General Chat

Thank you Pat, Belle, Barbra, Uzzi and Mersey :-) :-) :-)

Still on cloud 9 after all the properties I went for and lost. Definitely celebrating in Sheffield tomorrow :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Tawny, well done. :-D

I hope you store up many happy memories of your time in your new home. <3 :-D

Thank you for telling us your good news, Tawney.

It brought back such happy memories for me.

I hope you enjoy living there as much as I enjoyed my first 2 bed flat many years ago.

Good luck to you and well done,

Kind regards,

Peter

Congratulations hope you and Mr. Owl will be very happy in your new home. <3

Thank you JoyLouise, Peter and ShelleyRose :-) :-) :-)

Bedsits.
Long before we lost the run of ourselves prior to the onslaught of austerity while living in our luxury apartments & fancy duplexes, renting a bedsit was a right of passage for every student & civil servant worth their salt.

Some of these establishments were dingy to the point that your best friend was Rigsby of 'Rising Damp' infamy; hot water often came in the form of a steel unit over the sink with heat came from sitting in the broken armchair wrapped in a sleeping bag.

And while those of us who came through the bedsit era unscathed may look back with nostalgia on the days of our youth, the reality is that there aren't that many who now would be able to afford a place to rent.

No matter how attached you might be to the bedsit room that trebles as a kitchen, sitting room and bedroom, if you could afford it you know you'd be in an apartment.

But there are those who have never managed to make that move – never mind found the cash for an actual house without the parents' help. Under new rules, which came into effect not so long ago, one-room units can no longer be rented because all rental accommodation must have a separate room with ‘sanitary facilities’; that's a bathroom to you & me - but mainly me. Not just a toilet and sink – you must also provide a fixed bath or a shower with hot and cold water. The fact that there is just such a facility but its shared between four or six comrades isn't good enough anymore.

Of course, we would all prefer our own bathroom in an ideal world – especially when one of our fellow bedsitters returns home late from the pub and falls asleep in the one convenience, leaving the rest of the house holding onto their business until they made it into work next morning.

And without a doubt, there are ‘flats’ out there that shouldn't be used to house farm animals let alone human beings. But supply and demand dictates that some people cannot afford the lap of luxury – and in those circumstances, a shared toilet isn't the worst inconvenience that could be bestowed on you.

I have lived in basements & attics in my time – I've been so cold that I would wear most of my clothes while cooking the sausages and toast that used to constitute a 1960s balanced diet.

But soon, the days of eight flats in a standard three bedroom house are at an end and while there will be some who won't know where to turn to for a new, upgraded place to rent, there probably won't be too many tears shed for a throwback to a bygone era. Bad cess to the lot of them.

Here's hoping you will be very happy in your new home Tawney.

Thank you Ann. :-)

My flat is of a traditional 1960s and later style north of the border. I'm not sure how common they are in England and Wales. 4 in a block two up two down so from the outside it looks like a house. They are however purpose built flats rather than a converted house with each flat having a private front door rather than a communal entrance and it's own rather than shared back garden.

Bet you cant wait to get your own things .are you going with modern or traditional furnishings x our youngest son just got a property he moves 23rd June .a first step up & a lot better than renting good luck <3 Barbra

I'm really excited Barbara and can't wait for July. Mr Owl and I are going with whatever furniture his parents are willing to give us as they have now decided to down size. Things will be difficult for the first year as Mr Owl is going into 4th year at university in September. He said last year that he wanted a career change from architectural technologist (the person who draws what the architect wants) to building surveyor. So it was back to university for two years but thankfully what he did as an architectural tech counted towards part of the degree. He is however also helping with the bills by working night security at a local supermarket so he can fit it around his studies.