flat hunting

Saturday I paid an estate agent £200 to hold a one-bedroom flat for me. Getting an apartment here is like buying a house. It seems to rarely be done directly with the landlord and involves a middleman known as an estate agent.

That £200 is non-refundable if they refuse my application and aren't happy with my credit check. Even after going to the trouble of getting an account set up over here before I came, and having savings deposited, I have no credit background in the U.K. and with the 'economic crunch'-- as one agent called it -- agents and landlords seem quite leery about getting stiffed for rent. Add to this the fact that though I have savings, I don't have a job yet.

Before I paid this fee the agency assured me, after doublechecking with the agent, that there would be no problem with them approving the application. The secretary said the application approval would likely take 2 to 3 days, so I will call them tomorrow for an update.

The flat (apartment) is very nice -- and a very good price for the market -- though still quite a bit more than I was originally hoping to pay. Last year when I was in Cardiff the estate boards had much more on offer and at lower prices. I asked one agent why there was such a shortage and he said most renters are staying put and renewing their leases rather than going through the initial (costly) process again. Also, because of the 'economic crunch,' the agent said there was a freeze on building, so no new places were coming on the market.

The flat I'm interested in is going for £450 a month. On top of the basic rent is a council (city) tax of about £70 and the cost of utilities, which people tell me will probably be no more than £50 a month. So a £450/month flat is really about £575 a month.

Besides the estate agent's fee there is a bond fee for any damages incurred during your stay (basic minimum contract is six months -- after which it goes month to month.) The bond fee is similar to our last month's rent, but is returned to you when you leave if they are happy with the flat's condition. The bond fee for my hoped-for flat is £500. So the initial outlay is close to triple the original rent.

Basically I will be paying montly rent close to the same outrageous price I paid in Toronto, but wages here are half. So far I am convinced I can make this work, even working part-time (with supplements from savings). There are jobs in the hospitality and care industries. I can definitely make it work six months, during which time I can look for somewhere else if need be.

The average one-bedroom is going for around £485/month and most are VERY small. The flat I've seen is charmingly laid out and has double-glazed windows, so the heat is more likely to stay in. I was just going to link to the flat online but see it has been removed -- which is a very good sign my application is going through.

It has been quite time-consuming looking for a flat. Once it is a done deal I can focus solely on finding work. The move-in date is mid-October and before I laid down the deposit I checked with the Harris' (who are lettting me use their guestroom) to see if this was OK with them. I had been hoping to move in some place by the first of the month.

Both Paul and Nicky have told me that they figured I would be at their place one to two months when they offered their lodging and that mid-October was fine. Their generousity is sincere and moving and I owe them for life.