Moving Out of a Shared Compound in Lagos: Neighbours, Passages and Landlords

The passage between the two rows of rooms is about a metre wide. A neighbour's bucket is by the door, someone is frying akara at the corner, a child is on a tricycle, and your two-seater sofa is about to come through. You have done nothing wrong yet, and you are already in the way.

Moving out of a shared compound in Lagos is mostly about sharing a narrow space with people who live there every day. Good manners cost nothing and save time.

Tell the neighbours before you tell the driver

A day or two before, speak to the neighbours who share the passage. Say what day you are moving, roughly what time the truck comes, and that the passage may be blocked for an hour or two. A short, friendly word means they move their buckets and stools without being asked.

Speak to the landlord or caretaker as well. Ask:

1. Is there a time of day when moving is not allowed?
2. Is there a gate or a lock that the caretaker must open?
3. Is a deposit, a final bill or a handover inspection due?

Do not invent rules. If the landlord has none, you still gain by asking. See our checklist for moving out of a rented flat for the handover side.

Measure the passage, not just the door

In a tenement building, the door is rarely the problem. The passage is, along with a turn, a low cable or a gutter cover.

• Walk from your room to the gate and note every narrow point.
• Measure the passage at its narrowest and compare it with your biggest items: wardrobe, mattress, fridge, generator.
• Look for overhead cables, hanging wires and low roofs, and check the gate width.
• Check the ground: gutters, broken slabs and wet patches are dangerous with a heavy load.

If a wardrobe cannot turn the corner, take it apart before the truck arrives. Our guide on moving from tight-access homes in Lagos explains what to do when the vehicle cannot come close.

Clear the way

Decide where the truck will park, often on the street outside, and where items will wait. Do not pile everything in the passage. Instead:

1. Bring items out one at a time, in order, to the gate.
2. Keep a person at the gate to watch what has come out.
3. Keep a person in the passage to warn of children and neighbours.
4. Put the items that are going on the truck last at the gate, and the items that are not going out of the way.

Small loose things such as bags, buckets and pots can go on the truck first, since they are easy to pass along.

Protect their space and your deposit

Wrap the corners of heavy furniture in blankets so you do not scratch neighbours' walls or doors. Take out your own fittings carefully, such as curtain rails and shelves, and fill the holes if you can. After the load is out, sweep the passage. Leaving it clean is the last piece of goodwill, and it often decides whether the landlord returns anything owed.

Noise and time

Start early, finish while there is light and keep the noise down. People in a shared compound often work at night or sleep in the day. A move that wakes the whole building at 5 a.m. is a bad move.

Security of your own things

A shared passage means strangers pass by. Keep a person with the load at all times, and keep cash, phones and documents with you. If the move takes two trips, do not leave items unattended at the gate between trips.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the app, choose a pickup van for a small flat or a truck for a full home, and add the pickup and drop-off. In the description, say plainly that the compound has a narrow passage, a long carry or a gate the truck cannot enter. Propose a price, then let nearby verified drivers accept or counter. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer, since the carry is the hard part. For more on planning, see house moving in Lagos.