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Digital divide is lack of access to and effective use of information and communication technology (ICT). It represents the difference between people with access to ICT and who use it effectively and those who do not. The aim of this study is to determine the level of digital divides amongst estate surveyors and valuers (recognized real estate practitioners in Nigeria). This is with a view to turning the identified digital divides into digital dividends for sustainable real estate practice in Nigeria and elsewhere.

In attaining the aim, primary data were collected on 3,627 corporate members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) with questionnaires administered through the internet using SurveyMonkey, an internet‐based software complemented with bulk sms to alert them about posting of the questionnaires into their e‐mail addresses. The Culbertson's constructs for evaluating digital awareness in the USA were adapted for inclusion in the survey instrument. The finding on the estate surveyors and valuers was also compared with those on comparable professionals in the building industry to determine if the respondents are lagging behind in adopting ICT.

Based on the Culbertson's constructs, there is great digital divide between practising estate surveyors and valuers and their counterparts in advanced countries. The analysis indicated that 33.75 percent of the respondents were not committed to ICT, 26.25 percent were slightly committed, and at least 38.75 percent were somewhat committed; and the respondents were classified as “low‐tech high‐touch” professionals; and their level of ICT deployment found to be appropriate within the framework of the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics. This implies that digital divide is not a challenge to real estate practice in Nigeria.

The study serves as good starting block for further analysis of the setting, challenges, and practice of real estate profession in Nigeria and elsewhere with regards to ICT applications. The research posited the implication for the NIESV to organize mandatory continued professional development workshops on ICT to remain relevant in the fast moving digital society. The IT requirements, current skill base, and curricula in the higher institutions were however not examined. It is therefore necessary to carry out further research on students and faculty in the higher institutions to identify the gaps in skill and technological capabilities.

The findings help in specifying development activities that will enhance improvements in professional standards, build local capacity and improve transparency expected by international investors. Also, the findings provide professional bodies and policy‐makers with indications to improve and ensure sustainable real estate professional practice through continuous and life‐long training of members in ICT. It recommended capacity building, reviving of interests of practitioners, direct investment of software companies, and research as approaches to reducing the level of digital divide between practitioners in advanced countries and Nigeria in order to remain relevant in the technologically‐driven and competitive world.

The main objective of investment in real estate is to derive adequate returns from its management; selection of suitable tenants is one of the challenges to attaining this in Nigeria. Many prospective tenants of residential properties usually appear good at the recruitment stage but often become belligerent with grave challenge to the property managers. The paper aims to examine the criteria set by property managers in selecting residential tenants in Nigeria with a view to establishing a proper process for identification of potentially bad tenants at the recruitment stage.

The paper opted for an exploratory study with questionnaires administered to estate surveyors (professional property managers in Nigeria). Respondents were randomly selected based on Bartlett et al.'s model with margin of error set at 0.05, p=0.5, and t‐value=1.96. Relative importance index analysis of the data was carried out to determine the ranking of the criteria.

The paper provides insight into tenant selection through proper process using a weighted scorecard. It suggests that an application of a scorecard will reduce the incidence of bad tenancy and enable investors to derive value from investment in real estate.

The framework of tenant selection process adopted was based on criteria set by the respondents; researchers are therefore encouraged to test the applicability of the suggested weighted scorecard.

There are implications for development of computer software using the weighted scorecard to further ease the process of tenant selection and make it an inter‐disciplinary study.

This paper identified the need for proper tenant selection to enable investors in residential property to harness adequate and remunerative return.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and dimension of non-compliance (defiance) with lease agreement obligations in private rental housing market between managers (agents/private rental housing providers or landlords) and end-users (tenants – rental housing consumers), with a view to identifying challenges in rental housing lease administration in Nigeria emerging rental market.

The quantitative data collected from practicing estate surveyor and valuers (statutorily registered agents), who manage private rental housing in their portfolios on behalf of owners and tenants, who occupy rental housing within Lagos state (the largest property market in Nigeria and West Africa). Using a theoretical model in the context of five lease agreement obligations, data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (one sample t-test, independent t-test and correlation).

While economic circumstances (economic factors) are considered the major vulnerable factor that cause acts of non-compliance, defiance against “covenant not- to- sublet (subletting covenant (SC))” and “prompt rental payment covenant” are the two most non-compliance attitudes (precipitation events) observed from both actors. There is correlation among all vulnerability elements and precipitating events. While a significant relationship was only observed between “SC” and all vulnerability elements on the part of agents, there is significant relationship among all the vulnerability elements and precipitating events on the part of tenants. Also, while tenants attached higher significance to all the vulnerability factors than managers, both actors attached different level of priority to precipitating events. Lastly, equitable remedies and peaceful entry are the two most adopted intervention tools.

This paper is limited to seeking both the professional opinion of licensed/registered agents and the rental housing consumers-tenants.

The research points to an increasing need for the stakeholders – Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (a Government parastatal) and the Nigerian Institutions of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (the constituted professional body), to establish and reform the code of practice in this direction with due consideration to the factors identified in this study. Effort also should be upgraded in the intervention techniques adopted in order to improve on emerging rental market.

The paper explores an important aspect of lease administration in private rental housing market. It also provides platform on which the acts of defiance can be wiped out in the emerging rental market.