Finding Your Home Sweet Home

Anyone who wants to rent an apartment will have to consider two basic things. The most important factor to consider, in my opinion, is the amount of money you have to rent an apartment. What you have in your pockets will play a huge part in determining other factors. For example, if you want an apartment that is close to your work place, and at the same time has everything you want; water, electricity, good furniture and a conducive environment, you have to be ready to pay for it. Fortunately, my parents have their own house, so I have spent most of my life not paying rent. The first time I moved out of my parent’s house to rent an apartment of my own was about 5 years ago when I gained admission into the university. I got introduced to the rent culture, and I must say that I have had both the sweet and bitter experiences.

It’s the beginning of a new week and for today’s Hive Learner’s prompt, the community asks us an interesting question; what is the rent culture like in your area. The first thing that came to my mind when I read this question out loud was landlords. In many places in my country, landlords are known as terrible people simply because they treat their tenants poorly. I finally confirmed this when I rented an apartment. Compared to other places where tenants rent apartments and then they start experiencing problems, my experience was different. For instance, in Lekki, I have seen so many people complain about the water and how it is not good despite the fact that they pay huge prices. In my place, that is not the case. However, apartments are very expensive. Every year, landlords keep increasing the price of houses because they know well that students have no choice but to take them. And once you pay, they go AWOL.

As a person looking to move into a new home, what are the things you need to look out for? From my experience, the best time to look for apartments is during the rainy season. That way, you get to know houses that are good or bad. During the rainy season, some houses get flooded because they weren’t built well or maybe the engineers or plumbers missed some calculations somewhere. Also, the road that leads to the apartment might become too messy, making it difficult to go out to work or simply to get things. So, yes, for me, the best period to look for houses is during the rainy season.

When it comes to renting an apartment, the first thing I look out for is the distance. During my 4-5 years in school, I changed apartments just two times, and in those two times, my hostel was close to the school. I wonder how people who rent apartments far away from the school do it. For example, if a lecturer decides to hold an impromptu test, those in far distances will find it difficult to quickly get to school, while people like me who got an apartment close to the school would just have to take a quick run. Another reason I find it better to rent an apartment close to school or your workplace is the cost of transportation. The amount some people spend on transportation is half their salary. Most times, it is because they don’t have a choice.

Another thing I look out for is the apartment itself and the kind of neighbors that are there. I don’t like to be cramped in any place I stay and that is why I would always choose a spacious apartment any day and any time. I look out for an apartment that is not only spacious, but has all the basic amenities; electricity and water. Electricity and water are very important. Living in an apartment without these things is torture. Pure torture. In school, I stayed in an apartment without electricity. Although there was water, I don’t ever want to experience that again.

The first thing I do is to consult the right people and ask questions. Luckily, I also seem to know the right people to ask questions. Don’t rush to get an apartment, especially if you know you’ll be staying there for a long time.

Thanks for reading.