---
title: "Buying Property as a Company vs Personal Name: Tax & Title"
url: "https://buyrentlagos.com/articles/buying-property-as-a-company-vs-personal-name-tax-and-title"
published: "2026-05-05T07:00:00+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-08T04:23:17.821623+00:00"
author: "Laide Matthews"
category: "Buying"
verified: false
---

# Buying Property as a Company vs Personal Name: Tax & Title

Buying Lagos property in your personal name is simpler and cheaper to run; buying through a company adds CAC compliance and company tax, but gives you continuity, share-based exits and liability separation. The title perfection cost at purchase — the Lagos consent package — is broadly the same either way; the real differences show up in annual tax, death/probate and how you sell.

**TL;DR:** Buying Lagos property in your personal name is simpler and cheaper to run; buying through a company adds CAC compliance and company tax, but gives you continuity, share-based exits and liability separation. The title perfection cost at purchase — the Lagos consent package — is broadly the same either way; the real differences show up in annual tax, death/probate and how you sell.

## Side by side

| Factor | Personal name | Company (Ltd) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Title & consent at purchase | Deed + Governor's Consent in your name | Deed + Governor's Consent in company name |
| Perfection package | ~3% of assessed value (consent bundle) | Same ~3%; plus company documents at Lands Registry |
| Annual compliance | Land Use Charge; personal tax filings | Land Use Charge; CAC annual returns; company tax filings (audited accounts for trading companies) |
| Rental income tax | Personal income tax (Lagos) on rental income | Companies income tax regime; different deductions and rates |
| Death/succession | Property enters your estate; probate before transfer | Company survives; your shares pass through your estate instead |
| Exit | Sell the property: new deed, new consent, new fees | Sell property (same costs) or sell shares in the company (different tax/fees analysis) |
| Borrowing | Mortgage in your name; bank looks at your income | Corporate mortgage; bank looks at company accounts and often still wants directors' guarantees |
| Liability | Property risks sit with you personally | Company separates property risk from personal assets (with limits) |

## Where personal name wins

Simplicity. One Land Use Charge bill, one tax identity, no CAC annual returns, no directors' meetings with yourself. For a family home or your first Lagos investment, personal title plus a proper will covers most needs. Personal ownership also aligns with NHF and RSA-backed mortgage routes, which are designed for individuals.

Watch-outs: the property is fully exposed to your personal liabilities and creditors; at death it freezes into probate until your executors get their grant; and adding a spouse or child later means a new deed and a second round of state fees.

## Where company wins

**Continuity.** The company does not die. Ownership changes by share transfer, not by probate on the property. For families holding multiple assets, or partners pooling money, this is the difference between a share certificate conversation and a court process.

**The share-sale exit.** Selling a property triggers Governor's Consent for the buyer, stamp duty, and the ~3% package on assessed value. Selling the shares of a single-asset company changes who controls the property without a property transfer — with its own tax and stamp-duty analysis and serious due-diligence expectations from the buyer (they inherit the company's history too). Investors use this deliberately; amateurs stumble into it.

**Risk ring-fencing.** A tenanted block with staff, contractors and public liability sits better inside a company — though directors' guarantees and personal negligence pierce the comfort quickly if you run it carelessly.

**Costs that follow you:** CAC incorporation, annual returns, tax filings, possibly audit, a company bank account, and a registered address that actually receives letters. An inactive company struck off by CAC while holding your Ikoyi flat is a special kind of self-inflicted wahala.

## Tax honesty

Rental income is taxable either way; the wrapper changes the regime, rates structure and what you can deduct — not whether you pay. Capital gains tax applies on disposal gains, with collection mechanics differing between individuals and companies. Lagos collects a capital-gains component inside the consent package at transfer. Do not let any "adviser" sell you a structure on the promise of "no tax" — sell it to yourself on administration and exit math instead, with your accountant's numbers on the table.

## How to decide (the questions I ask clients)

1.  Is this a home, a single rental, or the start of a portfolio? Portfolios lean company.
2.  Who else is involved — spouse, partners, children? Shared ownership leans company or tenancy-in-common with wills.
3.  How will you exit — sell the asset, or hand over the whole holding? Share exits lean company.
4.  Will a bank lend? Individuals access NHF/RSA routes; companies access corporate credit.
5.  Can you honestly maintain compliance? If annual returns already scare you, personal title is the safer wrapper.

_General information, not tax or legal advice. The right wrapper is a numbers exercise — run it with your accountant and property lawyer before the deed is drafted._

## Frequently asked questions

### Does buying through a company avoid Governor's Consent fees?

No. The company, like an individual, takes title by deed with Governor's Consent, stamping and registration — budget the same ~3% of assessed value package. The savings games happen at exit, not at entry.

### Can a company get a mortgage in Lagos?

Yes — banks lend to companies against property, typically assessing company accounts and cash flow and often requiring directors' personal guarantees. NHF and RSA pension routes, however, are individual products.

### What happens to company property when a shareholder dies?

The property stays with the company; it is the deceased's shares that pass through their estate. That separation is the main succession advantage of the company route.

### Is rental income taxed differently for companies?

Yes — companies fall under the companies income tax regime with its own rates and deductions, while individuals pay personal income tax on rent. Which is cheaper depends on your numbers; model both with an accountant.

### Can foreigners buy Lagos property through a company?

Yes. A Nigerian-incorporated company is treated as a Nigerian entity for land acquisition — the standard route around the Acquisition of Land by Aliens Law — while still needing Governor's Consent for the purchase itself.

## Related reading

-   [Buying Property with Your Spouse: Joint Title Explained](/articles/buying-property-with-your-spouse-joint-title-explained)
-   [How to Buy Property for Your Children in Lagos (Trust & Gift)](/articles/how-to-buy-property-for-your-children-in-lagos-trust-and-gift)
-   [Buying Property in a Lagos Estate: Rules, Fees & What to Ask](/articles/buying-property-in-a-lagos-estate-rules-fees-what-to-ask)
-   [Buying Property in Lagos from Abroad: The Complete Diaspora Guide](/articles/buying-property-in-lagos-from-abroad-the-complete-diaspora-guide)