The city where you pay a year's rent up

front
It took fashion designer Folayemi Alade four months to find an apartment to rent in Nigeria’s huge commercial capital,
Lagos. The flat, reasonably spacious, is in the in-demand Mainland District. It’s close to the 30-year-old’s work and has
good transport links via a major highway.
But Alade had to pay a high price to find her home: she paid a full year’s rent up front before moving in. “I was told to
pay the full year’s rent and two years’ [contract] agreement and commission fees. I paid about $2,000 she says.

She’s not alone. Lagos is currently home to 22 million people, most of whom are renters who have travelled from different
parts of Nigeria to find jobs. Many work in the financial services, technology and fashion sectors, and all face (deal with)
similar struggles (problems, difficulties) – the high cost of living and a pricey rental market.

Once people have paid a year’s rent and fees up front, some have no money left. “Everyone becomes broke after paying
for the first year's rent,” says Alade, who earns $2,700 a year.

‘Psychologically draining’

The government currently allows landlords to collect rent up to 12 months in advance but bans them from exceeding the
one-year mark. Before 20111, many landlords asked for two years’ rent before handing over the keys.  

On Lagos Island, many professionals struggle with the cost of living close to their workplace – something that is a huge
advantage in this gridlocked city. (there is a lot of traffic jam) Professionals, whose salaries are reasonably high, find it
easier to afford the expensive rent, but it’s almost impossible for new starters and mid-level employees to find
accommodation in coastal districts where multinationals and tech start-ups are based.

David Bankole Abel, a 30-year-old game developer, spent two years sleeping at his office in Lekki Peninsula, an
eastern suburb of Lagos, while he saved up money to rent his own place. “It was the most challenging time of my life
because; it was psychologically draining, (psychologically tiring)” he says.

He’s finally managed to find his accommodation.For an 18-square-metre space, Abel had to pay $827 in rent for
the year plus agency charges of $275. He didn’t buy any new clothes for months, and struggled to save any money due to
high food costs.

“I couldn’t understand the idea all of that,” he says. “If I don’t have to pay too much for rent, maybe my salary wouldn’t be
that bad. We shouldn’t have a poor salary base and expensive houses to live in — these don't go together.”  

‘Extortion’ (wyłudzenie)

Part of the problem is Nigeria’s population growth combined with rapid urbanisation: in over a decade, the urban
population has grown by 50%. Nationally, the population is expected to almost double by 2050, adding nearly 200 million
more residents. Lagos earned a status of a mega-city in 2020. More houses are being constructed, but investors are
focused on building luxury homes affordable to few. Many young people, who struggle to rent a place, have started
conversations on how to fix the problem.

Many properties available for rent are flats that don’t work for singles, who are looking for smaller spaces. And in general,
people are frustrated by what they see as excessive fees that estate agents charge.

“I think the agent system is extortion,” says Abiola Abajo, a 29-year-old project manager who rents in Lagos. “I see no
reason why there cannot be an e-commerce platform where landlords can meet their potential tenants.”

Gender inequality has also been an issue for her: many landlords don’t want to rent to single women.

There are no caps on rent, and that’s why agents get away with sudden price rises. For instance, the agents have moved
the (fee for monthly) commission and (contract) agreement from 10% to 20%. That means that an apartment of 1400 (for a
year) is now 2000 USD. Many landlords don’t consider lowering the rent, as they have enormous loan commitments, which
they need to pay off.

Better transport, more sharing

The government is hoping that transport upgrades will allow workers to live further from the city centre. Project engineers
are under pressure to meet a deadline to build rail tracks that will link three states in southwest Nigeria, including Lagos.
When built, the hope is that more young workers will live in remote areas. Waterways have attracted private investors,
too. Uber, for example, has started offering boat service, aimed at commuters.

Wasiu Akewusola, permanent secretary of the housing department, has also suggested monthly payments, as it would help
people cope with upfront expenses.
It’s not clear how realistic this is. Companies are not likely to explore this idea because it is only possible when they are
sure that their staff will remain for the whole year.

Meanwhile Akintola Adesanmi, 31, and Dolapo Adebayo, 28, have founded Spleet, a start-up offering shared
accommodation to young workers. Tenants can pay monthly or quarterly for rooms in city apartments, with utility bills
included.  A monthly payment of $267 covers rent, service charge, repairs, a minimum of 15 hours’ supply of power and
weekly sanitation.

“This allows just about anybody looking for a space to pay as they earn: [the] majority of the demography in Lagos and all
over Nigeria earn monthly or daily, as opposed to the yearly rental system that currently exists,” Adesanmi says. Although
the prices are satisfying, it involves breaking some norms. For example, female tenants are unsure about sharing spaces
with men.

Adesanmi feels the government needs to encourage developers to “create more one- and two-bedroom units for the new
generation of millennial home seekers”. As of now, people continue to pour into Lagos, landlords hold all the power.  

Alade, who managed to pay off his rent, by combining a side gig with her full-time designer job, says moving to monthly or
even six-monthly payments would be much better for young workers. But until that happens, a tough savings regime will
be the reality for many in Lagos.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200311-the-city-where-you-pay-a-years-rent-up-front

VOCABULARY:
In-demand-wanted or sought
Highway –a main road for travelling long distances, especially one connecting and going through
cities and towns
Pay up front – pay in advance
Pricey- expensive
Have no money left- have no more money
Exceed- go over the limit
Hand over- If you hand something over to someone, you pass it to them.
Struggle with – have difficulties with
Afford- have enough money
Charge – If you charge someone an amount of money, you ask them to pay that amount for
something that you have sold to them or done for them.
Due to – because of
Poor salary- low salary
Extortion - is the crime of obtaining something from someone, especially money, by using force or
threats.
Excessive fees- fees that are too high
Tenant- sm who rents a flat/ room
Commission – is a sum of money paid to a salesperson for every sale that he or she makes. If a
salesperson is paid on commission, the amount they receive depends on the amount they sell.
Contract agreement- umowa
Lower the rent- If you lower something, you make it less in amount, degree, value, or quality.
Pay off – If you pay off a debt, you give someone all the money that you owe them.
Meet a deadline- to sth on time
Remote areas- aread far from the centre
Aimed at – directed at
Commuter – sm who travels (commutes) to work
Utility bills- bills for electricity, gas, etc
Majority – most
Encourage – If you encourage someone, you give them confidence, for example by letting them
know that what they are doing is good and telling them that they should continue to do it.
Manage to do sth – succeed in doing sth
Combine – If you combine two or more things or if they combine, they exist together.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES:

AFFORD/ COMBINE/ ENCOURAGE/ HAND/ MEET/ STRUGGLE

1. With such low salary I can’t _______ to pay rent, the bills and live a comfortable life. That’s
impossible!
2. If we don’t ________ the deadline, we will have to pay a large fine, as per the contract.
3. I’ve been _______________ to understand this exercise, but I think it’s just too difficult for
me.
4. I didn’t bribe him! I just ______________ him to make a good decision.
5. The professor told his student to ______________ over their essays no later than in two-
week’s time.
6. How do you manage to _____________ your worklife and private life?

Explain what the underlined phrases mean!

1. I have no money left at the end of the month.

What are the synonyms of these words?

a. Highway f. Struggle with sth

What do these words mean?

 Utility bills  Extortion