How to find affordable accommodation in FCT

Getting affordable accommodation is a difficult task in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This is due to the daily influx of people searching greener pastures in the city. Because of high demand for accommodation, estate agents and landlords now charge exorbitant rates for their houses. But Daily Trust gathered that house seekers often pay low […]

Getting affordable accommodation is a difficult task in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This is due to the daily influx of people searching greener pastures in the city. Because of high demand for accommodation, estate agents and landlords now charge exorbitant rates for their houses.
But Daily Trust gathered that house seekers often pay low rent if they get accommodation without employing the services of an estates or house agents. To cut cost, many try to pay directly to property owners.
An estate agent, Idris Aigamhe said most of the property developers focus on developing houses within the city center which is beyond the reach of many house seekers.
He said the easiest way to get affording accommodation is to go to the satellite towns where there is dearth of some social amenities.
Aigamhe said another way is to secure accommodation through property owners because the commission and other charges are not be attached.
“Anybody looking for accommodation should not even look at the city centre because of the high cost of rent. A two-bedroom apartment within the city centre like Asokoro, Mataima, Wuse, Utako districts costs between N1.5 million and N3 million while a three-bedroom apartment costs between N3.5 million and N6 million. This depends on the location within the city centre,” he noted.
He said among the satellite towns: Nyanya, Jikwoyi, Bwari, Dutsen Alhaji, Kuje areas are on the low side while Kubwa and Lugbe are on the high side.
Another estate agent who only gave his name as Austine said a self-contained apartment in Jikwoyi  costs N150,000, one-bedroom N200,000, two-bedroom N350,00 and three-bedroom N500,000.
“In Lugbe, a self-contained costs N200,000, one-bedroom N350,000, two-bedroom between N600,000 and N700,000 while a three-bedroom costs N800,000 and above. In Kubwa one-bedroom costs N300,000 and above, two-bedroom N600,000 and above while a three-bedroom costs N900,000 and N1million depending on the area,” he said.
A resident of Kubwa, Gideon John told our reporter that in most cases the so-called agents are responsible for the high cost of rent in the city. 
According to him, agents often fix prices of apartments to let for house owners because of their commissions, adding that house seekers often pay low rent if they have direct contact with property owners.
“But most of the banners where houses are advertised for let or lease are owned by estate agents whose services are hired by property owners. The best way to get cheap accommodation is through the property owners,” he said.