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Today on guardianconstructions.com, i am going to talk about one thing that has really affected a lot of inhabitants and would still affect many others if proper care is not taken. This is all about factors to consider when renting an apartment in Nigeria. There are many factors you must consider before paying for that apartment and i will be glad to share same with you here on my blog.
Please give me your attention…
Apartments in Nigeria are usually of varying types and so is the terms as different landlord have different terms and conditions but i am going to list and explain 12 important factors to be considered when renting an apartment.
1. Check The PHCN/BEDC Bills To Know If Its Cleared
This is one very important thing a lot of tenants fail to check for before paying for their apartment. It is a very important matter as I’ve always witnessed a lot of fight between landlords and tenants or between BEDC Officials and for a homeowner. The truth is that a new homeowner would always refuse to pay for what he/she never used and this includes BEDC Or light bills. Just imagine moving into a home only for BEDC Staffs to come a few days after and begin to demand for some huge amount of money as bill. The worst of it is that when you fail to pay this amount, you would be disconnected and may have to pay some reconnection fee after paying the bills for which you were initially disconnected.
This is very bad and for this alone, it is right and sane to ask for the last BEDC Bill payment receipt before you pay for that apartment. lol
2. Ensure Your Landlord is Not The lazy Type
Of course you can ask him some good questions to be sure he understands his role as a landlord and not just someone whose main concern is your money after which he would walk away and busy your call whenever you call to make a complain or a suggestion. It is the duty of your landlord to monitor the affairs and happening in the compound. Even when he’s not living in the same compound you’re about to commit to, there should be a very responsible caretaker to do that for him.
3. Always Patronize A Reliable Agent
Agents, Real estate manager or realtors are business oriented people. Some are very good as they ensure you get the right thing but others won’t give a fuck about you. This is a very important factor because unless the agent is a reliable one, you could get a useless amount with your hard earned cash. Before you rent an apartment, ask the agent to take you to the house in question in order to know if the things in place are suitable for your taste and when they’re not, demand to be taken to another apartment or use another agent.
Do not forget that your cash should only bring you comfort and not discomfort.
4. Beware Of Fraudulent Caretakers Agents, Landlords.
The world today is filled with hardship, everybody looks for ways to make life a little easier and for this reason alone, others have chosen to make their own life easy at the detriment of others. This simply implies that there are landlords, agents and caretakers who would collect money from you, Mr B and Sister C for one apartment. This type of landlords would always make out one excuse or the other and may disappear after receiving payments from you.
5. Your Finance
Just before choosing the type of apartment, one of the most important questions you may wanna ask yourself is “What is my income” can i still earn enough to continue paying my rent after the initial payment?
Asking the above questions, you’ll be able to know if you can afford the apartment and still be able to afford it after the first rent expires. The best way to match your budget is to compare the rent with your 4 months salary.
Lets say you earn N145,000 every month, lets also say you plan to rent an apartment whose annual price = N400,000. Then you are good to go because you’ll still have a lot of money for yourself even after the payment and this would also allow you save towards building your own house.
6. Accessibility
Its always a good thing to rent a house that is located in an area that is easy to access. If Possible, ensure the area is close to your place of hustle. Ensure there is a good road, if possible a major road close to you. Also ensure your dream home located in an area where it is easy to get transportation since you also plan in case of emergency. It should be close to other major areas.
7. Say No to Violence Prone Areas.
This is a very tricky one. I said tricky because Violence is never planned but on the other hand, there are areas that are known for violence. There are also areas known to have a high number of armed robbery attacks. Such locations should be avoided when choosing an apartment.
8. Avoid Apartments Located Near A Religious Center
Churches, Mosques have been known to be a source of noise and traffic gridlock, noise pollution, etc. Houses with churches in them are to be avoided since noise pollution is always dominant in such compounds.
9. Avoid Industrial Areas
Apartments located within industrial areas are known to have highly polluted air, Noise and other health related risks emanating from gases and noise from the use of machines and other industrial equipment.
10. Avoid Apartments With Too Many Damages
Apartments with too many damaged fittings, walls, plumbing systems would always attract an extra cost which becomes a burden and a distraction to your target as far as savings is concerned. Considering this, it is only right and economic wise to commit to apartments with lesser damages or no damages at all.
11. Security
Ensure the area is not dominated by Burglars, also ensure burglary proofs are installed on doors and windows to avoid thieves from gaining access to your home while you’re asleep or away.
12. Flood
Ensure the apartment is not prone to flooding. You can know this by looking out for water marks on the exterior walls, you can also ask questions and look for marks of dampness and swellings in the interior walls. This saves you undue expenses that may increase cost of living.
Now i have listed 12 factors to consider when renting an apartment, you can do well to share with others as i know they would need these someday, it would keep them safe and reduce their cost of living.
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