While I Was House Hunting In Lagos, Agent Asked Me To Pay Him Extra N10,000 To Rent A Husband —Faye
The challenges of securing accommodation in Lagos have once again come under the spotlight as Nigerians shared their frustrating house hunting experiences on the maiden episode of Rants and Bants, a program streamed on Pulse NG’s official YouTube channel on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Among those who spoke was Adepelumi Feyisayo, popularly known as Faye, an event stylist and content creator, who recounted some of the unusual demands she encountered while searching for an apartment.“Even while I was house hunting, the agent was even advising me to rent a husband that is going to give me somebody that is going to act like my husband. I’ll give him 10k. My friend can be my guarantor. My parents can be my guarantor. If my parents are not in Lagos, my sister or any of my siblings, anybody can stand as my guarantor. So far, the person has a national ID card or whatever. So you can’t be telling me that I must be married. So if I’m not married yet, am I supposed to be sleeping under the bridge?” she asked.
Faye further criticized the fees charged by property agents, describing them as exploitative: “The prices that the agents are requesting is too much. Why do I have to pay inspection fee? Because I feel like the best thing to even do is just for the landlord to start renting a house to rent outside their house. I’ll pay first agent for inspection fee. It’s going to take me to like two houses that does not make any sense. Then I will now look for another agent, pay another money and go and look for… And I will pay like five agents. If you want to rent a house in this Lagos, you need at least five agents. And then you pay every one of them. For inspection.”
She explained that agents often waste clients’ time by showing them poor-quality houses first: “So the agents are a very big problem. They will keep the best house for the last. They will take you to the worst buildings first. That’s where they will take you to. The buildings that people have been rejecting, that’s where they will take you to. So you must be patient. Go to the first one, just observe the second one. Tell the agent before you pay, tell the agent that, please, this money that I’m paying you, how many places are you taking me to? So you must be patient and ask questions before paying any agents.”
