Moving day yesterday
Letter to landlord today.
Hi (landlord),
Thank you for sending me your email address so promptly. I am going to try and divide the things into this email into things which are vital for the house to be a good place for me to live and things which I would appreciate if you could do for me.
With regards to the house generally -- vital:
The most important thing is that the house is clean and sanitary and in good repair. Currently it is not. The kitchen is very greasy and dirty -- all the surfaces, the cupboards, the floor, the stove, the fridge -- everything is unsanitary. The bathroom, although new and nice, is also dirty from the building works.
I am glad to hear that the common areas will be professionally cleaned. I understand that perhaps the builders need to move everything out first so that all the cleaning can be done at once, so I am willing to wait *a little while* for this to be done. I am leaving for Canada this Friday and returning on the 14th. Can you confirm that all the common areas -- kitchen, bathroom, toilet and hallways -- will be cleaned by the time I return? Including all cupboards, the stove, etc, as currently everything is dirty, and as I have just moved in I do not think I should have to clean anything yet. Also I am not sure what the large rectangular item is in the hallway -- will that be removed, as well as the builders' stepladder, etc? Also, can the cupboard doors in the kitchen be fixed or replaced, please. And will the overhead light be covered over? I understand you replaced the light in my room and I appreciate that -- the lights in the bathroom are lovely so I am sure you can find a good way to sort out the one in the kitchen. As the lease says the landlord will be responsible for keeping the common areas in good repair and clean, I think these things are a matter of course -- as I say, I have just moved in and I think I have a right to expect to move into a clean environment without having to clean myself.
I will of course do my absolute best to ensure everything is kept in very good shape afterwards as well. As I told you I would personally like for the tenants to get together and pay a cleaner to come in once every week or two -- obviously this depends on what the other tenants say, but hopefully they will agree.
The fridge I am afraid is unusable. The drawers in the freezer are broken and the entire unit is so dirty it is unsanitary. I have put my food in the fridge but I am honestly afraid of catching something! There is another fridge in the back bedroom which is not broken like the one in the kitchen but it is even dirtier, and it smells very bad. I am not sure if even a professional cleaner would be able to sort it out. I think the option which is probably the least hassle for you is just to replace the fridge entirely.
Finally, the sink in the kitchen and the bathtub are not draining properly -- water collects in the bottom, and the drains appear to be partially blocked. Can this be looked into please.
With regards to the house generally -- things I would like:
Also in the kitchen, there are pots and pans and cutlery but there is no crockery. I do not have any crockery (I only need bowls, plates, cups, glasses) of my own so I would appreciate it if we could have some. I do not know if the pots and pans there are Shola's or if you have provided them. If they are yours, they are fine -- if they are Shola's I will speak to him about whether I may use them.
In the bathroom there needs to be a proper bathroom mirror over the sink. The one there is extremely small and it is currently hung too high up for me to see in it. It would also be good if we could have an enclosed cupboard with shelves and a door to keep toilet paper and cleaning materials.
With regards to my room:
I need more storage space. There is no lounge in the house and no storage cupboards so I must have enough furniture, and of the right type, to keep my possessions tidy and organised.
The wardrobe is fine. If it is not too much trouble, depending on what other furniture you can find for me, I may at some point ask for the shelves to be removed so I can use it all as hanging space -- but I don't need this right now.
I do not need the sofa. Bano told me that the girl who is taking the back bedroom would be interested in it -- if this is the case she is very welcome to have it!
As you know, I need a desk and a desk chair, so that I can study when my course begins in autumn. The course begins 1 September. I do not plan to keep anything in the desk, I will not use it for storage, so theoretically this could wait until August, but I *must* have one then. The desk does not have to be big -- in fact it is probably best if it is little and will fit in a corner.
I also need storage space for books. A bookcase would work, but actually a shelving unit on the wall or shelves on brackets would be fine, and probably better from the point of view of saving space. I will need quite a few shelves -- as I am a student I have a lot of books.
As I pointed out to you yesterday, the chest of drawers is missing the bottom drawer. The next drawer up is also missing a handle. I have had a look through the house and cannot find these items anywhere. If the bottom drawer cannot be found I would like a different chest of drawers, with four drawers in it.
The bedside table is also in bad repair. It looks as though it once had a drawer or a shelf and perhaps a door, but is now missing bits/broken. I would prefer not to have things that are broken. Obviously I don't mind if they've been used, but I would like furniture in good repair. Because there is no room or storage space in the bathroom I also need a small cupboard for my toiletries. Just something of bed height with shelves and a door so I can put my sponge bags etc inside it. I could use this as a bedside table as well.
I would also like a small table and a couple of chairs for eating. I will put them by the window.
Finally I would like a full length mirror and some hooks to hang coats, bags, etc. The mirror can go inside the wardrobe (so it can be a simple unframed one, and hang on a hook, or stick up inside the door, whatever you have or can find, but unbroken please) and the hooks will go on the back of my bedroom door.
Once these things are all sorted out I think I will be quite happy to stay in the house. The area is good and I appreciate that my room is big and bright. I am a good tenant, I am quiet, I do not throw parties or play loud music, I am clean and tidy, I pay my rent promptly every month, and I will not cause any trouble, however I must feel that the place I am living is a home, and that means it must be clean and sanitary, and there must be sufficient furniture and storage space for me to organise my belongings. That is why I think it is best we get everything sorted out as quickly as possible, and then it will be done and you will probably hardly hear from me again (except to get my rent money)!
Thanks very much,
Bronwen
I don't fancy moving again, but I will if I have to. I'm on a six-month contract which means I can break with two months' notice.
