BY JONATHAN ABIMBOLA, OGUN STATE
Scenario 1: Closing the wooden door behind him, Maku sank into the only sofa in the sitting room with heavy heart. It has become predictable: a visit to his landlord living in the next apartment (whenever he is “summoned”) always end up deepening his distress. Since he lost his job over two years ago, the survival of his family of five has been a herculean task.
To make matters worse, Mister Landlord would not stop pestering him for rent – even sometimes ahead of the due date. Almost on all such occasions, he would cite situations like illness of his aged mother, tuition fee of his son in the university or an approaching wedding ceremony of a niece/nephew as reasons why the payment is needed urgently.
Scenario 2: Chief Towoloju smiled with unmistakable delight as he checked his handset. The beep on the handset is the expected credit alert from Doctor Afeez, the occupant of his 3-bedroom apartment. He hardly ever disappoint when it comes to paying up his rent. Again, he had confirmed his reputation of credibility with another one year advance payment before the current rent expires.
Hmmm… Shelter is a non-negotiable need of man. After food for the belly and clothes for the body, getting a decent place of abode comes next. To meet this need, everyone has three options: either to put up a structure, buy one that is offered for sale, or secure an accommodation with money on a renewable basis – that is, rent.
Of course, most people settle for the third alternative as the cost of acquiring land and building materials are far beyond the reach of the struggling majority. So, with the people who lack the means to build their own houses, turning to those who are privileged to do so, a new social chain is created namely, landlord-tenant relationship.
Perhaps, the scenarios cited in the introduction above clearly illustrate two different kinds of landlords and tenants, namely pauper landlords and millionaire tenants. If being a house owner is an indication of affluence, why is it that some landlords can hardly make ends meet whenever any of their tenants temporarily find it difficult to pay his rent?
What, for instance, makes some landlords become parasites living practically on their hapless tenants, especially well-to-do ones that seldom default in their payment? On the other hand, if being a tenant implies lack of wherewithal to build or buy a house, how come certain tenants live in luxury while those who own their rented apartments struggle to survive? How did these contradictions in terms and reality come to be?
First of all, not all occupants of rented apartments cannot afford to build their own houses. Indeed, most of these millionaire tenants are landlords who are forced by certain circumstances to reside in areas far from the location of their personal houses or landed properties.
Scarcity of social amenities and infrastructure where their houses are located, insecurity, proximity to the places of employment, transfer from office and unfavourable economic condition are some of the reasons behind such curious-but-superficial change in status.
That equally explains why these VIP tenants often overshadow some of their landlords in terms of standard of living. Needless to say, these super tenants – especially good-natured ones – are a delight to their lucky landlords.
On the flipside, many people went through a tough, tortuous road to become landlords. They embraced the Spartan lifestyle while paying loans obtained from employers or cooperative societies; others sold long-acquired shares, vehicles, farmlands and other valuables before they eventually got there.
Besides, there are those who had to walk this uneasy path to house ownership because their former landlords made life unbearable for them with frequent rent increases.
Unfortunately, anyone who falls into the hands of such poor landlords will most likely have a trouble-filled stay in the said apartment/house. It is often worse if Mister Landlord also lives there.
However, rich owners of residential properties who do not depend largely on rent for their families’ sustenance tend to be considerate with tenants. Such tenants experience little or no trouble even in cases of setbacks like loss of job or debilitating health problems.
Obviously, being a pauper or “paper” landlord is of no benefit to anybody. I have met so-called landlords slaving in factories as casual workers.
Instructively, each one I interacted with had a similar explanation: “My house can neither feed my family nor provide adequately for our needs”. The point here, then is: it is wiser to build a thriving business(es) or investments first to avoid becoming a latter-day nuisance.
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