My Bad Landlord | #SackYourLandlord

I am Odeyemi ibukun Amos and I can’t but talk about my former landlord. Staying in a rented apartment can be fun and it can also be hell. Was my experience fun or was it the other way round? You will find out when I’m done with my story.

As a student in my year 2 at the university, I found myself needing a rented apartment. A one-room apartment was all I could afford and it was even boys quarters.

Hearing different type and levels of curses raining down in diverse language was something I was accustomed to every morning; ranging from english, yoruba to pidgin, to egba, to ijebu… You can continue naming. I knew the recipient could be either me, or the two other occupants of the house and it becomes so funny when my neighbours begin to return the curses. Water is always a contant problem in that house. I guess that’s why everyone calls my landlord ”baba she omi nyo” meaning “is water still running?” He is always sitting right in front of the tap, monitoring and supervising those who come to buy water and anybody who mistakenly washes his or her keg at the tap is in big trouble.

My landlord has his rules. As a tenant, I can’t fetch water after 6pm or I have to pay and if I must fetch water during the day, the maximum per day is 2kegs of 50L. As a tenant, I must have informed him hitherto before bringing a visitor into my room. These and many more were things I endured until the worst happened…

It was my birthday. My landlord had travelled to his hometown and my friends paid a surprise visit and unfortunately for us, my landlord returned unexpectedly. It was as if he already got the information that I had visitors. He walked straight into my room and hell was let loose. Curses filled the air, threats here and there, and after 20mins, i received a quit notice. I didn’t have money for a new apartment; I didn’t even know where to move to. I was confused, perplexed and very sad. The next three days were horrible. Constant curses aimed at me, in-house curfew as I couldn’t move freely. I had just paid him for another year and he wasn’t ready to refund my money. After one week, he forced me out of the house at exactly 8:30pm and guess what? I slept with the guard of the next house. I had a horrible week after I was ejected from my apartment before a friend of mine took me in.

That was my worst experience with a landlord.

AUTHOR:  Odeyemi Ibukun Amos