03/06/2026
One of the harsh realities of running serviced apartments in Nigeria is dealing with guests who deliberately exploit operators.
A few months ago, we had a guest check into one of our apartments with a woman and two children. He told us he intended to stay for a month but only paid for one week upfront.
When the first week expired, getting the next payment became a daily struggle. Every morning he would leave the apartment early and return very late at night. This continued for days while we repeatedly followed up on payment.
Eventually, under pressure, he issued a cheque. Unfortunately, the cheque bounced.
We informed him that we do not accept cheques and requested payment via bank transfer. Instead of resolving the issue, the man disappeared completely—leaving behind the woman, the children, and an unpaid bill.
For nearly two weeks, we had no idea where he was. To minimize losses, we had to move the occupants from a three-bedroom apartment into a smaller unit on the property while we reported the matter to the authorities.
The outcome was shocking.
Investigations revealed that he had checked into another hotel and paid them, while abandoning the people he came with at our property. During questioning, the domestic help disclosed that this was not the first time he had done something like this. According to them, he had a pattern of moving from one serviced apartment to another, leaving unpaid bills behind.
This experience cost us money, time, and resources.
If you own or manage serviced apartments, please strengthen your guest verification process, payment policies, and occupancy agreements. Not everyone who checks in intends to check out honestly.
Stay vigilant. The cost of one bad guest can erase the profit from several good ones.
