#18: How I found my apartment in one day of searching — Toye

Another Saturday has come knocking again, the first in March— Happy New Month! We're back with another edition of Comfy Conversations.

We can tell you are eager to jump right in, so let's skip the long intros, get comfy, and experience Toye's renting journey with us today!

We’d be stoked to hear and share your renting story too. Leave us a message here and we will get in touch for sure!

Comfy: How long have you been renting?

Toye: Hmm, for as long as I can remember. I rented my first “apartment” in 2012. It was a shared single room. I just gained admission to study accounting, it was a student-type accommodation. Even though my sponsors covered the rent, I would still say that was when I started renting.

Comfy: Oh wow, 12 years ago. And how many other places have you rented since then?

Toye: Hmm, quite honestly, I have rented two other places. After my first year in school, I moved elsewhere and immediately after I left school, I didn’t have to rent an apartment until 2022.

Comfy: Interesting. If you compare your experience getting that first apartment in 2012 to 2022, how much do they vary?

Toye: It varies a lot. A very wide variance and let me put it in perspective. In 2012, it was a one-room, with shared toilets and facilities. It was nothing too glamorous.?

It was on the outskirts of Osun state. You are not expecting top-grade kind of housing in that kind of place. But now, I am staying in Lagos, I have my own space with all the facilities you expect to have in a regular flat (kitchen, bathroom fitted with water heater and all that) and well-furnished to my taste. I stay in Gbagada which can be considered a high-brow area on the mainland. But in 2012, my apartment was on the outskirts of town.

In terms of the location, size of the space, cost, and comfort, they are wide apart.

Comfy: So, how did you get your current apartment?

Toye: My experience was not particularly hectic or rigorous, but that is not to say that no effort was put in. I tried to cut corners by avoiding talking to many agents. I talked with friends to see if I had anyone who would vacate their flats soon. There was a friend and colleague of mine who was leaving for Canada and I opted to take up his space. But unfortunately, it was a shared apartment. Even though I initially agreed to take it, eventually the plan didn’t work out as I opted out.?

When I didn’t have any other similar option, I began chatting with agents to see the quality of apartments, available. I checked for apartments on the mainland and island, but most of the media I got from agents didn’t cut it for me. The few I liked were very pricey—ranging between 2 and 2.5 million naira.

So, I asked one of my former coursemates to connect me to an agent. I got in contact with the agent and he asked that we meet that Saturday. We met in Gbagada and we went to see most of the available places in Gbagada, some I liked, some I didn’t like. And then by a stroke of luck, he asked us to check somewhere where he was meant to pick someone. We found out that one of the houses where he had a relationship with the landlord had a tenant who was vacating that day.

Turns out the tenant was moving out because he had been owing some months of rent and was given a quit notice. I met the landlord and the caretaker, and they agreed that I could take it if I liked the place. By the following week, I paid for the place, and a little over a month after, I moved in. This is my second year now.

Comfy: That sounds quite easy, and I see why you describe it as luck

Toye: Well, it almost took the entire day, the tour around Gbagada started around 10 am and we didn’t get to see that place till around 3 or 4 in the evening.

Comfy: What 3-5 things informed your choice whilst searching for this current apartment?

Toye: The vicinity, it is a very very serene area.

The price. My budget was between a million and 1.5 million

The fact that I moved in and didn’t have to fix a thing. It looks like every time someone left the place, the landlord ensured that everything was refitted as needed. Bulbs, tiles switches, wardrobes, plumbing, the whole 9 yards.? I didn’t have to move in and start thinking of how to paint or refurbish one thing or another.?

Those were the 3 things that made me rubber-stamp this place as my final decision.

Comfy: Describe your rental experience in 3 words

Toye: One word: Cool.?

The area is safe. I am currently the oldest tenant in that block of flats. The two co-tenants I met when I initially moved in have been replaced with a new set. One of the things I have enjoyed is that: before anyone moves in, the landlord does a very serious background check on you—he did one on me too—to be sure that his prospective tenants have sense.?

It has been peaceful, no one disturbs the next person. The landlord also has a dedicated engineer. So if anything needs to be fixed, we get in touch with him and if it is not something that he can cover, they connect us to a vendor that can help out and then we pay for it.

Again, the place is pretty safe, I have not had water issues or the like (aside from light and that is general). When I was renewing my rent, I paid the same amount I paid for my first year. I paid about 6 months ago when price hikes were rife and he didn’t use that as an excuse to jack the rent up. I think the landlord is quite considerate and I won’t mind staying an extra year here before I decide to move elsewhere.

Comfy: Background checks? What does that usually look like?

Toye: The kind of background checks he typically does is to give us a form requesting a variety of details like your job, the house you’re moving from, the contact info of your kin and kindred, a referee, and the likes. Then the caretaker, who has a caretaking agency, is to verify the validity of the information provided in the form through your referee and the kins you have provided and stuff like that.

I had to ask some of my friends if they went through similar processes when renting, compared to the average person when it comes to that size, nature, and price, I had to give up more information than most people did. . . And they actually followed up on that.

Comfy: Sounds like a well-managed space.

Toye: Very well managed.

What part of today's edition shocked you the most? Finding an apartment in one day? Having a live-in, considerate landlord? Or something other part of Toye's story.

What takeaway would you be leaving today's edition with? Tell us in the comments, you know we want to hear from you!

Do you have a unique renting experience to share (short-stays or regular apartments)? We believe no story is too basic and we would really love to hear yours—as our readers would too. Leave us a message here and we will get in touch ASAP!

Till next time,

Stay Comfy!