Nigeria, Feb. 23 -- Many people often confuse the role of an agent with that of a finder in property transactions.

But legally and practically, they are not the same.

An agent has a formal contractual relationship with a landlord or property manager.

They are authorized to source tenants and are entitled to an agency fee.

A finder, on the other hand, has no express agreement with the landlord or manager.

They simply introduce a prospective tenant and are only entitled to a finder's fee.

To protect themselves, finders should always draft a finder's fee agreement.

This applies not only in real estate, but also in contracts involving land, client sourcing, and business referrals.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the system is often unbalan...