Hi, I am due to move into a friend's flat in 4 to 8 weeks' time - a week ago I agreed to rent it from her without having seen it first. Which sadly was a mistake.
She's bought it as an investment and I need somewhere to live pretty sharpish. I need to be out of where I'm currently living by mid Sept. The sale is going through now and she expects to complete the sale within four to eight weeks. But she has also warned me that if it costs her more than a certain amount to extend the lease then the sale is off.
I assumed that I would like the flat and it hadn't entered my head that I wouldn't - I'd seen it on Rightmove and although it is small, it looked clean, modern and decent, but there was no picture of the bedroom.
Also, I thought - if my friend liked it then I will as I know that appearances are important to her.
However, when the tenant let me in tonight to see the place, I was distinctly underwhelmed. It wasn't looking its best as the tenant is untidy but the flat was small and dingey, the decor was kind of dowdy, a bit shabby and depressing, and there was NO storage space at all. A big negative as I have a lot of stuff.
The bedroom was very small - the current tenant had a double bed in there but there was not really room for a wardrobe, so he had only a clothes rail and a chest of drawers.
I want to buy a kingsize bed (as I am not exactly skinny and neither is any bloke I go out with!) but I would be hard pushed to get a king size in there.
The living room is small (14 x 10ft) and I would not be able to get a dining table in there, and the kitchen, which the lounge looks into, is very small also.
Also, I was hoping i could keep my bicycle in the hallway but that is too small.
Rents in London are steep - £1,000-plus a month for a 1-bed in a cheap (not trendy) area. And I don't earn much.
My friend had agreed to rent it to me for 750 a month and the tenant told me the bills came to 300 a month (inc council tax after single person's discount), meaning I would be paying out £1050 p/m.
I would be happy to pay that for a place I like but not for one I'm not that keen on. The main attraction is that I would not have to sign a contract or pay a deposit. I want somewhere to stay while I look for something to buy (again a challenge in London on my paltry budget).
I have decided though that I would rather flatshare (which is what I do now), even though I hate it, because at least I won't be forking out a large amount of money for a place I don't particularly like. And I can continue to save for a deposit.
The thing is - i don't want to offend my friend by saying I don't like her flat - and reneging on our agreement, although nothing was in writing - I don't want to lose her friendship.
Any ideas? Thanks for reading.
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A delicate issue
7 replies
stargirl04 · 07/08/2013 23:38
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