CribCheckPaid before you get the keys
- Agency fee and agreement or legal fee.
- Caution or damage deposit.
- First service-charge instalment, sometimes a full year in advance.
- Inspection fee already paid to one or more agents.
Paid every month afterwards
- Electricity, on your own meter or as a share of the block's bill.
- Diesel or generator contribution, often separate from service charge.
- Water or borehole and pump maintenance where a block shares one pump.
- Security, waste collection and CDA or estate levies.
One-off costs people forget
- Painting and minor carpentry before you move in.
- Repairs you inherit: a leaking tap, dead socket or failing pump becomes your problem.
- Moving, including the van, labour and any estate entry charge.
- Internet installation, commonly ₦60,000 to ₦250,000.
- Curtains, blinds, mosquito nets and burglary proofing.
True move-in cost calculator
Enter the rent you were quoted. Adjust anything that differs in your case — fees vary by area, agent and building.
- Annual rentThe figure the agent quotes you₦1,500,000
- Agency fee10% of rent, paid to the agent₦150,000
- Agreement / legal fee10% of rent, for preparing the tenancy agreement₦150,000
- Caution deposit10% of rent, refundable if condition at entry was recorded₦150,000
- Service chargeSecurity, waste, pumps, common areas₦300,000
- Painting and small repairsWhat you fix before moving in₦150,000
- MovingTruck, loaders and any estate fee₦80,000
- Internet installationFibre or fixed wireless setup₦100,000
What you actually need before you get the keys
₦2,580,000
That is about 1.72× the quoted rent. Ask for every figure in writing before you pay anything.
Indicative only. Figures depend on the property, the agent and the estate.
Inherited repairs are the one hidden cost you can remove before signing: find them during the viewing and either get them fixed or priced into the rent.