How to list your apartment for shortlet in Nigeria — verified guests, protected payment
Hosting pays best when the scary parts are handled: on BuyChat your guests are identity-verified, their payment is secured before check-in, and a security deposit with a proper claims process covers damage. You set the nightly rate and house rules; the platform handles trust and money.
Shortlet income without the shortlet horror stories
Every host in Lagos or Abuja has heard the stories: the guest who paid half and vanished, the "one night" that became a squat, the party that cost more than the booking earned. So apartments sit empty between trusted referrals — income lost to the trust gap.
The fix is the same structure that fixes buying and selling: verify the people, hold the money, make deposits enforceable.
How hosting works on BuyChat
- List your space — photos, description, location, house rules, and your room types with nightly rates. You control pricing and availability.
- Verification cuts both ways. You verify as a host (hosts are vetted before listings go live); guests book with identity-verified accounts. Anonymous bookings simply don't exist here.
- Money is secured before check-in. The booking is funded through protected payment before the guest arrives — no chasing balances at the door, no fake payment alerts.
- The deposit is real. Require a security deposit on your listing. If something is damaged, you file a claim with photos during the claim window; resolved claims pay from the held deposit. No shouting matches, no chasing someone who has already left.
- Get paid to your BuyChat wallet, withdraw to your bank.
Guests find you
Your listing is searchable in the app, bookable through Aisha ("find me a 2-bedroom shortlet in Lekki this weekend"), and crawlable by search engines and AI assistants — so demand reaches you beyond your own promotion. Early hosts benefit most: supply is still small, which means listings get seen.
Start hosting
Open buychat.ng, switch into hosting from your profile, and create your first stay listing. Have your identity verification done (the same NIN check as sellers) and your photos ready — Aisha can help polish the listing description in chat.
Frequently asked questions
How am I protected against damage?
You can require a security deposit on your listing. If there is damage, you file a claim with evidence during the claim window; awarded claims are paid from the deposit, and total awards can never exceed the deposit held. It is a real process, not a promise.
Who can see my guests' identity?
Guests book with verified accounts — identity verification is exactly the tick system buyers and sellers use platform-wide. You see the verification status, not their private documents.
What does listing cost?
Listing is free; the platform takes a commission on completed bookings (published at buychat.ng/fees). You set your own nightly rate per room type.
Sell with payment protection
Offer buyers a protected checkout — you are paid the moment they confirm delivery.
Start selling