Why renting a home feels like a battle of time and energy

Searching for housing in Douala is not a simple administrative task. It is a path filled with obstacles, where every visit, every call, and every appointment turns into a challenge. For many, this quest feels more like an endurance race than a rational process. Fatigue, disappointment, and wasted time: the rental market seems designed to discourage even the most determined seekers.

Endless contacts

The first obstacle lies in the absence of reliable centralization. There is no single database to consult available rentals transparently. As a result, every seeker is forced to make countless calls, meet an endless chain of intermediaries, and move from one neighborhood to another without any guarantee. Days go by, often ending with the discovery that the apartment visited is no longer available, or that the real conditions are nothing like those described.

In Douala, where traffic is already a daily struggle, these constant trips become a major source of exhaustion. Many recount spending weeks crisscrossing the city, sometimes in the rain, only to realize that the photos seen on WhatsApp did not match reality.

A market built on opacity

Beyond the energy spent, opacity reigns. Posted rents vary without explanation, agency fees change depending on the intermediary, and the information given to seekers is often partial, if not contradictory. Who really sets the prices? Why do two intermediaries quote different amounts for the same property?

This lack of clarity breeds deep mistrust. Future tenants are forced to compare, cross-check, and verify every detail an exhausting task that should already be simplified by modern housing platforms.

A Complexity Maintained

Behind this disorganization lies a persistent impression: Douala’s rental market is not only poorly structured, it is deliberately complicated. The multiplication of intermediaries has created an ecosystem where everyone takes their share, sometimes at the expense of both landlord and tenant.

By making direct access to information difficult, some actors ensure they remain indispensable. Seekers, in turn, are forced to accept extra fees, sometimes exorbitant, without real added value. The system works, but only because it is built on information asymmetry: the seeker is always at a disadvantage.

The fatigue of an unfair market

This climate weighs heavily on the morale of residents. Finding a home should be a step toward stability and the future. In Douala, it is often the opposite: a source of stress, unexpected expenses, and discouragement. Many end up accepting a home that does not truly meet their needs, simply because they no longer have the energy to continue searching.

This phenomenon also fuels a sense of injustice. Why should it take so much time, money, and patience to find housing? Why is clear information a standard elsewhere still considered a luxury here?

Towards a necessary transformation

To break this vicious circle, transparency and centralization must become priorities. It is not just a matter of improving the comfort of housing seekers: it is a question of social justice and economic efficiency.

A transparent and fair market would benefit everyone. Tenants would gain peace of mind, landlords would find serious occupants more quickly, and intermediaries who truly add value advice, guidance, management would stand out from those who only perpetuate confusion.

Conclusion

In Douala, finding housing today is a matter of time, energy, and often resignation. But this complexity is not inevitable: it is the product of a system that prefers opacity over transparency. Unless things change, finding a roof will remain a struggle. Yet, the tools exist to transform this experience: it would simply take giving residents what they have long been asking for clarity, simplicity, and respect.