10 Different Types of Nigerian Landlords

Nigerian Landlords are arguably the most interesting characters in the subconscious of the average Nigerian Tenant. In this article, we take a critical look at 10 different types of Nigerian Landlords that besiege us.

For Nigerian Landlords, there is the good, the bad and the ugly side to them. Nigerian landlords come in different flavours or would it be fair to say ‘bitter pills’?

Am not sure there are many tenants who would have something pleasant to say about their Landlords but one way or the other we would try find a middle ground.

Truth be told, most of us speak ill of our landlords like we do not aspire to be landlords someday. And I want to believe no one wants to remain a tenant for the rest of their lives, or are there exceptions?

It is so easy to castigate Nigerian Landlords who own residential rental property for the mismanagement of their properties and insensitivity towards the plight of their tenants, but do we sometimes try to put ourselves in their shoes?

More often than not, tenants and landlords want a well-maintained property that is well secured. No landlord will want to run a business with no return on investment, hence they do what they deem fit to ensure that the property fetches them income, even if it is at the detriment of the tenants on the property.

That said, it still doesn’t change the fact that some landlord are the architects of the misfortune that befall them. Some Landlords are simply Jack asses! And very few are angels.

Here are ten different types of Nigerian Landlords you know;

Despite the fact that many tenants have had bad experiences with different kind of Landlords, there are some that stand out. These landlords have never fallen into the bad books of their tenants no matter how notorious that tenant is. We’ve had many instances of landlords inviting their tenants for breakfast and even dinner whenever they deem it fit, depending on their relationship with such tenant.

I once had a landlord in Benin during my final year days who threw a grand party for the graduands that were tenants in his property and even organized an award ceremony to coincide with the graduation. We all called him Mr. Nice, it was not until my last day in the hostel he owned that I got to know that he’s real name was Mr. Agbrakpotome.

On a lighter note, if you were a tenant in an apartment owned by Mr. Nice, you will never want to sack your landlord

There are some Landlords that would cause you wondering if they share the same apartment with you. These Landlords come knocking on your door at very odd hours especially at crucial periods when you are having the best of times with your loved ones. They can interrupt happy moments and elicit fear when all you want at such times is to revel in the rare moment

Another category of Landlords that is common with our clime are Landlords who never take responsibility for any damage that occurs on their property. These landlords turn deaf ears to calls for repairs from concerned tenants.

They are always quick to encourage tenants to take care of their internal and external environment, without failing to remind them that whatever they sow they shall reap.

A typical landlord that falls under this category would say, “I was once a tenant like you, if i did not take care of the property and the premises I rented, I wouldn’t have been a Landlord today. Therefore, undertake any repair you deem necessary so that you can one day become a landlord too.”

It’s a ruse you shouldn’t fall for except you think you really should undertake that repair without bringing the landlord into the picture. This category of landlords only look for means to shift responsibilities to their tenants. They only do renovations when they realise apartments are vacant and new tenants will possibly be coming in. For them, it’s business as usual!

There are some Landlords that call for meetings without prior notice; no mails, texts, calls not even a verbal message. Some Landlords just feel they can knock on your door at any point in time and call you for a meeting even if it is in the middle of the night. There is no time that they don’t deem appropriate for a meeting, and once they call for that meeting you must leave whatever it is you are doing to answer the call if you don’t want all hell to be let loose.

When it comes to these landlords and their endless meetings, your location in the house or within the compound doesn’t matter, you must attend! This happens mostly in tenement buildings popularly called face-me-I-slap-you

These are the pompous Landlords who would own a face-me-I-face-you building yet act like they are the lord of a magnificent castle. In fact, during meetings for fellow landlords in their neighbourhood, they are usually the most arrogant and most vocal

 

 

Some Landlords are worse than Military dictators; they will terrorise you for no reason at all. These Landlords are usually very hostile to tenants who have spent more time than expected on their property, especially when they want them out in the fastest possible time so they can make extra cash from the other fees that come with renting a new space.

These landlords start bugging their old tenants days before the expiration of their rent and nothing the tenant does in the apartment ever seems right. They look for the littlest reason to pick up a quarrel with the tenant they are fed up with and they end up threatening the poor tenant at will

As a single lady in a rented apartment, have you ever had that feeling that your landlord is being unsually nice and dandy towards you than some other tenants especially the male ones? If your answer is YES then there is a tendency that that landlord is a womaniser. Worse still, if you overhear old tenants talking about how some female tenants left the property because of inordinate attention from the landlord, then your Landlord is not just a womaniser, he’s a chronic one.

This category of landlords are mostly found around off-campus locations where there is a large convergence of University students and Youths. As for off-campus accommodations that only harbour females, sometimes there is an ulterior motive to it; the landlord may just be one who fantasizes about pretty females

 

Nosy Landlords always want to put their noses in other people’s shit. They are always the first eye witness of every issue that happens in the compound. They can even badge into your house at the slightest opportunity as long as there is a red alert emanating from your house even if it is a false alarm. If your child runs out on sighting a roach or rat in the house, trust your landlord to come running in that very moment. These Landlords are no different from paparazzis. In fact, you may not be so far from the truth to call them Aproko Reporters.

There are a number of greedy Nigerian Landlords who are not sensitive to the plight of the average tenant; they are in the habit of increasing rent at will without making any changes to the property. Some don’t mind increasing their rent at the end of every month while for others whose renewal come annually, rent increment comes at the expiration of every tenant’s rent for the year in focus. For these landlords, all they care about is the turn-over rate.

There are some Landlords whose relationship with their tenant is more like a Master-Slave relationship. The tenant is not allowed to air his or her views and when the tenant says something contrary to what the almighty landlord thinks, the erring tenant is tongue lashed and verbally abused for thinking otherwise. This category of landlords will clip your wings and render you powerless in your rented apartment

Which of the aforementioned best describes your landlord? Have you ever had cause to deal with any of the 10 different types of Landlord mentioned in this article? Feel free to add your own description to the list above in the comment box below if ours doesn’t in any way describe your landlord.