Accra rental listings use a vocabulary of their own, and the words decide the price more than the size. In rough order from cheapest to dearest:
| Listing | What you get | What you share |
|---|---|---|
| Single room | One room | Bathroom, toilet, kitchen, often the meter |
| Single room self-contained | One room with its own bathroom | Sometimes the kitchen |
| Chamber and hall | A bedroom and a living room | Bathroom, kitchen |
| Chamber and hall self-contained | Bedroom, living room, own bathroom and kitchen | The compound and gate |
| Boys’ quarters | A small separate unit in the compound of a bigger house | The gate, the compound, sometimes the meter |
| One-bedroom, two-bedroom… | A self-contained flat or house | Usually nothing but the compound |
| Apartment | A flat in a block, often with a guard and generator | Building costs: service charge, security |
Self-contained is the word that matters. It means your own bathroom and kitchen. If a listing does not say it, assume it is not, and ask.
Single rooms and compound houses
The cheapest formal housing, usually in a compound house: rooms around a yard, with the bathroom, toilet and kitchen shared. Ask how many households share them, whether water is stored, and whether everyone is on one electricity meter - a shared meter is the commonest source of disputes.
Chamber and hall
The standard first home for a single person or a couple. Ask whether it is self-contained, where the kitchen is (some are a corner of the hall, or a porch), and whether the meter is yours.
Boys’ quarters
Built as staff quarters behind a larger house, now ordinary rentals and often good value in expensive areas. Before you take one:
- Is the meter separate from the main house?
- Is there a separate entrance, or do you pass through the main compound?
- Who controls the gate, and when is it locked?
- Water: is there a tank, and is it yours?
Apartments
Usually in blocks in the newer areas, with security, a generator and water storage - and a service charge on top of the rent for them. Ask what it is, what it covers, and whether the generator runs all day or only some hours.
Whatever you rent
- See the meter, and check it is the unit’s own. Ask whether it is prepaid.
- Turn on the taps and flush the toilet.
- Look at the ceiling for water stains, and the road for flooding.
- Get it in writing: rent, advance, what is shared and who pays for what.
— Finding a place in Accra — The rent advance — Your tenancy agreement — Housing and land scams — Paying ECG and buying prepaid