For many Lagosians, finding a suitable house or property can feel like a frustrating game of hide and seek. But in the heart of Surulere, a local tech startup is turning the chaos of house hunting into a simpler, faster, and more transparent process.
Founded in February 2025, RentHouseSurulere (RHS) is a digital real estate marketplace focused on helping people rent and buy properties within Surulere and, now gradually, across Lagos.
At the helm is Mr. Adetola Adegbohun, a product manager and digital content strategist, who started the platform out of a personal need to fix the broken system of house-hunting in his neighborhood.
“I lived in Surulere and saw firsthand how exploitative and unorganized house hunting was,” Mr. Adegbohun said in an interview. “Agents were charging ridiculous fees, landlords made outrageous demands, and renters were often left in the dark. I knew we could do better.”
That desire to create a solution led to a community-driven platform tailored specifically for the Surulere housing market. Unlike traditional agents or general property websites, RentHouseSurulere offers real-time property listings, verified agents, and digital content that tells people the truth about available homes.
The platform’s edge lies in its hyperlocal focus and smart use of social media. “We’re not trying to be everywhere at once,” Mr. Adegbohun explained. “By focusing on Surulere first, we’ve been able to build trusted relationships with agents and property owners. This way, we get real listings, fast.”
Once a property becomes available, the RentHouseSurulere team uses Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to spread the word, often within minutes. They post walk-through videos, give honest captions in everyday Lagos slang, and even use humor to keep the audience engaged.
“People don’t just want houses. They want to see the house, feel the neighborhood, and understand the process,” he said. “That’s why we show the actual condition of the property, the good and the bad.”
Their approach seems to be working. According to Mr. Adegbohun, some renters have cried in relief after finding a decent home without all the usual stress. Others, especially single moms or Nigerians in the diaspora, have praised the platform for giving them honest options within budget.
A major reason people love the service is that it buffers renters from shady agents. In Lagos, it’s common to meet multiple agents for the same house, each demanding a fee. RentHouseSurulere only works with verified agents and negotiates clear, upfront terms for the renter.
They also pioneered a system called “DM-to-inspect,” which allows interested house seekers to book physical inspections through a simple Instagram or WhatsApp message.
But it hasn’t been without challenges. “Building credibility was tough at first,” the RHS boss admitted. “Agents didn’t trust us, and renters were cautious. But we stayed transparent. We showed real homes, admitted when a house had flaws, and never forced anyone into a deal. That earned us our reputation.”
He also highlighted how meeting demand can be a challenge. “Sometimes, we’d post a property and get 50 DMs in an hour. We had to learn how to scale inspection coordination, communication and follow-up,” the RHS boss explained.
As the platform grows, so do its ambitions. From a rental-focused startup, RentHouseSurulere now also handles property sales and has begun expanding into neighboring areas like Yaba, Shomolu, and Ebute Metta.
Mr. Adegbohun shared his vision of a “full-stack” online marketplace, where everything, including listings, agent interactions, inspections, even payments, can happen seamlessly on one platform.
“Our big dream is to be the most trusted online real estate brand in Nigeria. Not just for rentals, but eventually for property development and facilities management too,” he said. “We’re just getting started.”
Recall that the Lagos State Government had, earlier in May, maintained that no agent or landlord should charge more than 10 per cent of the annual rent for tenancy agreement fees in the state, warning against illegal charges.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Housing, Ms Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, while speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, warned against the imposition of excessive tenancy agreement fees on house hunters.
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