Finding a Cheap House to Rent in Lagos: My Experience

Shege was the first person that welcomed me to Lagos! Who’s shege? Don’t get it twisted, shege isn’t a person but the crazy experience I had when I just moved into Lagos.

How did it happen?

I got a new job in Lagos, and then decided to relocate as the saying goes “Lagos is a land of opportunities”. Is this statement really true? You’ll find out soon. I settled in with a friend who was Lagos-based but gave myself a maximum of 2 weeks to secure myself an apartment. If only I had known better!

And the real shege begins

I thought I’d be able to secure an affordable apartment of my choice within 2 weeks, but little did I know that I’d sleep on the floor longer than I thought, my friend that I squatted with stays with his parents in a self-con. 

So, I resumed house hunting. I planned to secure an apartment in 2 weeks in Lagos (vivid imagination). It took me 3 months to secure a place and I was pained because where I’m coming from in Osun houses are easy to find (No shade to Osun folks).

The shege continues

My house hunting was a rollercoaster, I got this agent who sounded and looked like a not-one-of-them Lagos agent. He took me to a house I liked, great amenities but the price was way too high. I even had to tell the agent my intentions weren’t to buy a house – ignorant me.

I loved this place then decided to save more from my salary for 2 months to add NGN 200k, from a salary of NGN 150k was just living on NGN 50k every month. Oh! boy, when I called back for the apartment it had been taken. The pursuit of a perfect house in Lagos can feel like a real battle.

Lagos showed me shege doesn’t end, but changes form

I started another hunt, and I saw a nice apartment with a big BUT. This time around, the house was partly completed and the agent requested that I make an upfront payment for a house that’s giving I-will-take-another-one-year-before-you-can-move-in, my anger at this point had no bounds.

“when the preferred isn’t available, the available becomes preferred” I settled later for what I saw, and my dream house vanished from my eyes, I got a house later at Agege and started my life. 2 weeks became 3 months, Lagos is not for the weak.