‘Lagos state needs to regulate housing agents’ - Stephanie Coker cries out

Popular media personality and entrepreneur Stephanie Coker has sparked a renewed conversation about the housing crisis in Lagos State after sharing her frustrating experience with real estate agents. 

The media star took to social media to call out what she described as exploitative and unregulated practices within the rental market, especially the now-common “viewing fee;” a charge demanded by agents just to inspect a property.

“Lagos state needs to regulate housing agents. What exactly is this 20k viewing charge about? One even said the agency fee is 20%. They just wake up and make their own rules, knowing there's no regulation, so they can do as they please. It's very unfair to prospective tenants,” Coker lamented.

Her comments instantly resonated with thousands of Lagosians who have long battled with an opaque, stressful, and often extortionate housing system. 

The uproar highlights a wider problem: a housing market operating like a wild west, where desperate tenants are at the mercy of self-styled agents with no oversight and little recourse.

The ₦20,000 “viewing charge” referenced by Coker is not new to Lagos residents. What began as a token ₦1,000–₦2,000 fee a few years ago has ballooned into a disturbing trend where prospective renters are charged exorbitant fees, often without guarantees of viable listings.

And if you're thinking the fee guarantees a property match or even a refund if you don’t find one, think again. It’s a pay-to-look situation, with no receipts, no accountability, and no refunds.

For many, these charges feel like a scam cloaked in legitimacy. You pay a fee to be shown homes that may not exist, are already rented, or fall far below promised standards.

It’s not uncommon for agents to collect money from multiple people for the same unit, banking on their ability to shuffle potential renters around or stall until one gives up.

Housing agents need to be checked

Coker also pointed out another alarming trend: agency fees being inflated to 20%. Traditionally, agents charge 10% of the annual rent as their fee, alongside a 10% legal fee. However, some are now merging both fees under one name and inflating them arbitrarily.

This happens largely because there is no standardised guideline or government oversight for how housing agents should operate. Almost anyone can print a business card, call themselves an agent, and start charging desperate apartment hunters.

Coker’s frustration also reignites a deeper question: Who is Lagos really being built for?

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