| Housing week has come and gone, and I�m left with a large mobile phone bill and some rather appalling memories of the flats I�ve seen. I really don�t think LSH knows how really bad some of the flats they advertise are. During the week I�ve seen flats that even rats wouldn�t live in. They�ve been tiny, dirty and smelled like wet dogs with a hint of car freshener. It seems to me that some landlords don�t really care if anyone lets the flat or not. If they do, why don�t they clean up the place before someone comes to take a look at it? For a couple of pounds many flats could look twice as good. Even some water and soap would be an improvement. Do people in England know what soap is? No, not Brookside or Eastenders. I�m talking Cif, Klorine or even Dove. Anything will do, as long as its something that makes the place cleaner and less smelly. Car fresheners don�t help! The thing that really gets me is that many of the landlords act like complete ignorant idiots. Some doesn�t even know the address of the flat they are letting. Others look at you like they don�t know why you are there, until you explain it to them thoroughly and painfully slow that you �arranged to meet with them earlier, about a flat??.� Then they say in �Ah, you are student, yes?� and show you a picture of the flat. Like that is going to make me sign the letting contract. Some landlords also did their best to persuade me that the area was totally safe, but when I talked to some locals on the bus back I heard things like � Yeah, its okay, except for the odd shootings, there are some nice people here as well....� or �oh, the flat�s on the ground floor.. hmm, you�d better get a dog then�. That isn�t exactly what I would call a nice and safe area. After three viewings and numerous telephone calls to �I�m sorry I don�t let to undergraduates�, � I don�t know where it is or when it is available..� and �Hang on, they�ve given you the wrong number. I�ll find you the right one.. just a sec..� I turned to the high street for estate agencies. But they wanted me to move in straight away, and as I�m currently living in halls with a binding contract, no can do. After this minor setback I contacted an agency that advertised on LSH�s webpage. (they do have the odd good ones too) And finally a normal and sane person answered the phone. The next day a lovely lady showed me a couple of flats that didn�t smell like an old rag, that were clean and bigger than my current closet. So if I�m not being conned I now have a place to live next year. All it took was a little blood, sweat and tears. Can�t wait till next year... |
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| Housing Week has come and gone, thank God for that! By Cecilie D. Haug |