#41: The Rental Market is Dubious and Dishonest — Dami

Saturday is here again, and Comfy Conversation is here just for you!

Get a scoop of some advice and tips from Dami’s renting journey in today’s edition.

Comfy: What were your major considerations when finding a new apartment?

Dami: First was the apartment's closeness to the market and pharmacy. Food and drugs are very important to me—especially in the case of an emergency.

Then water. Access to clean and good water.

Stable electricity too, and network. Whenever I went to check a place out, I would go with all my network providers to have an idea of how strong the network was.

Comfy: What was your best rental experience?

Dami: My current place. I was just favored, honestly. I was looking for houses for a while.

When I found it I didn't even have the complete funds, but somehow, it worked out. It was later on that I found out that other people had come to check the place too, and although they were ready to pay, they just didn’t get the apartment.?

The landlady didn’t want a male in the house, but I have a brother that was going to stay with me. I had to bring him to meet her and it was interesting to see that she reconsidered her earlier stance.?

We also have specific, and sensible rules we have to abide by just to safeguard everyone’s property. I think my current place is the best, so far. I still miss my former street, but I don’t miss the house or the people. That's certain. It was a nice and pretty quiet street—on my current street, people are always outside.

Comfy: Any advice for first-time renters?

Dami: Cut your coat according to your size. But, if you already know what you want, and have your money down, that is fine. The next thing would be to learn how to stand your ground. There are some agents that will use sweet mouth to confuse you and make you take a terrible place. It is now when you have moved in and stayed there a while that your eyes will clear. Stand your ground and be clear and specific about what you want.

Check houses during the rainy season. There are some houses, like old buildings that are just repainted along with some patchwork, and after a while cracks begin to appear. You need to check during the rainy season to know if the walls are damp, because of mold too, and then be sure the roof is not leaking.

Comfy: Did you face any serious challenges renting as a single lady?

Dami: I will say that the first apartment was when I had little hitches. That was probably because I looked quite young. But then, I had a family member who helped out at that point, doing the talking with agents and homeowners, while all I did was check if the spaces were good enough.

For the second place, there was hardly any talk in this direction. I guess they just felt that I would be a responsible person.

Comfy: What would you do differently if you had to look for a new apartment?

Dami: I would find a house with a bigger space that can accommodate the new things I am eager to learn and practice. My current place is relatively quiet so I cannot do certain things that would produce lots of noise. Well, I can, no one is stopping me, but it just feels weird making much noise.?

Comfy: What are your thoughts on the Lagos rental market?

Dami: I feel people are dishonest and rather dubious, to some extent. In other countries, I feel people are more honest and things just come down to your being able to pay for the accommodation. But here, they see that you don’t like a place but they still try to convince you that you’d like the place. Also, when you check online for a place, you’ll find that someone can put up an apartment for rent or sale, and when you go there in person, it is an entirely different story. I just feel it is a messy market and people are dishonest.

What does your renting journey sound like? Have you got a unique experience you would love to share? We're stoked to hear and share your story! Send us a DM or reach out to us via: [email protected], we are ready to hear from you.