A new public directory wants Nigerian property buyers to check before they pay
Proptiva Ratings lists more than 3,000 companies and asks buyers to share real experiences, backed by private proof. Its first reviews are being collected now.
Lagos — For Nigerians buying property, and especially for those buying from abroad, the most useful information has often been the hardest to find. What was it like to deal with this company? Did it deliver? Did buyers get their documents, or their refunds?
A new directory is trying to bring those answers into the open. Proptiva Ratings, launched by the Lagos company Proptiva Africa, lists 3,104 developers, land sellers, estate agents and property managers across 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Searching it is free.
Lagos and the FCT account for most of the listings, at 1,553 and 652 companies. Estate agents are the largest group, at 2,026, followed by 591 developers.
Proof before publication
The directory's central idea is that buyers should hear from other buyers, with a check that the dealing really happened. Anyone who dealt with a listed company in the last five years can submit a review. Before publishing, the site looks for evidence of a transaction, such as a receipt, contract, allocation letter or bank transfer. The evidence stays private, and reviewers appear by first name only.
Reviewers can rate a company in six areas: title and documents, land allocation, delivery or handover, communication, sticking to the contract, and refunds.
A company's reviews appear only once it has at least three published ones. The site says this is so that a single review can't define a business.
A right of reply
Companies can claim their profiles for free, reply publicly and dispute a review they believe is false. According to the site's published rules, no company can pay for a higher rating, a better search position or the removal of a review. Accusations of crime stated as fact are not published, and those with such concerns are directed to raise them privately and to report them to the police or the EFCC.
For buyers who want a closer look, the site also offers a paid Company check, from ₦75,000, covering registration, licences and an office visit.
Early days
The directory is at an early stage. At the time of writing, no reviews have been published, so profiles do not yet show scores. Only a small number of listings carry a dated fact checked by the company's team, and the site says a listing is not a recommendation.
Its value will depend on whether buyers take part. Its operators say they are now collecting first reviews and that they do not reward people for writing them.
If it works, it could offer something Nigerian property buyers have long had to piece together privately: a shared public record, written by buyers, that the honest companies can point to with pride.
The directory is at ratings.proptivaafrica.com.
