Pipo wey dey pay rent for Nigeria fit stop to pay one year in advance

To get decent place to live na difficult tin any wia, but to look for 12 months' rent wey pesin go pay in advance na extra burden wey millions of Nigerians dey face.

Landlords prefer to collect plenty money upfront as e dey reduce di chance of tenants to default. E better to chase tenant once instead of to dey chase dem 12 times a year, na so dem reason am.

But dis system dey about to change.

Lawmakers dey debate one law to make yearly upfront rent illegal for Nigeria capital, Abuja, while authorities for di biggest city, Lagos, don choose di voluntary scheme wey go begin next month.

Di Lagos state goment dey hope say by acting as a guarantor for di new payment system, landlord get fit begin accept monthly rents.

Many residents, especially young pipo wey just dey start family like di idea of monthly rents.

Tunde Omotayo, wey wan marry for April, dey face challenge of raising 600,000 to 800,000 naira ($1,500-$2,000; £1,000-£1,400) for "decent apartment" for mainland Lagos as e plan to move out of im friend house afta im wedding.

For pesin wey dey on monthly salary of 300,000 naira di tin go hard am.

"I bin tink say my salary go fit easily take care of my rent but e shock me. At dis point, I no go mind to pay my rent monthly because as tins stand I dey confused," e tell di BBC.

If e register for di new system e mean say im go pay about 50,000 naira a month, wey make am believe say di pressure go reduce as im wedding don near.

Houses no cheap for Lagos

As one of di world fastest-growing city, demand for housing for Lagos dey increase every day, and house no cheap.

Two-bedroom apartment close to di city main business district, Victoria Island, go for between $11,000 and $22,000 a year while low-to-middle-income housing fit cost anywia between $500 and $5,000 for mainland.

Na for di tenant to raise di money, and di majority of working-class Nigerians don get to master how to save money every month to pay di annual rent.

Some of di pipo wey e no easy for to save dey borrow from loan sharks wit interest charges wey reach 28% per month, while a few odas dey collect no-interest loans from dia employers to cover di rent.

Flat-sharing also dey popular for young middle-class pipo for Lagos so different pipo fit gather dia money togeda take pay di plenty annual rent.

Many odas don move go into neighbouring Ogun state wia house rent dey cheap, but dem go need to travel long distance go work for Lagos.

Pam Christopher, wey just move come Lagos from Jos, for central Nigeria wia rents cheap well-well, no believe di $2,400 rent wey landlord ask am to pay for two-bedroom apartment on mainland Lagos.

"House na gold here," e tell di BBC.

"I need di two-bed because I plan to move my family here and now e be like say I no go fit afford am," e tok.

Im dey currently live wit im friend and e dey seriously hope for goment intervention, wey state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu say dem "design to make pipo pay dia rents according to dia monthly salary".

But as businessman Tosin Emmanuel afta e reason di monthly payment discover say ordinary speech no go fit convince landlords for Lagos

"One landlord ask weda na goment buy am land and build di house for am. E say go goment fit determine how e go collect im rent.

"Di man say make I go meet [Governor] Sanwo-Olu to give me house," oga Emmanuel tell BBC.

Retirement money

For di scheme to dey successful, di goment dey depend on di support of powerful landlords Lagos. But dat one go hard.

"Yearly rent no be wetin we suppose dey discuss because many house-owners depend on am for survival," landlord Ayem Ojie tell di BBC.

Oga Ojie get house for Ikorodu, out of Lagos and say im an many oda house-owners build dia properties to fund dia retirement. "Financial planning dey easy wen you collect di money in bulk," e tok.

"To maintain building demands bulk money, no be small-small," na so Lekan Ade wey get house for di middle-class Ilupeju area on di mainland tok.

Demand for housing high pass supply by far for Lagos and di rental sector don become sellers' market, wia those wey get di property dey determine wetin tenants must do.

Although goment say dem don build 14 public housing schemes since 2019, wia civil servant dey pay low rents, di house no still dey enough wey make private developers take over.

Nigerians dey used to pay upfront

Dem build wetin dem like and charge as dem want for dis sector wey dem no dey too regulate.

But many tenants wey don already get house no dey too interested in changing di system.

Nigerians dey used to pay upfront for things; cars, phones, school fees, and some mortgage facilities dey for those wey wan buy house.

Adaobi Asuoha, wey dey live for di middle-class Ajah district of Lagos Island, prefer to pay her rent yearly as e allow her to fit use her money as she like for di rest of di year.

"Di monthly rental fee dey good but yearly payment dey comot di pressure from pesin body. Some months dey wen I fit need my entire money for something else," she tell di BBC.

She dey gather her rent by saving some part of her salary everi month, Asuoha tok.

Dis mindset of saving plenty money na a reflection of Nigerian culture of upfront payments, na so banker Kayode Omosebi tok.

E believe say Nigerians no too sabi pay monthly bills or pay by instalment, and say pipo see rent as investment.

"For place wia job security and oda bills no dey guaranteed, pipo no wan joke wit dia shelter," e tok. If dem don pay for one year in advance, that na something wey dem no go need to worry about for anoda 12 months.

Even di goment realise say dia ambitious monthly payment plan dey in the hand of di powerful landlords and fit dey dead on arrival.

"We know say we no fit enforce monthly rent collection on landlords," na so Toke Benson-Awoyinka, special adviser to di Lagos govnor on housing tok.

But di goment say dem come up wit di new scheme afta consultations wit all stakeholders and dem see any reason why e no fit work.