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The short answer
Pay the landlord's own account directly, in your parents' tenancy, against a written demand, and insist on a rent receipt. In Lagos the Tenancy Law 2011 makes a receipt compulsory, showing the date, names and addresses of landlord and tenant, the premises, the amount and the period covered, and caps advance rent from a new tenant at one year. Keep the tenancy agreement, demand, transfer confirmation and receipt together for each year.
Why paying rent from abroad needs a paper trail
Rent is often the largest single sum a child abroad sends home, and it is usually paid a year at a time. When it goes through a relative or a caretaker, three things can go wrong: the money reaches the landlord late, part of it is used for something else, or the landlord later says less was paid. A clear record protects your parents' tenancy and answers any question from your own bank in Italy about a large payment abroad.
What Lagos law says about rent and receipts
Rules differ by state; Lagos has the most detailed law. The Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 applies across the state except Apapa, Ikeja GRA, Ikoyi and Victoria Island, which it exempts.
- Advance rent (s.4). A landlord may not demand or receive more than six months' rent in advance from a sitting monthly tenant, or more than one year's from a sitting yearly tenant or a new tenant. A tenant who offers or pays more also breaks the law; the offence carries a fine of ₦100,000 or three months' imprisonment.
- Receipts (s.5). A landlord must issue a receipt for rent paid, showing the date, the names and addresses of landlord and tenant, the premises, the amount and the period. Failure is an offence with a ₦100,000 fine.
- Deposits and service charges (s.10). A separate receipt is required for any security deposit or service charge, and the landlord must give a written account of service charge spending at least every six months.
In May 2025 the Lagos State Government also warned agents and landlords against charging tenants above the "legally stipulated 10 per cent of yearly rent" in fees, Peoples Gazette reported. Our Nigeria library covers the law in detail in Lagos Tenancy Law: rent advance, receipts and notice.
How to pay from Italy
- Ask the landlord or their agent for a written rent demand: the amount, the period, the property and the account to pay.
- Check the account name is the landlord's (or the managing agent's company), and matches the tenancy agreement.
- Pay directly from your side, with a reference such as "Rent, Flat 2, 14 Adeola St, 2026/27, tenant: Mrs A. Okafor".
- Send the transfer confirmation to the landlord and your parents the same day.
- Ask for the receipt within a week, and chase it if it does not come.
For a yearly rent, the amount may be large enough to trigger extra checks on your transfer route, so send it a few weeks before the due date. See large transfers from Italy and the checks involved.
Worked example (illustrative figures only)
Your parents' yearly rent in Surulere is ₦2,400,000 and the agent asks for ₦2,400,000 plus a 10% agency fee on renewal. On renewal of a sitting tenancy, ask in writing what the fee is for. If a fee is due, pay it as a separate line and get a separate receipt: ₦2,400,000 rent receipt for the year, plus ₦240,000 (10% of ₦2,400,000) on its own receipt. Two receipts, two clear purposes.
The records to keep, year by year
- Tenancy agreement
- Signed copy, with the tenant's name (your parent) and the rent
- Rent demand
- Amount, period, account details
- Transfer confirmation
- From your bank or app, with the reference
- Rent receipt
- Meeting the s.5 contents in Lagos
- Deposit or service charge receipts
- Separate, as s.10 requires
Store them in one folder per year. If your Italian bank asks about the purpose of a large payment to Nigeria, these documents answer it; see when an Italian bank asks about payments to Nigeria. Our Nigeria library also has a rent receipt template you can send the landlord if they have none.
If a relative collects the money
Sometimes the landlord insists on cash or deals only with a relative. If so, send the money to the relative with the purpose in the reference, ask them to pay in front of a witness, and get the landlord's signed receipt photographed the same day. The record is weaker than a direct payment but much better than none.
Where Pryme fits
From a Pryme account opened in Italy you can convert euros with Swap, seeing the rate and the fee before you approve, and send rent straight to the landlord's Nigerian account. You can also generate a verifiable receipt of the payment through our partner VerifyDoc.ai, which the landlord or anyone else can check is genuine and unaltered. A naira Savings Box can build up next year's rent month by month; deposits are held by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank.
Questions people ask
Can I pay my parents' rent directly to the landlord from Italy?
Yes, and it is the cleanest way: pay the landlord's own account against a written demand and ask for a receipt.
What must a rent receipt show in Lagos?
Under s.5 of the Lagos Tenancy Law 2011: the date, names and addresses of landlord and tenant, the premises, the amount and the period covered.
How many years' rent can a landlord demand in Lagos?
No more than one year from a new or yearly sitting tenant, and six months from a monthly sitting tenant (s.4), outside the exempt areas.
What if the landlord will not give a receipt?
In Lagos, failing to issue one is an offence under s.5. Keep your transfer confirmation and ask in writing; a template receipt can help.
Sources
- Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 (PolicyVault copy) · accessed Oct 2026
- Peoples Gazette: Lagos warns agents, landlords against charging above 10 per cent (15 May 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.