[Dorian Gray]

Happened to spot a room ad today on a billboard at uni, which I've attached below for your mild amusement.



(A curved sheet of paper, dark corridor and three-year-old phone don't produce great quality, sorry.)

I've removed Bobby's phone number because I'm sure he's already been inundated with calls from recycling, Bauhaus-loving, scooter-riding busy journalists just dying to spend £250 a week to share a flat with like-minded people.

[BuonRotto]

I fit the description, actually.

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by BuonRotto I fit the description, actually.

That's why I blanked out the number! I'm sure you're not the only one here who'd just add to Bobby's already-full voicemail.

[turbulentfurball]

£250 a week?! London really is expensive. My first flat in Glasgow was less than that per month!

[psmith2.0]

It all sounds good except for the price, which I probably couldn't afford. But I can deal with the furniture, recycling, closeness to transportation, etc. as long as "Bobby" wasn't a flaming asshat of some sort.

[AWR]

One room in a shared apartment (albeit a choice one) for 250 quid a week. Holy fuck, that's expensive!!

He sounds like an annoying ponce anyway. One of the few musts ... no leaving turds in the loo, no sacrificing goats and you must recycle.



Caveat: We recycle.

[joveblue]

Oh god no! Not recycling! Anything but separating my waste!

And don't get me started on living in close proximity to public transport *shudders*

And I'll be fucked if I'm gonna sit on a chair with a post-modern German influence.

*storms off*

[Dorian Gray]

Perhaps he's right to be fussy. I guess I'm coming at it from the student perspective where one just hopes whoever rents a room with one doesn't turn out to be a bona fide homicidal psychopath! We're pretty lenient when it comes to the furniture tastes of our flatmates.

Yes, in London even renting a single room in a shared flat is really expensive, although this is worse than normal because of the fairly central location and fancy decor. Professional salaries are higher in London than elsewhere in the UK to compensate, but the minimum wage is the same. There is a greater class divide in London than anywhere I've ever lived including Brazil.

By the way, I also recycle of course. I don't have anything against scooters or journalists either! It's just the way he lays out this list of demands right at the outset that puts me off a bit. Could be just me. After all, I'm also insulted every time I read an ad which signs off with the warm line, "no time-wasters please!" Perhaps I'm just overly sensitive!

Hmm.

[Mugge]

Hmmm. If I ever get to work in London, I'm going to ask for a double salary. Maybe a quadruple if the beer is equally expensive.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by turbulentfurball £250 a week?! London really is expensive. My first flat in Glasgow was less than that per month!

My god! $500 per WEEK? Yikes! That's just... wow.

Originally Posted by joveblue And I'll be fucked if I'm gonna sit on a chair with a post-modern German influence. *storms off*

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray It's just the way he lays out this list of demands right at the outset that puts me off a bit. Could be just me. After all, I'm also insulted every time I read an ad which signs off with the warm line, "no time-wasters please!" Perhaps I'm just overly sensitive! Hmm.

Well, all in all, it's probably best to lay one's cards on the table from the beginning. Saves time for everyone, really.

Keep in mind that he'll need to rearrange his schedule to stay home and meet prospective renters; and since he's a "very busy broadcast and newspaper journalist" (i.e. possibly working 'two' jobs), it sounds like he has very little spare time to set aside.

I can see that he'd be okay with taking the time for 'serious' prospects; but it would be incredibly annoying to waste time on 'sightseers', wouldn't you agree?

And, Dorian, I can see YOU posting *just* such an ad somewhere down the road. haha

As a side note, I had one roommate who locked herself in the bathroom and dyed her hair a different color every single night. At least she didn't leave hair dye all over the sink. And she wasn't a psychopath. So 'those' were two good things.

[Moogs]

Uh... NO. Willing to bet ole Bobby is making a pound or two on that deal. I bet the whole place isn't more than 500 pounds a week ($4000 a MONTH?) I don't think so, not unless this is some sort of penthouse in the nicest part of London. Unless London is even more ridiculously expensive than I think it is.

So he's basically getting the other two people to pay for the whole damn thing. And to top it off, has uncomfortable furniture. And what's the recycling deal? Is that a hint you're only allowed to flush the shared toilet 3x a day (once per log)?

Bottom line, Bobby can go sit on his microphone and spin.