Lagos Landlords and Their Problem

It's a thing of joy to me after passing through thick and thin.

Alena Darmel
My landlord has been considered a nice man to me and my husband. The way he behaved and the way he always relates to us. He has this attitude of speaking nicely to my husband as well as to me. We packed into the house five years ago, and we have not seen any cause for regret. It's just something we have been thankful for.

Two years ago, my neighbor paid his house rent. Our landlord told him to pay the full year after increasing our rent to a tangible amount of money. We initially complained, but then we had no choice other than to pay. I paid mine and was given a receipt showing the evidence of payment. My neighbor also paid. Although my landlord informed me that he was going to renovate the upper part. The house has been decked for a very long time now, but our landlord is not ready to complete it. He called my husband and told him all these. Although our rent is not due and we have not paid yet.

My neighbor has paid, and after breaking the sad news to him, he became furious. My landlord later said he was not going to complete the building, but it was just a way to send my neighbor out of his house. We kept thinking, how would such a person behave this way? He called himself a Muslim and did this to someone.

He asked my neighbor to vacate the house at exactly when his rent was going to be due. It was supposed not to be so since he had collected the rent up to that said month. It caused the two arguments, which were resolved at the police station. My neighbor later packed out of the house after securing another one.

Now, it's our turn to face the same music. He called my husband and the second neighbor, who packed in after the other one had packed out. He said he was going to increase the house rent by 50%. We were paying 200K and now want to increase it to 300K. This was far too much.

My husband told him that he cannot pay such an amount. He refused. At some point, we thought he would take it down a bit, but the more we thought, the more his heart kept getting, just like a sour palm wine. He later said the increments will start from January next year, and he said we should pay half of what we were paying before to complete this year's payment. We agreed.

When my husband got his salary, he paid him half of what we were paying before. He was initially looking just as if he were not satisfied with the payment. My husband had to go back to him again and asked if he could pay for the full year. He said it's better that way and that the full year will begin the next year.

He worsened the issue after two days, which left us in a sad mood. He called my husband after two days of payment. He said he would give us until the end of this year, December, to pack out of his house. He used the same tricks he had used before. We were left in sadness.

We began to search for a house. Meanwhile, he brought out a paper for my husband to sign that he would pack out of his home in December. My husband refused to sign it, as no one would stand a chance of signing such, not even an illiterate person would do that.

Since that moment, we have been in a sad mood. He began to tell everyone around that we had destroyed his house and we were not paying utility bills, which were all false. There were no bills that my husband was not paying.

Joy smiled on our faces two days ago after reaching someone. He said he saw a newly built house for rent. I went to the place, and behold, it was a new building, which would be completed by September. Some flats have been completed, while some sides are yet to be completed. It was a great joy to my side that we saw a place after my landlord had given out fake information about us to people around. We have secured that part pending the time it will be completed. So, with his threats, we would have still defeated him even if we stayed until February or even March. We wouldn't do that; instead, we would leave honorably and with joy.