TourAbuja

I don’t care how urgent your situation is. I don’t care if you’re under pressure or the agent is on your neck.
Before you pay for any house in Abuja, there are five things you must do.

If you skip even one, you might enter suffering you didn’t plan for.

I’m talking from experience.

I rushed. I trusted words. I let the pressure push me.
Now I’m stuck in a house with no light, bad drainage, and an agent that won’t even pick my calls.

So, hear me now — don’t rent that house until you’ve done these five things.

1. Spend At Least 24 Hours in That Area

If possible, sleep over.

Don’t just go in the afternoon when everywhere looks calm. Go at night. Go early morning. Go when people are coming back from work.

You need to know what that environment feels like.

Is it noisy?
Is there light in the evenings or is everyone on generator?
Are the roads safe when it rains?
Are there boys that hang around the area at night?

You won’t know these things by looking at pictures or spending 10 minutes with an agent.

Stay long enough to see the place for what it really is.

2. Ask the Neighbors Questions

Not the agent. Not the landlord.
Ask people living there. Knock on a few doors if you have to.

Ask things like: – “How is light here?”
– “Do you usually have water issues?”
– “How’s the landlord?”
– “Is there a history of rent increase or funny bills?”

People will talk. Abuja people have suffered. They will warn you if you ask.

I wish I had done this before I paid. I would have known the “always has light” story was a scam. I would have known the borehole has been bad for two months.

But I trusted the wrong people. Don’t be like me.

3. Confirm the Source of Water and How Consistent It Is

Don’t let anyone tell you “we have borehole” and you just nod.

Ask: – Is it working?
– How deep is it?
– Do you pump it yourself or is it central?
– Do they ration water?
– Is there tank space for all tenants?

Because if the water system fails, you’ll become a bucket carrier. And Abuja water vendors are not cheap.

Some compounds have one small pump serving 10 flats. Some don’t pump until weekends. Ask clearly. Don’t assume.

4. Visit During Rain

If you’re renting during rainy season, this one is gold.

Rain will expose everything:
– Bad drainage
– Flood-prone roads
– Leaky roofs
– Mosquito havens

If you can’t visit when it rains, then visit right after a heavy one.
Check if the compound is still muddy. If the road outside looks like a river.

Don’t let surface beauty deceive you.
Many houses look fine until the rain falls and reality shows up.

5. Don’t Let the Agent Rush You

That “better pay now before someone else takes it” line? Ignore it.

Let them say what they want. Your money is too important to waste because someone wants to rush you.

Any agent that rushes you is hiding something.

Take your time. Cross-check everything.
Call NEPA (AEDC) and confirm the transformer feeding the area.
Check online maps. Visit at different times. Ask hard questions.

No house in Abuja is worth blind payment.

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Final Word

I’ve made the mistake.
I paid fast. I listened to the agent. I moved in blind.

Now I’m living in frustration — begging for light, fetching water like it’s a village, and dodging a landlord who only communicates through threats.

You don’t need to go through that. Abuja is already hard enough.

So before you rent, do these five things.
No matter how sweet the deal looks or how urgent the agent sounds — pause, inspect, ask, confirm.

Don’t let a smooth-talking agent throw you into one year of regret.