Hostel

A hostel is a building of rooms let to students. On campus, hostels are owned or run by the school and allocated through it. Off campus, most are private buildings put up by landlords and investors close to a university, polytechnic or college of education, where the school's own hostels cannot house everyone.

What you find on this list page. Hostel listings are mostly whole buildings for sale or rent, aimed at investors and operators, with some rooms or bed spaces offered directly to students.

Room types. Private hostels range from shared rooms with several bed spaces and common bathrooms, to single rooms, to self contains with their own toilet and kitchenette. Many add a reading room, a borehole and water tank, a generator or solar system, and a gate with a security guard.

Lodges in the South-East. Around campuses such as the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, private off-campus hostels are called lodges, and whole neighbourhoods next to the campus are made up of them.

How renting works. Rooms are usually let for an academic session and paid upfront. Hostels close to the school gate charge more than those further out, because students pay to avoid long, early-morning journeys. When an investor lets the whole building to an operator, the operator handles bookings, upkeep and security.

Schools and private hostels. Some universities run a register or a lodgings office for off-campus accommodation and advise students to use registered hostels. Others have said they have no control over private lodges. Ask the school's student affairs office what applies before you pay.

The law in Lagos. The Lagos Tenancy Law does not apply to residential premises owned or operated by an educational institution for its staff and students. That exclusion is worded for school-run housing, so for a private hostel read the tenancy terms carefully. Converting a house into a hostel is a change of use, which in Lagos needs approval from the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.

• South-East: "lodge" is the usual word, and lodges cluster in the neighbourhoods around campuses such as Nsukka and Awka.
• Lagos: demand is strongest around the universities and colleges in Akoka, Yaba and Ojo, where land is scarce and expensive.
• South-West university towns: in places such as Ibadan and Abeokuta, the universities run offices or registers for off-campus housing.