CribCheckRental fraud in Nigeria rarely looks like fraud. It looks like a good deal, a busy agent and a decision you must make today. These are the signals that should slow you down.
Red flags about money
- You are asked to pay before seeing the inside of the property.
- Payment goes into a personal account whose name matches neither the landlord nor the agency.
- Cash only, or a refusal to issue a receipt naming the landlord.
- A price far below comparable properties on the same street.
- An inspection fee demanded before you are given the exact address.
Red flags about the people
- No written authority from the owner to let the property.
- The 'landlord' is only available on the phone and never in person.
- The agent cannot name the owner, or the name changes between conversations.
- Several agents claim the same property with different terms.
- Nobody will let you speak to the existing tenant or the caretaker.
Red flags about the property
- Listing photos that appear on other adverts or in other cities.
- A property still under construction, sold on the promise of completion.
- Keys handed over without any agreement signed.
- Repairs promised verbally with nothing written into the agreement.
- The same flat shown to several prospective tenants on the same day, each asked to pay.
The questions that break a scam
- Can I see your written authority from the owner?
- What is the exact address, and can I visit again tomorrow?
- Whose name is the receipt in, and can it be issued before I transfer?
- May I speak with the current tenant or the neighbours?
- Can we put the promised repairs into the agreement?
A genuine landlord or agent is unbothered by these questions. Pressure is the product being sold when the answers do not exist.