HavenGuardHow to check on your property in Nigeria from abroad
The December visit isn’t enough. Here’s a simple routine that tells you the real state of your house, flat or land all year round.
Most owners abroad manage property in Nigeria the same way: a relative or caretaker calls with news, money is sent for repairs, and the truth comes out on the next visit home. It works until it doesn’t: a roof leak that ran for a rainy season, a tenant who stopped paying months ago, or a fence that was “fixed” twice.
1. Decide who your eyes on the ground are
You need at least one person who can physically visit. That can be a professional property manager, an inspector you pay per visit, or a relative. Write down what each person is responsible for. A common split is a manager for tenants and repairs, and an independent inspector or relative to check on the manager’s work.
2. Set an inspection rhythm
- Occupied property: a full inspection every three to six months, and after every tenant moves out.
- Empty house or flat: a visit every month. Empty buildings attract damp, theft and squatters.
- Land: a visit every one to three months to confirm the boundaries and beacons are intact and nobody has started building.
- Rainy season: an extra check of roofs, gutters and drainage early in the season.
3. Ask for proof, not reassurance
Ask for photos of the specific things you care about, taken on the day: the roof from inside, the ceiling under the bathroom, the meter, the gate. Photos sent over WhatsApp lose their date and location, and old pictures are easy to resend. Ask for photos that carry the time and place they were taken, and for a short written summary: what’s fine, what needs attention, what’s urgent.
In HavenGuard, inspectors take photos in the app. Each photo is stamped with the time and GPS location, gallery photos are marked, and the report can’t be edited once it’s sent.
4. Approve repairs against quotes and finish photos
Before you send money, ask for the problem with photos, a written quote, and who will do the work. After the work, ask for photos of the finished job. Set a limit below which your manager can go ahead without asking you, so small jobs don’t wait for your time zone.
5. Keep one record of money in and out
Record every rent payment, service charge, bill and repair, with the date, amount and receipt. If you think in pounds or dollars, keep the exchange rate you used, so you can see what the property actually earns.
6. Keep your documents where you can reach them
Keep scans of your title documents, survey plan, receipts and tenancy agreements somewhere private that you control, not only in a relative’s cupboard.
HavenGuard was built for exactly this routine: inspections with proof, repairs you approve, a document vault and rent records, for every property, from anywhere. Start free with one property.
Start with one property, free.
Add your property, invite the people who look after it and request your first inspection today.