Hi (landlord),
Thank you for sending me your email address so promptly. I am going to try and divide the things into this email into things which are vital for the house to be a good place for me to live and things which I would appreciate if you could do for me.
With regards to the house generally -- vital:
The most important thing is that the house is clean and sanitary and in good repair. Currently it is not. The kitchen is very greasy and dirty -- all the surfaces, the cupboards, the floor, the stove, the fridge -- everything is unsanitary. The bathroom, although new and nice, is also dirty from the building works.
I am glad to hear that the common areas will be professionally cleaned. I understand that perhaps the builders need to move everything out first so that all the cleaning can be done at once, so I am willing to wait *a little while* for this to be done. I am leaving for Canada this Friday and returning on the 14th. Can you confirm that all the common areas -- kitchen, bathroom, toilet and hallways -- will be cleaned by the time I return? Including all cupboards, the stove, etc, as currently everything is dirty, and as I have just moved in I do not think I should have to clean anything yet. Also I am not sure what the large rectangular item is in the hallway -- will that be removed, as well as the builders' stepladder, etc? Also, can the cupboard doors in the kitchen be fixed or replaced, please. And will the overhead light be covered over? I understand you replaced the light in my room and I appreciate that -- the lights in the bathroom are lovely so I am sure you can find a good way to sort out the one in the kitchen. As the lease says the landlord will be responsible for keeping the common areas in good repair and clean, I think these things are a matter of course -- as I say, I have just moved in and I think I have a right to expect to move into a clean environment without having to clean myself.
I will of course do my absolute best to ensure everything is kept in very good shape afterwards as well. As I told you I would personally like for the tenants to get together and pay a cleaner to come in once every week or two -- obviously this depends on what the other tenants say, but hopefully they will agree.
The fridge I am afraid is unusable. The drawers in the freezer are broken and the entire unit is so dirty it is unsanitary. I have put my food in the fridge but I am honestly afraid of catching something! There is another fridge in the back bedroom which is not broken like the one in the kitchen but it is even dirtier, and it smells very bad. I am not sure if even a professional cleaner would be able to sort it out. I think the option which is probably the least hassle for you is just to replace the fridge entirely.
Finally, the sink in the kitchen and the bathtub are not draining properly -- water collects in the bottom, and the drains appear to be partially blocked. Can this be looked into please.
With regards to the house generally -- things I would like:
Also in the kitchen, there are pots and pans and cutlery but there is no crockery. I do not have any crockery (I only need bowls, plates, cups, glasses) of my own so I would appreciate it if we could have some. I do not know if the pots and pans there are Shola's or if you have provided them. If they are yours, they are fine -- if they are Shola's I will speak to him about whether I may use them.
In the bathroom there needs to be a proper bathroom mirror over the sink. The one there is extremely small and it is currently hung too high up for me to see in it. It would also be good if we could have an enclosed cupboard with shelves and a door to keep toilet paper and cleaning materials.
With regards to my room:
I need more storage space. There is no lounge in the house and no storage cupboards so I must have enough furniture, and of the right type, to keep my possessions tidy and organised.
The wardrobe is fine. If it is not too much trouble, depending on what other furniture you can find for me, I may at some point ask for the shelves to be removed so I can use it all as hanging space -- but I don't need this right now.
I do not need the sofa. Bano told me that the girl who is taking the back bedroom would be interested in it -- if this is the case she is very welcome to have it!
As you know, I need a desk and a desk chair, so that I can study when my course begins in autumn. The course begins 1 September. I do not plan to keep anything in the desk, I will not use it for storage, so theoretically this could wait until August, but I *must* have one then. The desk does not have to be big -- in fact it is probably best if it is little and will fit in a corner.
I also need storage space for books. A bookcase would work, but actually a shelving unit on the wall or shelves on brackets would be fine, and probably better from the point of view of saving space. I will need quite a few shelves -- as I am a student I have a lot of books.
As I pointed out to you yesterday, the chest of drawers is missing the bottom drawer. The next drawer up is also missing a handle. I have had a look through the house and cannot find these items anywhere. If the bottom drawer cannot be found I would like a different chest of drawers, with four drawers in it.
The bedside table is also in bad repair. It looks as though it once had a drawer or a shelf and perhaps a door, but is now missing bits/broken. I would prefer not to have things that are broken. Obviously I don't mind if they've been used, but I would like furniture in good repair. Because there is no room or storage space in the bathroom I also need a small cupboard for my toiletries. Just something of bed height with shelves and a door so I can put my sponge bags etc inside it. I could use this as a bedside table as well.
I would also like a small table and a couple of chairs for eating. I will put them by the window.
Finally I would like a full length mirror and some hooks to hang coats, bags, etc. The mirror can go inside the wardrobe (so it can be a simple unframed one, and hang on a hook, or stick up inside the door, whatever you have or can find, but unbroken please) and the hooks will go on the back of my bedroom door.
Once these things are all sorted out I think I will be quite happy to stay in the house. The area is good and I appreciate that my room is big and bright. I am a good tenant, I am quiet, I do not throw parties or play loud music, I am clean and tidy, I pay my rent promptly every month, and I will not cause any trouble, however I must feel that the place I am living is a home, and that means it must be clean and sanitary, and there must be sufficient furniture and storage space for me to organise my belongings. That is why I think it is best we get everything sorted out as quickly as possible, and then it will be done and you will probably hardly hear from me again (except to get my rent money)!
Thanks very much,
Bronwen
I don't fancy moving again, but I will if I have to. I'm on a six-month contract which means I can break with two months' notice.