Finding a flat

3 October 2012

This week, I picked the keys up for my very own student flat.  For most renters, a flat is their sole residence, and so this decision is vital.  As I was lucky enough to be looking for a place to stay during the week only, I had a different perspective on the process. Despite this, the experience has been a visceral reminder of what it was like first time, when I was 18.   

I had searched a variety of estate agents online, and had tried to view a couple of places which, between the time I made the appointment and the time of the appointment, had been let. During the few weeks since I decided to rent a flat, it has been a process of continuously shortlisting and eliminating flats, only to come back and revisit the whole process again.

After a few of these rounds with cheaper properties aimed specifically at students, I decided to go back to a letting agent I had rented from previously. Having made this decision, I selected three flats aimed at ‘professionals’ which offered a good range of choice to show me what was available over a wide price range. Since my husband is also coming to stay with me upon part of the week, I couldn’t rent a traditional student room. While I'm sure I could have lived with younger people with different lifestyles, I'm not sure they would have coped with my husband appearing from time to time. I wanted an arrangement which would give us some privacy too.

So; viewing day arrived. Standing in front of house number one, subdivided into flats ‘for professionals’ and in what I would regard as a great location, this was the most expensive, and I was really excited. I had such high hopes, but it was surprisingly shabby. We went onto flat number two, middle price, in the same street that I had lived happily in for many years.  While the lovely estate agent was showing us around, I couldn’t evaluate it properly, for the pervading smell of mould. While this was due to a faulty window which had been replaced, I found I couldn’t see beyond the smell.  A third flat offered a mould free environment, but both the shower and the kitchen had been constructed underneath the sloping roof. For me, at 5’ 6”, this was not a problem, but I wasn’t sure how my 6’ 1” husband would deal with it.

The kitchen took me right back to a student house I had shared when I was 20. Being built under the stairwell in this case, the narrowness of the kitchen necessitated you “skipping” sideways while cooking. Making a cup of tea was complicated, as you had to go past the fridge in order to open it to get some milk out (blocking yourself in) and close it again to get past.  I soon learned not to put the mug too far down the counter, else each cup would necessitate two of these sideways journeys.

Still, it was the best one we had seen at that point, and I was ready to sign up.  The letting agent, noticing my husband’s lack of enthusiasm, had a quick think, and decided to show us a two bedroom flat which was cheaper than some of the ones we had seen but in far better condition. I'm still very grateful that he did. 

Now I'm finally settled into a relatively quiet, mould free environment, some questions remain. From previously living in a University town, I have heard much talk about students and how badly they treat properties. I do wonder though, how many 18 year olds would feel able or prepared to deal with mould? As an adult, I have a six foot ladder, some heavy duty mould remover, some tools and a breathing mask.  If I think back to my teenage self, I don’t think I’d have had a clue.  Even if I'd have been confident enough to tackle it (which I wasn't at that age), I would have been stumped at stage one, as I wouldn't have known anyone I could have borrowed a ladder from. 

While I am very happy with my letting agents, and don't feel that what they were showing me was out of the ordinary, I wonder how it is that landlords feel it is acceptable to offer a flat to rent which is in that state to begin with? Presumably, people are desperate enough to rent them in that state, so landlords don’t need to clean them up.  I only got to see those flats as someone who isn’t a traditional student (I’ve got a scholarship, and therefore have proof of income, and a good credit rating to match).  What chance would I have had to view these as a student, at 18 or even 21?  I think we got the opportunity to view my current, beautiful flat, as a result of spending some time with our estate agent, as we’re both mature and (hopefully) came over as fairly responsible tenants.  Thinking about my colleagues who are overseas students with families, I wonder how they have managed to get the lovely homes they live in, and how much hard work they have had to put in to make them so. 

It has only been two years since I dealt with the private rental sector, but it has been a shocking reminder of how powerless renters are.