As students, four of us rented a house - fine.
Two of the group started sleeping together. Quickly they became an item proper.

The lease on the house came up, and we weren't allowed to renew it, so we discussed it, and it was suggested we find another place, all of us together.

Now - I'd been advised to not share a house with a couple, as it can get really awkward, particularly if they split up. I raised this, only to be reassured "Oh no no!" said they, "We're solid - it's all cool, and if anything does go down, we'll sort it out between ourselves - it will be cool."

Reassured, I went in on the deal, and we found a new place, and moved in.

They split up three months later.

Cue the very public arguments, as they used us other two as pawns.

"Hi - anyone want a cup of tea? Vagabond? Katie?"

"WELL I WOULD HAVE MADE ONE BUT SOMEONE HADN'T REPLACED THE TEA, HAD THEY?!"

"WELL I WOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TEA IF I HADN'T HAD TO LEND YOU MY LAST TENNER TO GET A TAXI BACK FROM THE GUY YOU WERE FUCKING!"

Etc. Etc.

So my advice is: don't share a house with a couple, students.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 20 Jan 2015, 15:55, Reply)

i just got my deposit back....£505 explain that
I only paid a £500 deposit and was told by the estate agents that the landlord wanted to deduct £60 to clean the carpet. Happy days. Landlords can get fucked.
( spanishfly is so fucking sexy people impersonate him, Tue 20 Jan 2015, 0:52, 4 replies)

got moving to a fine art
Up until the last decade I used to move every two or three years or less, sometimes into 4 brick walls, sometimes onto a bus.
I got used to moving my minimal possessions by pram, the old silver cross type, usually accompanied by some wag whistling the theme tune of Steptoe and Son.
One time i managed to wangle the use of a bedford van with no back doors, one comic releif day, which saw myself and two helpers sitting in the open van hanging onto loose furniture ,wearing red noses and getting cars tooting at us., Health and safety would have had a field day..
One time I moved and halfway there realised I’d left the cat behind. We unloaded and went back to find her sitting by the locked back door looking a bit peed off.
Another time I got to my new place and realised that a box containing nearly 10 years of personal diaries had gone astray, they never did turn up and to this day I’m creeped out at the thought someone somewhere may have found them and read then .
Most times I’ve moved I couldn’t be bothered with the large items like furniture and white goods and left them behind
Been in my current home nearly 12 years, the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere in my entire life.
If and when I move again, Im going to pay someone to do it all for me
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Mon 19 Jan 2015, 22:51, 3 replies)

Looking in from the outside- working for a landlord. Aka: why your house sucks and is full of broken stuff.
A while ago I found myself between jobs and ended up working for the landlord as a maintenance man. Here is my tale.

1. The layers of abstraction.
Renters have a simple relationship right? You give money to the landlord who lets you live in your house in return. lolnope. Odds are you are paying a property management company who manages for the actual owner. unless they are leasing the property, or outsourcing the management to another lettings agent. Getting the owners permission to carry out any work is like a game of Chinese whispers, where the end goal is to try and convince an absentee landlord living abroad the need to replace curtains that the mold has gotten to.

2. lack of communication.
Due to aforementioned byzantine ownership/permission hierarchies I was not allowed to do any work without a signed work order. This would be a list of helpful information such as 'light not working'. On arriving at the property it would be up to me to track down the problem. Often while explaining to any tenants that I couldn't do anything not listed on the work order. And that any additional problems would have to be sorted out by calling the landlord and waiting another six weeks for the new work order to get back to me.

3. Juggling responsibilities.
I found myself being the sole maintenance man for a list of over two hundred properties. It was my job to sort out what order to do various repairs. This was done with a simple list of priorities ranging from 'flames/sparks shooting out' to 'ugly colour'. If you have been waiting on a repair in your home for a while, chances are its because another tenant is up to their ankles in toilet water and carbon monoxide.

4. Time management I
The best way to get me to fly into a murderous rage is to ask me to 'just do' something. After working out a time where I could finally get access to 123XYZ street to fix the broken toilet, I would be told "Can you just pop by 321ZYX street and get it ready for the new people?". This couldn't be put off as the new tenants were moving in in two days. Oh and the previous lot trashed the place, and the property is on the other side of the city in the middle of a traffic clusterfuck. This scenario played out at least once a week.

5. Time management II
I worked under the strict instruction that I would always buy the cheapest materials possible. Try painting over stains with 'paint' the consistency of milk. Especially as layering it over may bring the twenty year old wallpaper down with the weight, followed by the forty year old plaster. Most of my work was involved in patching up the cracks and making do. Planning long term and taking time to complete a job was be strictly penalized.

6. Paying for the mistakes of previous people.
Given that getting any repairs on the property is a an uphill struggle its not uncommon for a lot of people to say 'fuck this' and just give up on paying rent, giving notice and tidying up. If you wonder why your landlord hates you before you have already moved in its because he is judging you by the last set of assholes. Of course this works the other way too. One nice group of people had vacated a property in a flawless condition. Except for two missing light bulbs in the kitchen. This cost them a significant chunk of their deposit. Being billed for the time for me to drive to the property carry a ladder up four flights of stairs, find out the obscure fitting for the halogen spotlights,check the electrical connections, drive to the hardware shop buy two light bulbs, drive back and fit them, carry a ladder down four flights of stairs and drive back to the office.

TL;DR its worth complaining about every little thing even just to create a paper trail.
( willenium Fist bump for verification, Sat 17 Jan 2015, 14:42, 16 replies)

So ah wiz flittin from wan croft tae another

(McChinaman banned, Sat 17 Jan 2015, 9:04, 6 replies)