6 signs your property agent is legitimate

Anyone in Nigeria can call themselves a property agent. There's no licensing requirement, no mandatory registration, no exam. The word "agent" is legally meaningless on its own. Which means the first task of any tenant is separating real agents from people impersonating agents — and the second task is understanding which real agents are good at their job versus just registered on paper.

This post lists the six signals that consistently separate legitimate Nigerian property agents from scammers and bad operators. It's the checklist I use personally and the one our Trust & Safety team runs before accepting agent-listed properties on NoBroker Nigeria.

For the broader fraud picture see the pillar rental scams in Nigeria.

Sign 1: Verifiable CAC registration

A legitimate Nigerian estate agency is registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission. Either as a limited liability company (suffix "Limited" or "Ltd") or a business name (single-proprietor registration). Both are traceable.

How to verify: Go to https://publicsearch.cac.gov.ng/. Enter the business name or RC number. The search should return:

• Exact matching name
• Current status "Active" (not "Dormant" or "De-registered")
• Listed directors or proprietor
• Date of incorporation

Red flags from this check:

• The name doesn't resolve at all → fake CAC number
• Status is "Dormant" → agency exists on paper but hasn't filed returns in years
• Directors' names don't match the people you're dealing with → front company
• Incorporation date is recent (under 6 months) → either new legitimate agency (verify further) or shell for a scam

How long it takes: 60 seconds. There is no excuse for not doing this check.

For the full CAC verification walkthrough see CAC registration: how to check if your agent is real.

Sign 2: Physical office address you can visit

A real agency has a real office. Walk-in address. Signage. Staff. Ringing phones. Bad coffee.

The office doesn't need to be in Ikoyi or on Wuse 2 main streets. A decent agency can operate from a shared workspace or a modest suite in Maryland or Ikeja. But it exists, it's findable on Google Maps, and staff are present during working hours.

Signs the "office" doesn't exist:

• The agent says their office is "under renovation" or "we're between spaces"