White Death!! and Other Oddities

Mood: Antsy
Location: Ashford, U.K.
Theme Song: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” - Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald

The hotel FINALLY has working internet. I hadn’t realized how addicted I am to my interwebs until it was totally cut off! So the UK is currently in the midst of the most severe winter weather it has had in over 20 years. This has resulted in a bit of panic and chaos, as most Brits are not used to driving in snow. I have actually heard a few people say they couldn’t travel because there were 3 inches (!!) of snow on the ground. In all seriousness, I can somewhat understand the fear since the roads aren’t plowed very well (or at all) and the whole country is running terribly low on grit (basically sand; they don’t use salt).

I spent yesterday afternoon slogging through the snow in Canterbury (http://www.canterbury.co.uk/) and viewing various flats. It was a miserable day to be out looking, but I’m glad I got it over with. I found a really nice 2 BR “maisonette” in a good part of town. The biggest selling points of the flat were a gas “hob” (basically the oven range - they call the oven part a “cooker”) and built-in closets in both bedrooms.  Which brings me to…

Weird Things About UK Flats (Apartments)

1. The washing machine is in the kitchen. Actually its a “washer/dryer” which is a combination washing machine and dryer. Unless you get a newer one, they pretty much suck.
2. The freezer part of the refrigerator is on the bottom, and refrigerators themselves are really skinny.
3. Most of the bathrooms have those European-style heated towel racks.
4. Dishwashers are a rarity.
5. Most flats don’t have closets. The solution is to purchase a wardrobe (yes, exactly what you’re thinking - a big piece of furniture like in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) or a rolling rack.
6. Storage space is a joke - there really isn’t any.
7. The tenant has to pay the taxes on the property - something called council tax. This fee covers local rubbish pick-up, police, fire, emergency, etc. And its expensive! For my flat, I’m looking at about £80 ($128) a month.
8. Space is obviously at a premium and so bedrooms, living rooms, everything is much smaller than Americans are used to. A few of the flats I’ve viewed reminded me a bit of a Barbie Dream House.
9. Unless you get lucky and end up renting directly from the landlord, there is no escaping the estate agent, and their fees. These are basically leasing agencies. You know how in the U.S. you can just walk into an apartment complex and just pick and apartment and go? Maybe pay a $50 application fee? No such luck here. I had to pony up a non-refundable £211.50 ($339) fee just to cover my application and background check!
10. The price of the flat will sometimes come as “pcw” or “pcm”. The first one is “per week” and the second one is “per month”. I’m not sure why things are priced out per week - the whole thing smacks a bit of scary, smelly boardinghouse filled with fresh-out-prison weirdos.

Here are some of the flats I looked at, just to give you some local flavor -
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/3472835?featured=1
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/3236371
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/details/2935307