Renting an apartment in Nigeria can be classified as a full-time job. The hassles and many disappointments are not for the faint-hearted. I have had my fair share of challenges and difficulties renting an apartment here in Lagos, and it’s not a pretty experience. The myriad of housing problems in Nigeria, especially in the bustling city of Lagos and many other cities across the country, span from substandard houses going for exorbitant prices to insecure and rowdy environments to extremely high costs of agency and commission attached to the renting fees, to mention but a few. Different parts of the country have housing issues peculiar to their local context; however, one issue seems constant across the country: the tenant’s gender.

Discriminations Women Face in Renting Houses in Nigeria
One question that seems to always be at the tip of landlords’ lips even before they know a tenant’s employment status is, “Are you married?” Young single females across the country seeking rental housing are usual targets for the line of questioning. But what does the law say? In Nigeria, the right to housing is recognized and protected through various legal and policy frameworks. Chapter II, Section 14(2)(b) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria acknowledges the government’s social responsibility to improve the quality of life of its citizens, including providing suitable housing. Additionally, the National Housing Policy of 1991 outlines the government’s commitment to ensuring all Nigerians have access to decent and affordable housing.

The right to housing is a fundamental human right recognized in various international treaties and declarations. It is often considered a part of the right to an adequate standard of living, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (Article 11). The right to housing implies that every person has the right to live in security, peace, and dignity, ensuring access to a safe and habitable place to reside. Governments are generally responsible for creating conditions that enable individuals and communities to access adequate housing without discrimination.

Landlords or property owners often hold stereotypical beliefs about gender roles, leading to biased decisions in favor of male tenants. This has resulted in women facing challenges when they need to rent a place, especially in the big cities. Stears, in an article published in 2019, highlighted the difficulties a single lady, Jumoke Adegbite, faced in trying to get an apartment in Lagos and how it only took the intervention of her parents from Ibadan, who vouched for her ‘decency’ before she was allowed to rent the said apartment. She further compared it to the process of renting an apartment in the United States and how easy the former was, stating that no one cares about gender but mainly focused on one’s ability to afford the renting fees. So many landlords profile single ladies as prostitutes and degenerates who are only able to afford basic housing with proceeds of promiscuity and not with the proceeds of dignified labor. 

Discrimination suffered by women may occur due to their family status, which affects mostly single mothers or women with children. Some landlords often prefer tenants without children or presume that women with children are less desirable as tenants. In a recent interview hosted by Joysoap, a landlord was asked why he wouldn’t rent houses to single mothers. He responded that single mothers are difficult to control and lack respect, which is why many of them are out of their matrimonial homes and neglect their kids to hustle for an income, leaving the kids to damage the rented apartments. The landlord further stated that African women have no right to seek an apartment without the presence of a husband. These myopic thoughts are what numerous landlords and house owners use in scrutinizing and demeaning potential tenants who, for whatever reason, happen to be single mothers.

Section 15(2) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria encourages national integration and prohibits any form of discrimination based on place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association, or ties. Yet, women also often encounter unequal treatment in the rental process, including higher security deposits, more stringent screening criteria, or differential terms in the lease agreement compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, women often face harassment or safety concerns in certain rental situations. Landlords or neighbors may engage in inappropriate behavior or make women feel unsafe in their homes, leading to a violation of their right to housing. For someone who went house-hunting for over 18 months before finally getting a safe haven to lay my head, unfair treatment by neighbors, caretakers, and landlords will not only break my spirit but build certain insecurities that women fight against every single day. 

Chapter four, Section 42 of the constitution prohibits discrimination based on sex and mandates that no citizen of Nigeria be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely because of the circumstances of his or her birth.

Despite these provisions, unmarried women are treated poorly, scrutinized, and demeaned in their quest for a place to lay their heads. The intersectionality of housing issues with gender is extremely crucial. The issue of forced evictions is also prevalent, particularly in urban areas, leading to violations of the right to housing, discrimination, limited access to property rights, and vulnerability to forced evictions.

Addressing Rental Discrimination
Efforts to address discriminatory practices should involve advocating for stronger legal protections against gender-based discrimination in housing, strengthening existing laws, and introducing new measures to penalize discriminatory practices, which will serve as a deterrent. Awareness campaigns that seek to bring about cultural shifts and behavioral changes, especially for landlords, will foster a more inclusive and equitable housing environment. Landlords and property owners should also be encouraged to adopt inclusive and non-discriminatory practices.

Conclusion
Women seeking rental housing in Nigeria face various discriminatory practices that undermine their right to secure, dignified living spaces. Addressing these challenges requires collaborative efforts from policymakers, advocacy groups, and the community. By dismantling gender stereotypes, implementing legal protections, and fostering inclusivity, we can work toward a rental housing system that upholds the principles of equality and human rights for all.