Anglophone Migrants' Access to Housing in Douala

Abstract

Getting access to rental housing is a negotiation process that requires time and resources. This presentation reflects on to what extent that access is adjusted to migrant populations in the context of Douala, Cameroon. The research draws on qualitative interviews carried out with Anglophone tenants who are renting in Douala. First, the functioning of the rental transaction process is analysed in general, distinguishing between different steps of the transaction: finding a party to transact with; recognising the other party’s legitimacy; negotiating the price; drawing up an agreement; and holding the right to stay. It is then scrutinised in what way this process facilitates or hinders mobile populations’ access to rental housing in the city. Preliminary findings show the importance of translocal networks in finding rental housing and recognising the legitimacy of the other party, which might contribute to processes of residential sorting. The requirement of large advance rent payments at the beginning of the rental period is likely to reduce residential mobility flexibility, while characteristics more prevalent among migrant populations, such as ethnic, linguistic or cultural differences between landlord and tenant or lower and more unstable income may lead to inferior or hazardous housing conditions.