Recovery of Premises in Lagos Island, Lagos
Nigerian law doesn't give a landlord in Lagos Island a power of eviction — it gives a procedure for recovery of possession, built around two notices and a court application, not a change of the locks.
Letting and recovering property in Lagos Island
On Lagos Island, shops, stores and upper-floor flats around the markets are often let on yearly terms. Recovering a shop or store from a tenant in arrears is a common matter here.
At a glance
Notice periods by tenancy type
| Type of tenancy | Notice required |
|---|---|
| Weekly | 1 week |
| Monthly | 1 month |
| Quarterly | 3 months |
| Yearly | 6 months |
Frequently asked questions
How much notice must I give my tenant in Nigeria?
It depends on how the tenancy runs, not on how long the tenant has lived there. A weekly tenancy needs one week, a monthly tenancy one month, a quarterly or half-yearly tenancy three months, and a yearly tenancy six months. A fixed-term lease follows the term agreed in the lease itself. Notice periods vary between states, so the tenancy must be checked against the law of the state where the property is.
Can I change the locks or throw my tenant out if they have not paid rent?
No. Removing a tenant, changing the locks, cutting off power or water, or putting their belongings outside without a court order is unlawful in Nigeria regardless of how much rent is owed. It exposes the landlord to a claim from the tenant and can undermine the recovery case. Possession is recovered by serving the correct notices and then applying to court.
Is one notice enough to take my tenant to court?
No. Two separate notices are required, served one after the other. The Notice to Quit ends the tenancy on a future date. If the tenant is still in the property after that date, a second notice, the seven days Notice of Owner’s Intention to Apply to Recover Possession, must then be served before court proceedings can be filed. They are two distinct documents and cannot be combined into one.
What happens if I give my tenant less notice than the law requires?
The notice is void. It has no legal effect, the tenancy has not been validly ended, and the court can dismiss the recovery action on that ground alone. The landlord then starts again from the beginning with a fresh notice and a fresh notice period, having lost the months already spent. This is the most common and most expensive mistake in a recovery of premises.
Can I claim the unpaid rent as well as recover the property?
Yes. Rent that fell due before the tenancy ended is claimed as arrears, and the sum charged for the period the tenant stays on after the tenancy has ended is claimed as mesne profits. Both should be stated as specific calculated figures, not as a general reference to outstanding rent.
Ready to take action?
We work out which notice your tenancy actually needs, draft it, and a licensed practitioner signs it before it's served — each tenancy or lease document is ₦25,000.
Start Your Matter →Starting with the notice?
The Notice to Quit has to be the right length and served properly before anything else can happen. See how it works and what it costs.
Notice to Quit in Lagos →