Choosing a property manager in Nigeria

By the HavenGuard team · Updated 14 October 2026

Questions to ask before you hire

• How many properties do you manage in this area, and can I speak to two owners you work for?
• Who will actually visit my property, and how often?
• How do you find and vet tenants? What do you check?
• How and when will rent reach me, and what do you deduct?
• Which repairs will you handle without asking me, and up to what amount?
• Which artisans do you use, and do you take a commission on their work?
• What do you send me after each visit or repair?
• Are you a member of a professional body? (For example, estate surveyors and valuers in Nigeria are registered professionals.)

What the agreement should cover

• Fees: a percentage of rent collected or a fixed fee, and what’s extra.
• Spending limit: the amount the manager can approve alone, and how quotes are sent above it.
• Reporting: inspection frequency, photos, rent statements and receipts.
• Tenant matters: who signs tenancy agreements, who holds deposits, how arrears are chased.
• Ending it: notice period and handover of keys, documents and records.

Keeping them accountable without micromanaging

The best managers like clear rules: they’re paid to act, and evidence protects them as much as you. Agree that every visit comes with dated photos, every repair above the limit comes with a quote, and every completed job comes with finish photos. Review rent received against rent due every month.

In HavenGuard you can invite your manager to one property or all of them, set the amount a trusted person can approve, and see every inspection, quote, approval and payment in one place.

Red flags

• Reluctance to send photos, receipts or written quotes.
• Asking for your original title documents “for safekeeping”.
• Repairs that keep repeating, or always use the same artisan at rising prices.
• Rent that arrives late with a new reason every time.

Start free and invite your manager, or read how to avoid property fraud.