What you should consider before renting an apartment

When Okoro, 28, moved into Lekki, a highbrow area in Lagos, it seemed like the perfect choice for the young professional seeking a fitting residence for his family.

When Okoro, 28, moved into Lekki, a highbrow area in Lagos, it seemed like the perfect choice for the young professional seeking a fitting residence for his family. The serenity of the new estate justified the exorbitant rate he paid for a three bedroom apartment, until one Sunday it rained and Okoro came back from an outing to meet a river in his sitting room.

Sally, 22, was very excited about moving into her new apartment in Festac. It was an upgrade from her former place where the noise from her neighbor’s generator kept her up late at night.

What’s more is that her new apartment costs slightly lower than she had expected although her landlord promised to fix the water system, the security light and repair the broken window in the kitchen once she moved in.

Six months after paying for the selfcontained apartment Sally has become frustrated at her landlord’s reluctance to deliver on his promise. She has to pay for fresh water supply every day, deal with mosquitoes and rodents entering her apartment through the damaged window while the nights frighten her.

Renting an apartment sounds easy until you find yourself gunning for one. If you are thinking of getting a new place, here are a few things you should consider.

How affordable is the place

There is a saying advising to cut’s one’s coat according to one’s cloth. The real estate variant is that you should not rent a place your combined salary for two months cannot cover.

This means if you earn N200,000 per month your ideal apartment should cost no more than N400,000 per annum or N33,333 per month.

Matter of fact, the house would not seem to be the “el-dorado” six months down the line if you are struggling to pay rent.

What are the Up-front fees

Rent is just one of the many fees you would pay before getting that house you fancy. There’s the agreement and commission, service charge and often times a full year’s rent in advance.

These fees usually take a huge chunk of one’s savings so if you had thought it was only a matter of settling rent, you might need to draw up another budget.

Location

It is not just the beautifully structured house you are considering right?

Location is important for two reasons: the first is because the topography and security in the area matters; is the neighborhood prone to flooding, erosion or any form of natural disasters? What is the crime rate there like? The second is proximity to your work place. Would it be wiser moving to a cheap apartment while your work is at the other extreme of town or getting a costlier place which is less than a half-hour from work?

Cost of living

If you are moving from one part of town to another or changing cities be sure you know the full implication of relocating.

What is the cost of living in that area? Are commodities more expensive, cheaper or the same.

Rainy season is best time to hunt for a new place

A trade secret is to set out for a new apartment during rainy seasons. The reason is that you would have a “worse-case” scenario to judge a building and the environment.

Some houses that are attractive during dry seasons can be the worst places to live whenever it rains. In the same way, some people have found out rather too late that it is impossible to drive in or out of their streets whenever it rains.

If your quest to get a new apartment is not for very urgent reasons it is advisable to wait for the rain so you know what you are bargaining for.

Try to know who your neighbors

In Nigeria who you live next to can sometimes affect the quality of life you lead. Ask peo

ple who have to endure inconveniences from neighbors like a noisy generator, a wrongly parked car, misuse of shared infrastructure and similar vices.

Neighbors are not all bad, in fact you could start building a rapport before you actually move in. Perhaps they can even tell you more about the neighborhood and challenges they face.

Whichever way, it would be fantastic knowing you are not moving in next to N Nigeria’s most wanted person.

Cost of moving and utilities

The cost of moving comes in many folds; there is the financial cost of moving proper ties to your new apartment or buying new ones.

You might need to fix a few things at your new place or spend on interior decoration to suit your style. If you have kids then moving could mean changing schools.

The other cost is the social cost of moving as you may be leaving behind your friends and social circle when you relocate.

Then there is utilities-water, electricity, internet, insurance etc. Be sure you can afford to pay for those services if your term of lease places the responsibility on you.

Seeing must be believing

Before you pay for the apartment insist

Landlords will say anything to convince you about their property. Think of the landlord as a salesperson- at the end of the day he or she only makes money by closing a deal

on visiting the place. Confirm ownership, run the taps, check the switch and power sockets, check if the toilet works, try the air conditioning, go through the cabinets and drawers- Leave Nothing To Chance.

Be sure of utilities available in the facility and neighborhood: electricity, security, waste management and water.

It would also do you good to visit the neighborhood over the weekend, at late evenings and if possible at night. The reason is to make sure you are not rudely shocked by a club or religious center blasting deafening music in the dead of the night after you move in.

Understand the landlord-and terms of lease

Where you can try to know as much as you can about the landlord. Is he or she an absentee landlord? Will he or she respect your privacy? Does his or her personal views influence the terms of lease?

Does the landlord have a tendency of increasing rent frequently? Is the landlord eager to let out the apartment?

It is not uncommon to hear people complain about their landlords locking them outside their apartment gate because they returned late from work.

Be wary of promises to fix things after you move in

Landlords will say anything to convince you about their property. Think of the landlord as a salesperson- at the end of the day he or she only makes money by closing a deal.

Anything that is not fixed before you move in will not be done after-best believe this fact or you would find out by yourself.

Family Size

It is easy for an unmarried person who wants to live alone to decide between a mini flat and a four-bedroom apartment. If you are about getting married or just did, the size of the apartment you may want to rent becomes very important.

Family size should also be factored into what kind of apartment you choose. Note that some apartments can be unsafe for raising children. Take for instance a building with low balcony or deep open swimming pools.

Taste

Your preference matter when choosing a place to stay-so far you are not breaking the bank for a shelter.

Sometimes people go for cheap places to stay but end up feeling miserable because of the quality of lives they lead.

Live is too short not to have the best roof you can afford over your head.