Overall Property Rating
Space
Running Cost
Damp
Maintenance
The house has spacious, comfortable rooms and two bathrooms. At the time, we had no damp issues. The house had thick walls and insulated windows, so the heating costs were relatively low. We had no rodent problems, and we were happy with all the facilities. The only thing I didn't like was that the garden was not well maintained, I think it was poured over with concrete. We paid £295 per person at the time, without bills (I think).
The landlord was quite hands-on and responsive. When I moved in I asked for a new mattress and he got me one within a few days, new and really comfortable. The flat didn't have a vacuum cleaner. The landlord owns a barbershop down the street and he has a vacuum cleaner there that we could borrow (it was not that great, but hey, it was something). He also let us send our post to the shop. It was really convenient if I ordered clothes or big parcels that needed to be signed for, I didn't need to stay home and wait for them.
The landlord required rent payments in cheque and didn't accept bank transfers. I had to open a new account to pay for the deposit and the rent. Also, it was his policy that the last month of the tenancy ended a day or two before the end of the month - which is something we overlooked when we signed the contract. We had a bit of panic when moving out because of this.