HOW HOUSE AGENT RUN AGO-IWOYE’S HOUSING MARKET

By Oluwapelumi Ogundele

We see the stories of Lagos house agent and their drama on the social media everyday. Seems these house agents are from the same heaven — they all add outrageous fee to the normal house rent. To them, the fee will surely have a name and a weird purpose. 

In Ago-Iwoye here, the town of our dear Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), a struggle unfolds every academic session as students search for accommodation off campus. With only a few hostels available on school grounds, most students are forced to look elsewhere — a process now dominated by agents who have turned housing into one of the most competitive and profitable ventures around campus.

OOU has only about five hostels on campus, and they can be quite expensive, with prices ranging from ₦100,000 to ₦350,000 depending on the number of occupants. The cheapest options are usually the four-bed rooms. Beyond the price, some students would not just live in the hostel. You should understand how students likes the freedom, comfort, and vibrant social life that off-campus areas offer, from easy access to food spots and recreation places to a livelier atmosphere that feels more like home. The real campus experience happens outside the school gates

As the demand for off-campus housing continues to rise, agents have become key players in the housing market. Acting as a middleman between landlords and students, they help connect both sides — but their growing influence comes at a cost. Many landlords now rely on these agents to find tenants quickly, while students often have no choice but to go through them to secure an apartment. However many agents now inflate agreement and commission fees, with some charging as high as 60–70 percent of the annual rent. “You’ll see an apartment that you like and it will fit into your budget for the yearly fee, only to hear the agreement and commission being almost half of the rent. It’s very annoying,” said Pelumi, a 300-level student.

 Agents also tend to increase apartment prices at the start of each new academic session, often justifying it with the familiar excuse, “It’s a school area.” This makes it even harder for returning and new students to secure affordable accommodation, as prices fluctuate based on the school calendar rather than the actual market value.

For many students, these extra charges often determine where they eventually live. Some end up settling for cheaper, less convenient apartments farther from campus just to avoid the inflated agent fees. Others are forced to share rooms with more occupants to split costs, making the search for accommodation even more stressful each academic session.

Still, for many agents, business is booming. With landlords preferring students who pay promptly and maintain properties better, agents have become indispensable in the housing market. “Most landlords I’ve worked with prefer renting to students,” said Olamide, an agent. “They pay more and they comply better than indigenes.” What started as a side hustle during school often becomes a steady source of income, showing just how profitable the business of accommodation has become in Ago-Iwoye.

 While the system benefits some, it leaves others at a disadvantage—especially local residents. “It was difficult to find an apartment in my area because most landlords only wanted students,” said Mrs. Akewusola, an indigene. “I had to move farther away before I could find a place.”

As the student population continues to grow, the power of these middlemen in Ago-Iwoye’s housing market only becomes stronger, quietly shaping who gets a home and how much it costs.

This trend in mirrors a wider pattern across Nigeria, where housing agents have come under fire for adding outrageous “agreement and commission” fees to rents. The issue has sparked public outrage nationwide, prompting some state governments — including Lagos — to review tenancy laws aimed at regulating how much agents can charge. For students in Ago-Iwoye, however, such reforms remain a distant hope, leaving them to navigate a housing market that grows more expensive with each session.