Last week, I heard a new update out of Lagos State and it had to do with the Lagos State government and the accommodation brouhaha. We all know how expensive it is now to rent apartments and the government has taken cognizance of the fact and decided to do something about it.
They are looking to implement a system where tenants can pay their rent by the month, instead of per annum as is the current custom. So, at the end of every month when your salary hits your account, you’d immediately take out your rent and give it to the landlord before you’ll do anything else.
To me, it looks like a good plan. At least people won’t have to save up huge amounts of money anymore just to meet up with the rent. Spreading it out over twelve months will make it more easy to pay in the long run. But then, in the event that even after the split, the rent is still higher than what comes into the family, the policy also suggests that such families will move into more affordable accommodation.
If not that landlords these days are just greedy and it’s only a little thing that’s stopping them from becoming vampires because, at this point, they’re bloodsuckers. Houses are meant to be affordable and the more you earn, the better your standard of living should be. So, if such a method is enforced, it will be difficult for those who live in houses that are way beyond their standards financially.
Personally, I don’t like the idea. The mere thought of paying rent every month really feels off to me. This could be because I’m already used to paying per annum, switching to monthly will be a big deal for me. At least, I know that once I pay the rent for the year, I won’t have to worry about it again until the next year when I’m due to pay again. This will give me time to figure out other things and raise the money again.
But then, doing it every month? And for someone like me who’s a freelancer, what if I get a bad month? What if I get a month where I don’t make enough to cover the rent? What then? While this is a good idea, I don’t feel I’m up for it. Having to worry about rent every single month is just tiring, even just thinking of it.
Anyway… I don’t really know much about the policy. It’s yet to be passed yet but I know that it’s an idea they’re talking about. I sure hope that they’re not planning to enforce it on everyone. Paying per annum or per month should be at the discretion of the landlord and the tenant. Because while some people will like the new development, there are others like me who would still prefer the old ways things are done.
That’s how I feel for now about it. Who knows, something might happen later on that will change my mind. But for now, I prefer renting per annum. I look forward to seeing how the Lagos State government handles this.
