So I haven't posted for a while and this is because I am literally at my nerves end with this house hunting business!
We are really struggling to find something decent. Kayla and I have lived out of home for four years now, and while we aren't expecting a luxury home we've been trying to uphold some sort of standard when it comes to what we want. We don't want the tiny kitchen and grotty, cramped bathroom that is typical of a student house. We don't want grime in our shower and around our mirrors. We want bench space. We want some level of cleanliness.
It is seriously shit that we apply for somewhat decent houses, and immediately a family is given preference to it over us because it's a "family home". They look at our ages and we're immediately disregarded. We may be young, we may drink alcohol sometimes. This doesn't mean we're going to trash your house! We may not earn 100K a year, but we earn enough to pay rent and we only have ourselves to look after! Two thirds of our household are going to be full time workers and the other is a Masters student. Seriously!
Take in a family with young kids and I guarantee your nice white walls will be covered in felt-tip and sticky chocolate fingerprints in no time. Hey, they might even shit on your floor for good measure. It's all ok! That's what kids do, and this house was built for a family! Their parents will clean up after them!
Don't even think about leasing your house to a group of responsible twenty somethings who know how to clean up after themselves, and are certainly past the days of crapping on the carpet. GRR
I feel your pain. I arrived here with the "unemployed backpacker" label attached. No one would touch me in case I skipped the country without paying any rent, plus getting hold of my references was tricky as they were all from the UK. I had no furniture to bargain with either and was unfamiliar with the dirty tricks some people play to secure houses, such as paying extra rent up front and so on. Hang in there. I know it's frustrating but the right house will come along eventually, it did for me!
ReplyDeleteFF xo