Good day nairalander,please i need your suggestion on this issue. I live with my family in a rented apartment that cost 150000 naira per annum,we moved in june 2014. We got the place through an agent that got our former apartment for us,so by 1st of June 2015 the agent called us that the landlady needed money urgently so we should come and pay and she kept calling almost everyday,i was a little bit skeptical about this since they've been bringing people to come and check the house that they want to sell it.She told us not to worry that even if they eventually sell the house there is a process to follow,that the owner has been trying to sell the house for a long time now but no buyer,it's also not proper to owe her because we felt the house could be sold anytime.
I called her on the 10th of June that she should send the landlady's account number to me so that i can transfer the money to her,she said no that the woman needed cash,she doesn't want to go through the stress of going to the bank. Actually our first rent was paid in cash to the agent with her agent fee and she gave us receipt so normally i shouldn't have any problem with that but this time around i wasn't sure about this,so i decided to record our direct conversation when i got to her place,in the record she confirmed the money and said it's complete so she will go and meet the landlady and get our receipt for us and bring it to the house in the evening since she is coming to our area to show some people house[she later brought the receipt after several weeks when i kept calling her to bring it),i told how some people came to knock the gate that they want to check that i told them to go meet her that she will bring them,she said good we should not open the gate for anyone we don't know.
They finally sold the house to a white man and he came to meet us in December that they promised him that the two tenant will move out by 31st of December and he will get the key,we told him our rent is going to expire by June so there is no agreement that we'll move by then,the other tenant rent expired by that 31st of December so by 2nd week of January they moved out,i heard later that the former owner has been communicating with them through mail since they don't really stay in Nigeria,but she decided not to talk to us that she doesn't know us she only gave her house to those people,that we are illegal tenant,this is a woman that most time when she comes i will be the one to open the gate for her,when we newly moved in she came around and we told her we are her new tenant,even when the new owner came to check,she asked us to please allow the man to check our place. The agent also is claiming she is not the real agent,actually there are three of them bringing people to check the house,now the one they said is the real agent is very angry that our agent sold the house and didn't give him one naira and that he warned her not to collect our rent this year but she went ahead to do so,so she should solve the issue.Note please that it's the same agent that got me the house that sold the house to the new owner so i don't really understand how she's not the real agent.
The new owner got a lawyer and the lawyer told me yesterday that he is giving us till the end of January to move out,we said we are going to move out as soon as we get another apartment but what about our remaining rent,then he said that doesn't concern him or his client we should go and meet them to collect our money,i told him to tell the former owner and her agent to do so,he said he is not going to do so. I've been calling the two agents,they are pushing me to each other,most time they don"t even pick my call,in summary nobody is ready to refund my money. Since December that the new owner came to us,i started looking for another apartment but have not seen a good one because i wasn't planning to drag issue withe anyone but if am moving then i know am entitled to a notice to look for another place and also get a refund of my balance which these people are not ready to give.
So good people of Nigeria where do i stand legally? What step{s} do you think i should take?
Moderators please help move this to front page,i need all the legal help i can get,thanks.

Get your own lawyer ...that's if you know your right

At least you have a receipt
You also have a recorded clip


Nor dull my brother.. .its either they refund or your not moving out

You as a yearly tenant (since u didn't specify the terms of a tenancy agreement, u paid an annual rent, thus a yearly tenant), you are entitled to a 6months Notice to Quit. That from today will give you a grace period till June 2017. Stick to it and demand a proper notice.

The new landlord bought the unexpired rights of the old landlord, and subject to ur tenancy rights, which must be allowed to run its course.

Get a lawyer also to help u in the conversation, u can't be doing the negotiation effectively with the new landlords lawyer.

If there is tenancy agreement between you and your agent try to understand it first, but if there is no such, yo ought to be given a six months notice to quit which must end at expire date of your current tenancy. get a good lawyer don't be intimidated as long you're sure you have a genuine payment receipt and tenancy agreement.