Moving to a new place or a new city will always be a part of the human experience.
However, for women in African countries especially, the process of finding an apartment can be a strenuous one especially if they are single.
Urban Woman Magazine recently asked some women to share their experiences hunting for a suitable house.
Read their responses below.
Zara
Since my graduation, I have house hunted and lived in 3 different states, because I move for work, and the experience has gotten worse over the years. When I was house hunting in PH, one would pay an agent inspection fee and he would take you to multiple houses in a day for that one-time fee.
Although they showed you bad places most times, normally you would cover any transportation fare; if he took you to an area where he would be joined by other agents, you just had to follow, no need to pay any other fee, they were unified like that and collaborated thus. My search in PH was the easiest, not too long until I got to see an apartment in a good area.
When I was house-hunting in Lagos during my NYSC year, I saw shege for nothing, like no house sealed, money and energy wasted for weeks if not months. I was taken to trashy places, or poorly designed spaces with no thought of spacing, and more, it was so bad that I just continued staying with my friend then.
Recently I moved to Oyo state, and although I have read the horrible stories of Lagos agents and did not get to extensively live it, Ibadan gave me the full experience. Agents don’t take you seriously sometimes or act too friendly only to play you, they will know your marital status but still take you to a place solely for married people and you still pay inspection fees because why wouldn’t you?
Where most houses say no singles/no couple/muslim, etc, there’s always a type they want specifically that is not you, and sometimes this clarification comes after a payment, and your refund will come but may not be complete as one of the benefactor-agent has eaten his part or is just being himself lol. In Ibadan you pay inspection fees per house, whether the house is trashy or not.
Advice to women? If possible, have a man be the face of your house hunting journey, these house agents will bobo you less…You don’t need to fake being married, I did not, although I lost a really good house that it would have saved me on. Drink something for energy because you will need it especially as it is not a stress-free search, avoid self-compounds and compounds with only males, for obvious reasons.
Know what to look out for in a house (environmental factors, people and safety, and house structural/functional conditions), and don’t be rushed – because it may be too late. Be very clear on what you need, so you will not be made to pay for seeing something else. If they show you something else, don’t pay full/at all for the inspection, like you’re a single lady and they show you a male/married-only apartment. If they promise something will be done in an apartment, let them do it before you close the deal and move in, else you go wait tire.
Tara
I had a terrible experience when I decided to downsize and move houses after my husband died. I was shocked that at my age of 49+ then, many landlords were not willing to give their houses to single women even though I was matured, widowed and would be living with my aged mother.
I had never been discriminated against in such a manner and it brought my husband’s death home to me in a very deep way because I never had to house hunt all the years of our marriage and married early practically from my parents house to my home.
I was horrified at what younger women go through getting a home and I was so frustrated. I was on the verge of getting my brother to stand in as my husband and when I got my present place, my best friend’s husband sort of talked to the agent on my behalf.
Elohor
As someone who’s moved homes four times since 2019, I have a lot to say. 😂
My experience hasn’t been as bad as I feared it would be. I’ve met more tribalist landlords and agents than misogynistic people.
Because I’m a woman, there are things that are a must have for me. Gated compound, gated street, upstairs apartment, a place with a bubbling nightlife so that if I come home late, everywhere isn’t so quiet. Also helps because I leave home pretty early these days.
Advice: Have a list of must-haves. When house hunting, be very vigilant and if possible, ask women who live in the area you’re interested in for advice. Don’t live where your landlord even lives close by (I’ve had a landlord harass me for months before. He didn’t live in the compound; he’d just come over around 9 pm to be banging on my gate). Also, don’t let men know where you live. I personally don’t entertain men who my mother hasn’t met and/or my sister doesn’t know, in my space. It’s for safety and peace of mind.
Precious
I recently moved to a new city for NYSC and then realized house hunting is very different for women.
I had to make sure the houses were not too far from the junction (my job requires I resume very early) and I know how unsafe Nigeria is for women. So that it will be easy and safe for me to easily get to the main road.
I also had to make extra inquiries about the areas to make sure they don’t do any type of masquerade festival because we all know how it affects women more, especially in terms of movement.
I actively avoided houses that the landlords were living inside, to avoid slut shaming masked as advice. I don’t need anyone monitoring the visitors that come in and outside my house.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.