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  • Hi, I'm Kasia.

  • Welcome to Oxford Online English!

  • In this lesson, you can learn useful language for renting an apartment or a house in English.

  • Before we start, have you been to our website?

  • Go check it out: Oxford Online English dot com.

  • Do you find it difficult to listen to English for long periods?

  • No problemuse the English subtitles to help yourself understand!

  • Turn them on now; just click the 'CC' button in the bottom right of your video player.

  • Now, let's look at the first step if you want to rent a new place: phoning the estate

  • agent.

  • Hello, Broom Cupboard Real Estate, how can I help?

  • Hello, I'm looking to rent an apartment.

  • A friend of mine told me about your agency, and I was hoping you could help me.

  • Of course!

  • Do you have a specific property in mind?

  • No, not yet.

  • No problem.

  • First question: do you know which area you'd like to live in?

  • Well, I work in Cowley, so somewhere in the east would make sense.

  • Sure, and

  • Are you looking to rent just for yourself?

  • I'm planning to share with a friend.

  • So, a two-bed?

  • Right.

  • And, do you have an idea of your budget?

  • You don't have to be exact, but if you could give me a range, that would be useful.

  • As cheap as possible, really.

  • I see

  • Well, two-bedroom flats are generally around eight to twelve hundred a month at the lower

  • end.

  • Hmmm

  • OK.

  • One more important question: are you looking for a furnished place?

  • Yes, furnished.

  • That's fine.

  • Is there anything else you need?

  • For example, do you have pets?

  • Do you need a place with off-street parking?

  • Do you want a garden?

  • No, no pets.

  • I don't have a car.

  • A garden would be a plus but it's not necessary.

  • Got it.

  • I'll take a look at what's available and get back to you in half an hour or so.

  • Can I just take a phone number

  • Look at four questions you heard.

  • Can you remember how to complete these questions?

  • If you want, you can go back and watch the dialogue again.

  • Ready?

  • Let's see the full questions.

  • Next, do you remember the answers from the dialogue?

  • Also, if you were answering these questions, what would your answers be?

  • In the dialogue, you heard these answers.

  • Of course, you could give different answers.

  • For example: 'I'm looking for something in the northern suburbs.'

  • 'Yes, I'd like to rent a place just for myself.'

  • 'My maximum is six hundred per month.'

  • 'No, I have furniture, so I'd like something unfurnished.'

  • If you can talk about these ideasarea, size, budget and whether you need a furnished

  • place or notthen you should be able to tell an estate agent what you need in general

  • terms.

  • Try it!

  • If you were looking to rent an apartmentor a housewhat would you look for?

  • Try to make a few sentences describing what you need.

  • Say your sentences out loud.

  • Pause the video and do it now!

  • How was that?

  • Remember that you can always review a section if you need to.

  • Next, let's see some useful language for looking around a property.

  • Right, so this is the living room

  • Is all the furniture included?

  • Most of it should be.

  • It's possible that some items belong to the current tenant, but I can send you a copy

  • of the inventory, so you can check for yourself.

  • That would be good.

  • The bathroom is through here.

  • It's pretty mouldy

  • Yes, it doesn't look great, does it?

  • Don't worry.

  • We'll contact the landlord and make sure that it's dealt with before you move in.

  • I had a question: can we redecorate the place ourselves, or paint a room, if we want?

  • Possibly, but you need the landlord's permission if you're going to do anything which significantly

  • changes the appearance of the property.

  • Generally, landlords will be happy to let you do things which improve the place.

  • I see

  • Well, it looks OK, but there's obviously some work that needs doing.

  • The kitchen is filthy!

  • Yes, I understand.

  • It won't be like that if and when you move in.

  • If the current tenant doesn't clean everything thoroughly, we hire cleaners so that everything

  • is spotless for the new tenant.

  • OK.

  • Anyway, I'd like to take a couple of days to think about it.

  • No problem, although if you're interested, I'd advise you to move quickly.

  • Places in this area get snapped up fast.

  • Let's look at some key vocabulary from this dialogue.

  • Could you explain what these words mean?

  • Or, can you guess the general meaning from the context?

  • Think about it.

  • Before you move into a rented property, you'll do an inventory with the estate agent.

  • An inventory is a list of everything which is in the apartment, and its condition.

  • If anything is damaged or dirty, you'll write it down on the inventory.

  • Then, when you move out, the estate agent will check the property using the inventory.

  • If anything is missing or damaged, you'll usually have to pay for it.

  • Mould can be a problem in cold, damp countrieslike the UK!

  • Mould is something like a plant, which can grow in dark, damp places, so it's commonly

  • found in bathrooms.

  • It can make your bathroom look bad, and smell bad.

  • If you redecorate your home, you change and improve how it looks.

  • Maybe you paint the walls a different colour, or change the carpets, or add some ornaments.

  • 'Spotless' means extremely clean.

  • You heard an adjective with the opposite meaning in the dialogue – 'filthy', which means

  • 'extremely dirty'.

