When I saw this week's prompt, I smiled because I was thinking of different things at the same time and wondering which of the stories I should share with you, but mhmmmm, let me share this one in particular.
Even though my former neighborhood was very chilled and exciting, plus we had great light, (you would agree with me that is a great addition if you are living in Nigeria), I had to move into this neighborhood with my family because the landlords in my former area were being unreasonable with their prices.
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They increase the price of accommodation every year, and exorbitantly too, the first year we moved in, we paid 350,000 Naira which is around $212.98, the following year, the landlord increased the rent to 500,000 Naira, which is about $304.26 and we had no choice but to pay.
In the third year, the landlord called a meeting and announced that the rent had now been increased to 700,000 Naira which is $425.96, at this point, we knew we had to move instantly. We contacted some agents who got us a place with good electricity too but not as good as the previous location and a little bit distanced from the main city too. The rent in this area went for 350,000 Naira and we knew it was a good take.
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This neighborhood has been a very dramatic one, let me start with my landlady who is an elderly woman, her Son who is abroad built this place for her. A building for herself and the family, then three separate flats for rent, a good gift if you ask me.
Living in the same place with the owner of the house has come with its drama, and now I understand the reason why people avoid houses where landlords and landladies reside.
I am a very calm person naturally, and my husband on the other hand is really handy, he hates staying in a disorganized or dirty place, so you would often see him cleaning, and cutting grass whenever he has free time. When we moved in, he noticed how bushy the compound was and he decided to clear and clean it , we didn't know that the residents of the house used to contribute money for these cleanings before we moved in.
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Our moving into the house reduced the consistent meetings and contributions going on in the house even without our knowledge as we were only acting based on our usual nature. There is a place in the house where we normally throw dirt and get it burned, once every week my husband does it consistently and we had never seen the house owners take it upon themselves to do it for once.
After some time, we had a new neighbor who also had a baby and the number of Pampers in the waste area drastically increased, the other neighbors refused to burn as well making the workload increase, so we decided to look for other ways to throw our dirt away.
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Since it looked like the whole house was used to my husband taking care of the mess, no one else did it and it became a very messy spot. The landlady wasn't around at the time and when she got back, she complained bitterly about it, surprisingly to the tenants but not to her Son who has also been in the house and using the place all the while.
When she started yelling, my husband suggested that we all take turns to clean the house, and she said her Son was too busy for that, so who should do it, we asked. The daughter said, you have been the one doing it, you shouldn't stop it now.
This statement was so annoying, and I asked her if she got a house help in us. She answered me rudely and that sparked up fire in me, I was so angry that we had an intense argument that day. So, because we are tenants we are now slaves to you? I asked vehemently.
Everyone knows me to be a very calm and patient person but that day I showed her the other side of me. Since that day, everyone has respected themselves in the house, we still do not throw dirt in the said spot, and we stopped helping out with activities around the house too, we simply allow everyone to contribute money for the cleaning as it was done before we moved in.
Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak about relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.
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It is quite surprising to see the lengths people would go to if you let them...
It's lovely that you were finally able to stand up to the landlady and her son.
I tell you, people can take advantage of anyone they get the chance to.
There nothing like having your own house, a house void of all these neighbor palava.
My brother, I am telling you oooh