"I went to several houses but was rejected because I'm a single mother. Some of the reasons they gave were just insane, and I couldn't understand them as they were flimsy excuses".
Some female residents in Lagos have expressed frustration over the discriminatory practices of some landlords who refuse to rent their properties to single ladies and mothers.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, some ladies shared their experiences and challenges securing apartments in Lagos, citing bias as a significant obstacle.
The ladies called for an end to such discriminatory practices, urging landlords to consider their applications.
They said this should be based on their creditworthiness and ability to pay rent rather than their marital status or gender.
Titi Ogunseitan, a single mother-of-one, complained about the difficulties in renting an apartment, noting that estate agents are judgemental.
Ms Ogunseitan, who resides in Magodo, noted that it took her months to secure her apartment.
"I have heard about the difficulties of renting a house as a single mother, but I was always dismissive about that until I started looking for a home after the birth of my son.
"I went to several houses, but I was rejected because I'm a single mother. Some of the reasons they gave were just insane, and I couldn't understand them as they were flimsy excuses. After many searches without results, I got fed up and decided to stay with my family and friends. It isn't convenient, but what more can I do?"
Discrimination
Fisayo Kasali, a self-employed tailor, had similar difficulties renting a house in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
"The appropriate authorities need to investigate so many things in the housing sector, one of which is unfair discrimination against single ladies. When single ladies are looking for houses to rent, landlords and agents have this particular perception about us, and we don't understand why.
"Can't single ladies have decent jobs? Why do they categorise and see all of us in a particular way? This shouldn't be the case; this mentality and perception must be changed and erased. The physical and mental stress I went through when I was looking for a house last year was draining, and I don't wish for anyone to go through it," she said.
Busola Lawal, a single lady who works in an insurance company, expressed similar frustrations while house hunting.
Ms Lawal, who resides in the Alapere area of the state, noted that renting an apartment took her a while.
"I was house hunting for over 11 months, and it took this long because the estate agents and landlords had problems with me not being married. I saw several houses that I was interested in but didn't buy any of them because of the problem we created.
"At a point, I got frustrated, so I stopped house hunting. But eventually, I got an apartment when I used my guy friend to get the place on my behalf," she said.
Government intervention
A banker, Temi Farasimi, noted that status should not be a determining factor when renting an apartment.
She urged the Lagos State Government to address the situation, noting that a law should be created to protect women against such discrimination.
However, a landlord in Ogudu GRA, Demola Adesesan, said he does not discriminate against gender as he rents his apartments to female tenants.
"I have heard about cases like this, and I have some friends who own properties who prefer to give their houses to men, but I don't do that.
"My agents have instructions that there shouldn't be discrimination against single ladies or mothers. So, I can tell you that I have ladies as tenants in my properties. I can understand the stance of some landlords against renting their houses to females, but I don't do such things because I ensure I give everyone a level playing field," he said.
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Another landlord, Abass Oyewole, said he preferred to rent his property to the male gender, noting that past experiences ensured the decision.
"I prefer to give my property to the male gender because of my experience with the opposite gender, and I can tell you, it was a very terrible one.
"I have been in real estate for several years, and the problems I have encountered with my house are with the female tenants, especially the single ones. I'm not going to go into details, but with what I experienced with female tenants, I would prevent any situation where I have to give my property to them," he said.
