Hoping to rent a bedsit room - questions

persa

Dunroamin wrote: »

Couldn't you watch TV on your computer?

Realistically, that requires a wifi connection, not a dongle.

Bedsits don't usually have their own phone line. If there's shared internet, constantly streaming stuff will annoy the neighbours!

persa

top_drawer wrote: »

Only the shower room/toilet is in the basement.

Is there a key? Otherwise, it might be treated as communal, even though it's yours.

top_drawer_2

hello

I checking the TV situation purely because currently I live in the PR1 8JL area and cant get a TV signal in my room on a free standing aerial. I have internet and I watch tv on Iplayer but I will have to revert back to dongle in this bedsit so it would be a massive issue if I couldnt get a TV signal...... potential new place is in PR1 3 area and would be downstairs again.

I will definitely ask questions re electric but is there anything I can do to alter the way they are supplying electric? Is it just the way the it is?

Jenny

lynnemcf

If TV is important to you, then its worth "lugging" a TV to the viewing and trying it out. My friend has just moved to a new flat, she saw a socket in the wall and assumed TV reception would be OK, but now she has moved in there is no signal so she is having to sort it out and its causing her stress and money.

top_drawer_2

I don't drive ... I will have to arrange a 2nd viewing with the LA and hope they are patient. I hoped someone would say - just take x, y or z and you will easily tell whether there or not.......

top_drawer_2

persa wrote: »

Is there a key? Otherwise, it might be treated as communal, even though it's yours.

yep there's a key, everyone in the property has one each for there own separate shower-toilet area in the basement.

top_drawer_2

hi again,

Just got reply for the LA re the questions I have asked:

The electricity is 21pence per KWH - is this good/bad? They have a drier in the basement too (they are encouraging us to use this, see below) which I would have thought would get quite pricey for 2/3 loads a week.

There is an aerial point in the studio - !!

No to the pulley system in the actual flat but you could put one in the lobby way or there is a bin store at the end of the lobby where your bike could be kept and chained to drain pipe. (The lobby is shared with next door so would be at your own risk).

Apparently the owner just said No but ok in the lobby way.

We also say it’s not a good idea to dry washing in the room because this can cause bad condensation; this is the reason why the laundry facilities have been provided in the cellar. I have said that obviously I would open a window......

You see anymore issues?

Jenny

persa

Can't comment on the cost of electricity, but the LA probably has a point re condensation. The problem with bedsits is that they're essentially a house crammed into one room, i.e. when the whole property was originally built, it wasn't designed for you to spend your life in that room, only a few hours each day.

I doubt the ventilation will be sufficient for you to dry your clothes in there, cook in there and sleep in there - and when mould starts appearing caused by the condensation, you can bet the LA will blame you for this. I would take what they've said as a warning - either someone lived in the room before you and had condensation issues, or they've managed other properties and had similar. The LLs on this board, rightly or wrongly, are all quick to blame tenants for mould - my opinion is that some conversions just aren't geared up for normal human living - e.g. bathrooms without windows are asking for trouble. Yet they're fairly common.

I think you'll need to use the dryer - at least for non-delicates - so if the cost of that is too high for you, that's going to be a definite issue. I'd recommend doing some sums and looking at your budget before going ahead.

I'm not trying to put you off, but if I recall correctly, you've previously lived with housemates, i.e. even though you've had to share rooms, you've had a much larger space available to you, and may not have come across condensation problems before. You need to keep an eye out for them in this kind of property - open the windows as much as you can, keep an eye on the panes and wipe them every day if you need to. In my experience, condensation occurs when you spend too much time in one room. (You'd be amazed how much condensation the mere act of sleeping causes...)

RAS

What price per KWH do you pay at the monent?

I would have thought 12-13p KWh. The quarterly charge us usually £90 ish, but that should cover the whole house if you are on coin-op meters.

See these rules http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/domestic-consumers/Pages/Resaleofgasandelectricity.aspx

Is this house a registered HMO?

PollyOnAMission

My electricity kWh rate (credit account, not pre payment meter) is about 9 pence, plus about 27 pence per day standing charge.

This makes 21 pence look very expensive; usage of 10 kWh per day would cost you £2.10, whereas mine would be £1.17. Obviously any kind of pre-payment meter is going to be more expensive than a well-researched credit rate, but that seems really expensive to me. Perhaps someone with knowledge of pre-payment meter rates can confirm that.