Different Kinds of Apartments in Lagos, Nigeria

In this article I am making use of the naira represented by N which is 150 to a US dollar. If you are looking for apartments to rent in Lagos Nigeria and live outside the country, take note.

In Lagos, Nigeria, apartments come in various sizes, shapes, and prices. Depending on the location and the quality of construction materials, these apartments have different rates ranging from less than N100,000 per year to more than N5,000,000 per year.

List of apartments in houses of Lagos, Nigeria;

1. Face me, I face you

These are apartments for the common man. The low-income and the most repressed of the social strata. It refers to apartments located in single or multi-storey houses with each room parallel to another room on either side of an island, hence the name. The rooms are rented separately to each occupant and there is usually a common toilet, kitchen and bathroom for the occupants per floor. The key benefit of these types of apartments is affordability, while there is often a lack of privacy as co-tenants may violate one’s privacy from time to time. Rents are collected monthly for old tenants, while new tenants pay one-time rents for two to three years in advance. Occasionally one gets to occupy more than one of these rooms at a time if the price is right. These types of apartments are very common in the suburbs and slums of Lagos, Nigeria.

2. Independent (one room flat)

An independent apartment is suitable for people who are just starting a career or a family or who do not have the resources to rent a suitable apartment. Most of the occupants of these types of apartments are young singles, usually in their 20s and 30s, who are simply looking to raise enough money to move into larger apartments when the time is right. Self-contained apartments are also mostly found in the suburbs, but many of them are also found in commercial areas of the city. Rents are paid annually for all tenants, but new tenants must pay 2-3 years in advance.

3. Floors (apartments with 2 to 5 rooms on one floor)

Apartments are common with middle class or higher income families, but single men and women who appreciate their privacy and also want the recognition associated with being independent and above the poverty line. However, that is not to say that all the tenants of the flats are financially independent, but it is a kind of status symbol to live in an exquisite flat, especially in a high bow area like Ikoyi, Lekki, Illupeju, Apapa, parts of Ikeja, Magodo and a host of other isolated farms in Lagos. The rents in most of these apartments are beyond the reach of the common man, however the apartments are located in all parts of Lagos including the slums and ghettos and of course their rates depend on their location and proximity to the island. Flats in places like Ikeja, Yaba, Surulere and Ebutemetta are much more expensive than those inside or outside. Rents are also collected annually and new tenants pay 2-3 years in advance.

4. Cabins

These are single-storey houses with 3 or more rooms and separate toilet(s) and bathroom with kitchen. Bungalows are typically purchased by small, middle-class families who no longer want to pay rent or face altercations with harassing landlords and value their privacy above the other inconveniences that homeownership brings.

5. Duplex

These are single-storey buildings consisting of 4 or more rooms with two or more toilets and bathrooms and a kitchen. Duplexes are of two types; semi-detached or double duplexes and single wing duplexes. Terraced duplexes are usually 2 or more duplexes built together but in separate wings as part of a single housing unit. Duplexes can be rented or owner-occupied and rents are collected annually. They are apartments intended exclusively for the upper class or the upper middle class. The duplexes usually have four buoys that are mini-bungalows.

6. Luxury apartments

All of the apartments listed above except the first group can be tastefully furnished. These are luxury apartments and they are always located in the intellectual parts of the city. Rents range from as little as N4,500,000 to N15,000,000 (around $30,000 to more than $100,000 a year).