In this article I am making use of the naira represented by N, which is 150 per US dollar. If you are looking for apartments to rent in Lagos Nigeria and live outside the country please take note.
In Lagos, Nigeria, apartments come in various sizes, shapes, and rates. Depending on the location and the quality of the building materials, these apartments have different rates ranging from less than N 100,000 a year to more than N 5,000,000 a year.
List of apartments in houses of Lagos, Nigeria;
1. Face-me-me-face-you
These are apartments for the common man. Low-income wage earners and the lowest strata of social strata. It refers to apartments located in single or multi-story houses with each room parallel to another room on either side of an island, hence the name. Rooms are rented separately for each occupant and there is usually a common toilet, kitchen and bathroom for 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 privacy from time to time. Rentals are collected monthly for old tenants, while new tenants pay one-time rentals for two to three years in advance. Occasionally, one can occupy more than one of these rooms at a time if the price is correct. These types of apartments are very common in the suburbs and slums of Lagos, Nigeria.
2. Independent (one bedroom apartment)
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 single men in their 20s and 30s who are simply looking to raise enough money to move into larger apartments when the time comes. Self-contained apartments are also mainly in the suburbs, but many of them are also in commercial areas of the city. Rentals are paid annually for all tenants, but new tenants must pay 2 or 3 years in advance.
3. Flats (2 to 5 bedroom apartments on one floor)
Apartments are common in 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 does not mean 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 fore area like Ikoyi, Lekki, Illupeju, Apapa, parts of Ikeja, Magodo and a number of other isolated properties in Lagos. The rents in most of these apartments are out of the reach of the common man; however, the apartments are located in all parts of Lagos, including the shanty towns 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 in the interior or the suburbs. Rentals are also charged annually and new tenants pay 2 or 3 years in advance.
4. Bungalows
These are single story houses with 3 or more bedrooms and a separate bathroom (s) and a bathroom with a kitchen. Bungalows are generally bought by small, middle-class families who no longer wish to pay rents or face altercations with intimidating landlords and value their privacy above the other inconveniences that come with home ownership.
5. Duplex
These are one-story buildings consisting of 4 or more rooms with two or more bathrooms and toilets and a kitchen. Duplexes are of two types; semi-detached or double duplexes and single-wing duplexes. Semi-detached duplexes are usually 2 or more duplexes built together but in separate wings as part of a single dwelling unit. Duplexes can be rented or owner-occupied and rentals are charged annually. They are apartments exclusively for the upper class or upper middle class. Duplexes usually have quatres of buoys that are mini-bungalows.
6. Luxury apartments
All the apartments listed above, except the first group, can come tastefully furnished. These are luxury apartments and they are always located in the most intellectual parts of the city. Rents range from N4,500,000 to N 15,000,000 (about $ 30,000 to over $ 100,000 a year).