safety built into the platform rather than managed by you, browse verified listings on NoBroker Nigeria — every landlord is KYC'd, every account name is checked against the C of O, and the agency fee line is ₦0 so the payment surface is smaller to begin with.
How to report rental fraud in Nigeria (and actually get help)