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Every BuyRentLagos story filed under Buying, newest first. 27 stories.
Legal fees for property transactions in Lagos typically run 5–10% of the deal value for purchases (or a negotiated fixed fee), and are capped at 10% of rent for tenancy agreements under the Tenancy Law. These professional fees are separate from statutory government charges — which, under the 2026 Blue Book, can be even larger.
Laide Matthews · 24 June 2026 · 3 min read
Houses sell fast in Lagos at the price the market already believes, presented so a serious buyer can say yes in one visit, with documents ready for a lawyer to clear in days. Most "slow" houses are not cursed — they are overpriced, badly photographed, or hiding a title problem the seller hopes nobody checks early.
Laide Matthews · 21 June 2026 · 4 min read
Two plots of identical size on the same Lagos street can be worth very different money. A corner-piece — fronting two roads — carries commercial potential, better light and easier subdivision, and prices at a premium: an 8,000sqm commercial corner piece at Festac's Amuwo-Odofin scheme was marketed at ₦200M/yr lease because two-road frontage suits truck parks and car lots. Oversized plots (more land than the standard building needs) change value differently: they allow bigger houses, future exten
Laide Matthews · 12 June 2026 · 4 min read
Waterfront is Lagos's most seductive and most legally complicated property class. The premium is real — Osborne Foreshore waterfront 4-bed duplexes ask around ₦60M/yr, Banana Island is the country's most expensive address, and Lakowe's lakefront lofts sell resort prices — but waterfront land carries layered title: federal waterway interests, state land, shoreline protection rules, and reclamation questions. Buy waterfront for the life it gives you, but diligence it harder than any other purchase
Laide Matthews · 11 June 2026 · 4 min read
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.
Laide Matthews · 5 May 2026 · 4 min read
Yes, but with a gate most buyers never hear about until their lawyer stops the deal: under Lagos State's Acquisition of Land by Aliens Law, a non-Nigerian cannot validly acquire an interest in land from a Nigerian citizen without the **prior written approval of the Governor** — a transaction without it is void. The common workarounds are buying through a Nigerian-incorporated company, or structuring a proper lease, both still with Governor's Consent on top.
Laide Matthews · 4 May 2026 · 4 min read
Inheriting a Lagos property means three separate battles: proving your right (probate or letters of administration), surviving the family's internal politics, and only then selling or keeping the asset with clean title. Most inherited-house disasters happen when families try to sell first and do the law later.
Laide Matthews · 3 May 2026 · 4 min read
When a Lagos property owner dies, nobody — not the spouse, not the eldest child — can legally sell, transfer or properly manage that property until the High Court issues authority: a grant of probate where there is a valid will, or letters of administration where there is none. The Lagos Probate Registry runs the process, charges are assessed on the estate's value (estate duty is commonly assessed at around 10%), and until the grant issues, the property is legally frozen.
Laide Matthews · 2 May 2026 · 4 min read
You can buy Lagos property for your children three main ways: a deed of gift transferring title now (with adult trustees or guardians managing it while they are minors), a family trust that holds the property for them under rules you set, or your will leaving it to them later. A minor cannot easily sell or mortgage property, and any later dealing with a minor's land may need court approval — so the structure you choose decides how much flexibility the family keeps.
Laide Matthews · 1 May 2026 · 4 min read
Buying in both names in Lagos is done through the deed: you take title either as joint tenants — where the surviving spouse automatically owns the whole property — or as tenants in common with stated shares. For most married couples buying a family home, joint tenancy is the clean answer; couples blending children from previous marriages or unequal contributions often need tenancy in common plus wills.
Laide Matthews · 30 April 2026 · 4 min read
Family property co-ownership works in Lagos when the handshake becomes a document: who owns what share, who can trigger a sale, who pays for what, and what happens when someone dies or wants out. Most family property wahala I see did not start with greed — it started with love, memory and no paperwork.
Laide Matthews · 29 April 2026 · 4 min read
Property auctions in Nigeria run through three main doors — bank/mortgagee sales conducted by licensed auctioneers, AMCON's bid process for taken-over bank assets, and court-ordered sales — and all three sell "as is" to buyers who bring fast money and slow, careful lawyers. AMCON's published terms set the tone for the whole market: 10% deposit with your bid, 90% balance within 15 days of winning.
Laide Matthews · 28 April 2026 · 4 min read