Overview:
All rooms have double beds and it's fine for partners to stay over
on an occasional basis
All houses have 2 bathrooms - each with shower, toilet and
wash hand basin
All rooms are fitted with contemporary furniture, typically ivory
and beech effect with pine handles, including wardrobe, chest of
drawers, bedside cabinet, desk or PC workstation, cushioned gas
lift swivel chair, and a book case and/or shelving.
The individual rooms are painted white in order to maximise the
feel of light and space. White also acts as a good base colour for
pictures and wall hangings and is inexpensive and simple to redecorate/touch
up if necessary at the end of each tenancy.
Bedrooms are fitted with a modern carpets in a neutral colour. This
improves sound insulation especially for people in rooms below and
most people find carpet in their bedroom more cosy.
Living-room floors are fitted with laminate flooring which gives
a contemporary feel and is easier to clean in the event of spillages
etc
Bathroom and kitchen floors are tiled or fitted with vinyl making
them easier to clean.
All houses have been completely rewired and most rooms feature
at least three double power points. All rooms have their own TV
points and all of the houses have a hardwired computer cable network
with points in each roomas in addition to WiFi. Where necessary
some houses have additional WiFi zones to ensure coverage.
All houses feature sizeable modern kitchens offering good
wall and base unit storage as well as 2 fridges and 2 freezers,
washing machine, tumble dryer, oven, plenty of worktop area for
food preparation. Houses of 6 have 2 cooking hobs and a dishwasher..
All houses feature shared wireless broadband AND hardwired network
points to all bedrooms and living room.
All houses have a rear patio or garden with table and chairs so
you can sit out in the summer or have a barbecue.
From the age of 18 to 30 I spent a considerable amount of time living
in houseshare/flatshare myself in Cardiff, Oxford, Washington DC
and Toulouse so I know what is important from a tenant's perspective.
When I became a landlord I took this experience with me and resolved
to renovate and manage my properties the way I would have liked
if I were living in them myself.
You can call me any day of the week (at reasonable hours except
in an emergency) and I usually respond to e-mails/texts as soon
as I receive them. Apart from the usual maintenance issues such
as broken washing machines, which are always dealt with promptly,
I also regularly help my tenants by putting up pictures and wall
hangings etc to help them make their room look more homely.
In addition, in the rare event that problems occur at a social
level within a houseshare, I also have a good deal of experience
at resolving this diplomatically and am willing to step in and mediate
in an awkward situation. Examples of this have been when a tenant
has, without my permission, had a partner staying long term or started
to smoke in the house. These sort of things do happen occasionally,
though very rarely, and it's reassuring to have a landlord who is
willing to help resolve the situation. Otherwise, it can be very
stressful for the other housemates.
I think it goes without saying now that in a shared house smoking
is no longer accepted or permitted.
Apart from the dirt that animals can bring into the house, the moulting
of hair and the damage to furniture, a significant number of people
are now allergic in some form to cats and dogs - including myself,
my wife, my sister etc. Having a cat, for example, in the house,
means anyone allergic can not move in and even after the cat has
left it requires at least six months before allergen levels have
dropped off to acceptable levels.
The majority of tenants I've asked would rather not live in a houseshare
with a couple. Therefore, I feel that having a couple in a houseshare
makes the house less marketable and may cause existing tenants to
leave. In addition, it places extra strain on the washing/kitchen
facilities which can have legal implications. It also creates issues
with regards sharing of bills etc and finally each house is only
licenced for a set number of occupants s to take couples would breach
my licence with Cardiff Council.
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