Ugandan singer Pretty Banks has weighed in on the growing debate over whether women should date men who do not own their homes, making it clear that renting is not a deal-breaker for her.
Her comments come after relationship advice from Susan Makula Bujjingo went viral, with Makula advising women against dating men who are still renting.
Pretty Banks takes a different position, arguing that homeownership should not be the primary measure of whether a man is suitable for a relationship.
For her, the bigger questions are whether the couple genuinely likes each other, supports one another, understands each other and shares the same ambitions.
“It isn’t a big deal. Do you like your man? Does he support you? Is he generous? Do you understand each other? Do you have a shared dream? That’s what matters,” she said.
Pretty Banks also said she would have no problem being with a man who rents, particularly if he is financially responsible and putting his money into other investments.
Her argument is that a man’s financial progress should not necessarily be judged by whether he already owns a home. Someone could be directing their resources toward businesses or property investments that generate income instead.
“I can’t be focusing on him not having a house, what if he built apartments on that land and he’s earning money there?” she added.
The comments place Pretty Banks on the opposite side of a relationship debate that has increasingly focused on financial stability and homeownership as dating criteria.
Rather than treating a house as a requirement, she says she would pay greater attention to love, support, generosity, mutual understanding and shared dreams.
For Pretty Banks, the address a man lives at appears to matter less than whether the two people are building toward something together.