Moving Out of a Boys' Quarters or Staff Quarters: Small Rooms and Shared Yards

The boys' quarters sits at the back of the compound, behind the main house, the generator shed and a parked car. The room is two metres wider than it looks from the gate, the door opens inwards, and the person who holds the gate key is at work until evening. That is the first problem on moving day, before a single box is lifted.

Quarters are lived in by many different people: a driver and his family, a steward, a security man, a young professional who rents the room from the owner. They all share the same practical headaches. The access is narrow, the yard is shared and somebody else controls the gate.

Speak to the main house before the truck is requested

The owner or the person in the main house decides when the gate opens and where the truck can stand. Tell them the date and a rough time a few days ahead, not on the morning. Ask three things: whether the truck can enter the compound, where it can park without blocking their car, and who will hold the gate.

If the compound is inside an estate, ask the estate office what pass the gateman needs. Our notes on getting past the estate gate in Lagos explain what to prepare.

Measure the way out, not only the room

Walk the route from the room door to where the truck will stand. Measure the door, the passage beside the main house and any gate or side entrance. A wardrobe that came in through a wider door years ago may not leave the same way. If it does not fit, take it apart, as in taking furniture apart before a move.

Look for low items on the route too: a washing line, a satellite cable or a gutter. They catch tall loads. Clear the yard of anything that can be moved, such as plastic chairs, a bucket of water or a bicycle.

Plan around the household, not just the room

A quarters usually holds more people than the number of rooms suggests. A family of four may live in two rooms with a shared kitchen and a bathroom outside. Decide in advance which room is packed first, which is the last to be emptied, and where children and elderly relatives wait away from the lifting.

If the generator, the freezer or a gas cylinder belongs to the occupants, read our guides to moving a generator and moving a gas cooker and cylinder before moving day.

A short moving-day order

1. Open the gate and confirm where the truck will stand before the driver arrives.
2. Carry out the largest pieces first: bed frame, wardrobe, mattress.
3. Load heavy items against the cab wall and mattresses flat on top of them.
4. Keep the kitchen items, bedding for the first night and important documents in boxes you carry yourself.
5. Check every corner of every room, including under the bed and behind the door, before the truck leaves.
6. Say goodbye to the main house and return any keys.

Walk the compound after the last item is out and take a photograph of the room and the yard. If a deposit or a dispute about damage comes up, you will have something to show.

Moving into a flat or a self-contain

Many people leaving quarters move into a self-contain or a one-bedroom flat. The same truck can usually do it in one trip. Check the new building for a gate, stairs and a lift, using our self-contain moving checklist as a model, and tell the driver about any stairs.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the Sphere app and pick a pickup van or a truck depending on how much you own. Add the pickup and drop-off and write a clear note: "boys' quarters behind the main house, narrow passage, gateman opens at 8am". Describe the load: bed, wardrobe, two cartons, a fridge. Propose a price, and nearby verified drivers accept or counter. Choose the offer you like, and agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept.

See also house moving in Lagos and Abuja moving.