  • When the estate agent said 'places in this area get snapped up fast', he meant that

  • there is high demand for apartments in this neighbourhood.

  • 'Snap something up' literally means to eat something

  • very fast, like a crocodile; here it has the meaning of getting something before anyone

  • else can.

  • What next?

  • Well, if you look around a property and you like it, you'll need to pay a deposit and

  • sign a tenancy agreement.

  • Let's see how that works.

  • Hello, Broom Cupboard, Daniel speaking.

  • Hello, yes, this is … I'm calling about the flat on Wesley Close?

  • Ah, yes!

  • Hello.

  • What can I do for you?

  • We've decided to go ahead.

  • We'll take a 12-month lease.

  • That's great!

  • So, what are the next steps?

  • The first thing is to pay a holding deposit.

  • It's two hundred pounds, and that lets us take the property off the market while we

  • process your application.

  • Do we get that back?

  • If your application is successful, then it's offset against your rental deposit, so generally

  • yes.

  • If your application is not successful, then you won't, but that's rare.

  • What else do we need?

  • You need to supply at least two references, either from landlords or from employers.

  • There are two of us; does that mean we need two references each?

  • Yes, you do.

  • The sooner you can get them to us, the better, but we must have them by the end of next week.

  • OK, that shouldn't be a problem.

  • Anything else we need to do?

  • Not right now.

  • Once your application is processed, you'll need to pay the tenancy deposit and the first

  • month's rent, and sign the agreement.

  • How much is the tenancy deposit?

  • It's one month's rent, so nine hundred.

  • So we need to pay eighteen hundred?

  • That's right.

  • Right

  • And, assuming everything goes smoothly, when could we move in?

  • It really depends on you.

  • Once we get your references, we can have the agreement drawn up within one working day.

  • Then, as soon as you sign it and make the payment, we can give you the keys.

  • OK, well, thanks for your help.

  • I'll try to get the references to you as quickly as possible.

  • In your country, what do you need to do before you can move into a rented house or apartment?

  • Of course, these things can be different depending on where you live.

  • In the UK, you generally have to pay a deposit, pay the first month's rent, provide references,

  • and sign a contract.

  • In most cases, you get your deposit back when you move out, so long as you haven't damaged

  • anything.

  • Once you've provided everything you need to, you can sign the agreement, pick up the

  • keys, and move into your new place!

  • Now let's look at some questions: Try to answer these questions by speaking

  • out loud, in full sentences.

  • Pause the video and do it now!

  • Could you do it?

  • If so, great!

  • If not, we suggest you review the dialogue, and try again.

  • Try as many times as you need.

  • Finally, let's imagine that you've come to the end of your contract, and it's time

  • to move out.

  • Hello?

  • Hi, it's Daniel, from the real estate agency.

  • I just wanted to confirm a few details about your moving out date?

  • Oh right, sure.

  • So, are you definitely planning to vacate the property on the last day of your tenancy?

  • Probably one or two days earlier.

  • OK, no problem, but can you let us know when you know for sure?

  • Yeah, can do.

  • Either when you move out or shortly afterwards, we need to do the final inventory.

  • Do we have to be there for that?

  • No, but it's advisable.

  • OK, what about our deposit?

  • When do we get that back?

  • Well, we need to do the inventory first, and then you'll get your deposit back within

  • about one week.

  • Have you read the information on our website about cleaning?

  • No, I haven't.

  • Well, you're responsible for cleaning the place before you leave.

  • If anything isn't clean when we come to check, we hire a cleaning company to come,

  • and the cost is taken out of your deposit.

  • I see.

  • One tip: pay extra attention to the oven.

  • It can be really difficult to get an oven clean.

  • You might want to get a cleaner just to do that.

  • It might be cheaper if you do it on your end, rather than paying for our cleaning company.

  • OK, got it.

  • So, could we arrange a time for the final inventory now?

  • I need to check my work schedule.

  • Let me call you back.

  • Look at some sentences from the dialogue.

  • Can you remember how to complete these sentences?

  • And, can you explain what they mean?

  • Let's check the answers.

  • 'Vacate' is a more formal word for 'move out'.

  • You can say 'vacate the property' or 'move out of the property' – the meaning is

  • the same.

  • You learned about the final inventory earlier.

  • Do you remember what it means?

  • During the final inventory, the estate agent will check that nothing has gone missing

  • or been damaged since you moved in.

  • In the UK, you need to clean a rented property before you move out.

  • Is this the same in your country?

  • Finally, 'the cost is taken out of your deposit' is another way of saying 'you'll

  • have to pay for this'.

  • You won't get the full amount of your deposit back.

  • Now, you should understand how to deal with estate agents and rent an apartment or house

  • in English.

  • Have you had any interesting, funny or terrible experiences when renting a place to live?

  • If you want to practise your English, please share your experiences with us and other learners

  • in the comments!

  • Thanks for watching!

  • See you next time!

Hi, I'm Kasia.

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租房子或公寓英語 - 詞彙和對話 (Renting a House or Apartment in English - Vocabulary and Conversation)

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