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What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Agree a written arrangement that sets the caretaker's monthly pay, what they must do daily, weekly and monthly, what they may spend without asking, and how they report, with photos. Pay by bank transfer on a fixed date; the national minimum wage of ₦70,000 a month is a useful floor even though, as law firm SCP notes, domestic workers fall outside the Act's coverage.
Why an empty house needs one
A family house left empty after parents move in with a sibling, or after a death, deteriorates quickly. Pipes leak unnoticed, roofs lose sheets in a storm, generators seize, and an empty compound attracts squatters or people who claim the land. A caretaker who lives on the property or visits daily is the most common answer. The arrangement works when duties and pay are clear, and fails when the caretaker is left to guess what the family wants and how they will be paid.
What the caretaker does
| How often | Duties |
|---|---|
| Daily | Open and close gates; check doors, windows and locks; keep the compound clean; turn security lights on and off |
| Weekly | Run taps and flush toilets; check the roof and ceilings for leaks after rain; run the generator or inverter briefly; cut grass |
| Monthly | Buy electricity units if the meter is kept on; pay waste and estate levies with funds sent; send a photo and video report |
| As needed | Call the agreed artisan for small repairs; report anyone claiming the house or land; keep visitors out unless the family has approved them |
Write down what the caretaker may not do: let rooms, allow relatives to move in, cut trees, or sell anything from the house. Most disputes come from a caretaker who believed a relative had given permission.
Setting fair pay
Pay depends on the city, whether the caretaker lives on site, and how much of their time the house takes. There is no official scale for caretakers. Two reference points help:
- The national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month under the 2024 amendment, signed on 29 July 2024. SCP Law's summary notes that the Act's exemptions, carried over from 2019, include domestic workers and establishments with fewer than 25 employees, so a family caretaker may not be covered. It is still a reasonable floor for a full-time role.
- Free accommodation counts. A caretaker living in the boys' quarters rent-free receives value; agree whether that is part of pay and say so in writing.
Add a separate monthly float for running costs, and keep it apart from pay so neither is spent on the other.
Worked example (illustration only)
A live-in caretaker in a Lagos suburb is paid ₦90,000 a month, with a running-costs float of ₦40,000 for units, levies and cleaning materials, and an approval limit of ₦20,000 for any single repair. Monthly cost to the family: ₦130,000, or ₦1,560,000 a year. Split between three siblings, that is ₦43,333 each a month (₦43,334 for one sibling, so the total is ₦130,000). Any repair over ₦20,000 needs a photo, a quote and a sibling's approval before work starts.
Reporting and checks
Agree one monthly report, sent on the same date: photos of each room, the roof and the compound, a short video walk-through, the electricity meter reading, and receipts for anything bought from the float. A sibling or trusted relative in Nigeria should visit unannounced every few months. Keep reports and receipts in one shared folder; see site reports for building from abroad for a similar reporting format.
- Write a one-page agreement: duties, pay, float, approval limit, notice period.
- Collect the caretaker's ID, phone number and a guarantor's details.
- Pay pay and float by bank transfer on fixed dates, never in advance for several months.
- Ask for the monthly report before sending the next float.
- Review pay once a year, as prices rise.
Choosing the caretaker
Families often choose a long-serving gateman, a relative's dependant or someone recommended by a neighbour. Whoever it is, take the same steps: meet them by video, ask a relative to meet them in person, collect a copy of their ID and a guarantor's name, address and phone number, and agree a trial month before the arrangement becomes permanent. Agree a notice period on both sides, for example one month, and what the caretaker must hand back when they leave: keys, meter cards, generator and any receipts.
Be careful about letting a caretaker's family move in with them. A caretaker living alone in the boys' quarters is easy to replace; a household of five that has lived there for years is not. Write down who may live there.
Paying by transfer, not cash
Paying into the caretaker's own bank account leaves a record and avoids a relative handling cash. Cash is also harder to get: under the CBN circular reported by Channels TV, from 1 January 2026 individuals face a weekly cash withdrawal limit of ₦500,000 across all channels, with a 3% charge above it. A transfer avoids both.
Where Pryme fits
With a Pryme Personal account the siblings can each send naira to the caretaker on the agreed date, with the rate and the fee shown before you approve. A Personal Assistant can prepare the monthly pay and float transfers for your approval and remind you to ask for the report first.
Questions people ask
How much should I pay a caretaker in Nigeria?
There is no official scale. The ₦70,000 national minimum wage is a reasonable floor for a full-time role, adjusted for city, live-in accommodation and workload.
Does the minimum wage apply to a house caretaker?
SCP Law's summary of the Act lists domestic workers and establishments with fewer than 25 employees among exemptions, so it may not apply by law, but many families use it as a floor.
Should a caretaker live in the family house?
Living in the boys' quarters gives daily presence. Agree in writing that it is not a tenancy and ends with the role.
How do I check a caretaker from abroad?
Ask for a monthly photo and video report with receipts, and have a relative visit unannounced every few months.
Sources
- SCP Law: The 2024 Minimum Wage Act, a closer look (31 Jul 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Channels TV: CBN revises cash withdrawal rules effective January 2026 (3 Dec 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.