![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/files\/2014\/07\/Alex-scary-576x1024.jpg\")
8)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This is a big one! Don\u2019t be alone when you hand the keys back to your landlord. If possible, in fact, don\u2019t deal with them face-to-face at all. If I could re-live the last couple of weeks I would drop the keys at the estate agents and say we were all out of London, or at least stand at the door and insist that I had to leave immediately when the landlord arrived.<\/p>\n
Unpleasant things are much better dealt with by email.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure\u2014or at least I hope\u2014 that I had a particularly bad experience with this landlord, but better safe than sorry. I won\u2019t go too much more into what was a horrible experience, but if you are going to be criticised, insulted, patronised and talked-over by your landlord and another very rude person that she has brought along, bring reinforcements who are either your parents or your flatmates. Alex very kindly agreed to come along as all my flatmates were back at home, but despite him being quite scary (see picture I asked him to provide below demonstrating how scary) my landlord refused to talk to him as he was not a tenant. Ironic, considering she brought a miscellaneous lady with her.<\/p>\n
9)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Also, look around the house before you buy it! That is unless you want to end up next to a noisy pub in a house where everyone upstairs can see into the downstairs shower. (!)<\/p>\n
I am completely joking about this\u2014my new house is pretty awesome but that shower thing is weird.<\/p>\n
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In other moans, obviously changing utilities and council tax accounts is terribly boring and time-consuming. \ud83d\ude1b After nearly an hour on the phone this morning I am still not entirely sure if NPower have got the message that we don\u2019t want their gas or not. Honestly.<\/p>\n
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In better news here is a list of happier tricks to renting houses:<\/p>\n
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1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Imperial have a good contract checking team who will check your contract thoroughly and give you lots of tips on how to not get taken advantage of.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The genius cleaners who have a 48 hour window to sort things out in the house for free if the landlord makes a completely unreasonable fuss.<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finding new landlords who are laid back. They are actually so laid-back that there is a broken mirror and various other broken bits of furniture scattered around the house that we will have to remove, but I will gladly take this over our current situation.<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The fact your deposit has to be kept with a third party so scheming landlords can\u2019t grab at it at whim. Thank you, the government.<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remembering to take gas and electricity readings.<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Having a different joint bank account for house related payments.<\/p>\n
Believe me, it is hard enough to track who has not paid what bill and why they haven\u2019t paid the right amounts in a dedicated bank account. Add that on top of your own transactions and you will be internet banking for far too many hours of your splendid life.<\/p>\n
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Anyway, that is my moving house situation. It has all been fairly depressing and is unfortunately not over yet.<\/p>\n
Now to the non-house section!<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably all heard that the longitude prize<\/a> got awarded to antibiotic drug resistance which is a double win for me as it is the one I voted for and media coverage of this topic is the potential topic for an essay I am doing next year! Haha the British Media. I have you in my control.<\/p>\n