Why You Hate Apartment Hunting

It's that time of your life again. You are tired of your old flat, you hate your roommates or you simply are making a new step in to your life. Whatever the reason, you need a new place. And we all hate that for a few simple reasons:

It takes a lot of time

It takes a ridiculous amount of time. Some people are lucky, they just open the newspaper and find the right ad. Others are even luckier - finding it on the internet. But for the rest of us, it's a lot harder. You usually need about one or two months for this search. Checking everyday for new ads on the web, getting up early in the morning, so you can buy the newspaper before the others.

And when you find a place that looks a little better than the others - the big wandering starts. You go from one place to another, but they are never as good as the pictures you saw. The bed will be too small, or there won't be a bed; the bathroom will look like from some horror film; it will be on the seventh floor of an elevatorless building. You get the idea.

It's expensive

Everyday you'll have to go from one place to another, from one side of the city, to another. If you have a car it will cost you a lot with today's fuel prices. Even if you are using public transport it is still really expensive. Sometimes you have to change a few types of transportations. But that's not the most expensive part.

What if you are using an agency? Some people prefer using agencies to save some effort and time. Yes, they do most of the work for you, which is actually pretty great. But the downside is they are extremely expensive. Let's say your future rent will be around 800 pounds. They can take 50% of that (depending on the agency). So you are paying your first rent, a deposit and then 50% of that to some people. Not the most pleasant feeling in the world.

You will be cheated

The cheating starts with the first glance of the ad. You see some mighty fine pictures which can be really misleading. A beautiful bedroom with a nice big bed. A cupboard, dresser, a big mirror, plenty of room. Then the bathroom - new tiles, a bathtub, nice colours. The kitchen - it has everything you need. You really want that place! The price is a little higher, but you are willing to pay that kind of money for such a beauty.

When you actually see it, you realize they have forgotten to take a picture of the huge crack on the wall just next to the bedroom door. Then there is a lot of mould on the bathroom ceiling, the bathtub is kind of yellowish and there is no mirror. The kitchen has appliances, but it turns out half of them are from the previous tenants, so you'll have to say goodbye to them. Oh, and you haven't actually seen pictures of the living room. Let's not forget it's on the last floor.

And what if you are using an agency? Some agents are pretty awesome, but others are just doing it for the commission. They will tell you all kinds of lies to sell you the place. "Well, it's not the best place, but with this economy, you won't find a better one for the same price". So they'll find even the best things in the worst apartments just to make you consider renting it. Never listen to what they'll say. Listen to your instincts and talk to the previous tenants. They'll tell you the truth.

Another thing - people lie about end of tenancy cleaners. Because there are so many companies like that in London, you assume the landlord has used them, but you might be wrong. Which means you might find some nasty things when you move in. It's not the biggest problem, but it certainly is unpleasant. So ask if they have used professional end of tenancy cleaning service. Believe me on this one.