The bane of being a lodger
NOTHING beats the convenience, comfort and dignity that comes with owning a house in the big city. Aside from insulating oneself against relentless increases in rent, having a house of your own allows you to have a vegetable garden, which in itself is considered a luxury for someone renting a room or two in the communities in which we live.
People with their own properties have no headaches over who and how many people visit them per day, unlike lodgers who are always reminded to entertain a certain number of visitors and shut out people of the opposite sex.
A tenant is called a lot of names including “Mukomana wekuseri” despite being old enough to be the father of the property owner.
There are countless homeowners, mostly in high-density areas, who really want to be felt to the extent that they have a long list of do’s and don’ts that anyone intending to stay with them have to follow strict to the letter.
Did you know that some landlords dictate the kind of relish their tenants must enjoy because they openly tell someone that they cannot put up with the smell of condiments like fish, okra, beans, offals and even mazondo, which are said to use a lot of electricity?
Buying electrical appliances like a fridge, stove or heater can be enough to have someone sent packing as they are adjudged to use more electricity and take away the clout from the landlord.
A lodger with a car has no rest as they are accused of weakening the driveway, dropping oil and blocking the way for visitors.
“Mukoma Vincent, where you are parking your car is blocking the way for people who come here for prayer meetings.
“Besides, cars invite a lot of thieves, so you better park it elsewhere or look for alternative accommodation because hatingabirwe nekuda kwenyu,” I saw a tenant who had a car being told straight in the face.
“At your age you should actually be saving the money you use for fuel towards buying your own property. Hauna musoro seiko, kuzenge wakadzidzawo wani?”
It can be tough if you give the landlord a lift and ask them to sit at the back. Some property owners draw timetables for using the bathroom.
Tenants with young children have to contend with being reminded to clean the toilet after a visit to the facility by the children.
“Make it a point that you check whether or not the toilet is clean each time your children use it because in these days of cholera, you will leave all of us sick here. A toilet is a delicate room which needs to be kept smart at all times. Ichi ndicho chokwadi manje,” some landlords will tell you.
Gentle reader, to escape such challenges some people end up building houses in areas that are not conducive for dwellings.
A good number of people are seeing it better to build places of their own in undesignated places like wetlands, waterways and even under electricity pylons.
Land barons benefit from the quest by people to own properties and offer them housing stands in places that have no sewer lines, water lines and good drainage.
“I found myself without an option but to buy land from barons who offered me easy payment terms.
“There were no worries about having the building inspected so I went on to build my house quickly because the woman I was renting from was a loudmouth.
“She was a law unto herself so I just decided to let her enjoy her property while I went to mine. Pakaipa,” a city florist told this writer.
Gentle reader, the country actually needs to teach people how to live with each other to prevent conflicts between tenants and property owners.
That will surely address the current trend where people would rather live in the bush than stay at some people’s properties.
Inotambika mughetto.