The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
HOUSE HUNTING IN LONDON.
Some Differences Between the Recreation
There and That in the United States.
From IL. Precedence. Journal.

From the Precedence Journal.
! have an American friend here who got tired
Of hiring furnished apartments and paying for
furniture which he could never own. Houses
are We ry much cheaper in London than in New
York. One American correspondent lives beau
tifully in Chelsea. a part OF London. at $3.50 a
year rent; another pays $3.50 rent. and an
other lives in Earlscourt. in London. in a fine
house. for which he pays 5000 rent. For my
part. have paid for various houses SIS. S22.5O.
and $780, week. but have always hired furnished
houses. Whoever hires n furnished house
pays no taxes. or rates. as they call taxes
over here; but il you take an unfurnished
house you must pay the ward or parish rates.
which are usually estimated at about one-third
as much again as your rent. so that II you agree
to pay $500 rent. you must really part with
$500, including the rates.
Well, my friend looked over many houses,
and at last settled upon one at a rental OF $500
did not admire the gas fixtures or the old-fash-
toned gas stoves or the gas burners that were
he thought to put up with them, since the house
itself was lust what he wanted. While he was
tionss He fd 19r she tb hGu When ne 6 Sof s q sma Of e.dIe ess-
ing " the house it was taken to mean, that he
wanted It for seven years, with the right to re-
new the bargain on the same terms for another
and another term OF seven years; seven, four
teen or twenty.one years " is how they express
obligation to put the house in repair at the end
of the term. One hundred and fifty pounds. or
$3.50. was what the house agents told him he
must pay for repairs on surrendering the
dwelling. l mention this case because there is
nothing peculiar about It; Il is a typIIeal; aver,
also found that the charge for drawing up
lease is $3.50 fifteen guineasl. Think Of III
Lawyers have to be employed. and this is their
legal charge forthe service. Old as the country
is they have never yet learned our method Of
filllnR them up or altering them to suit cases.
:. He discovered that by taking the house on an
the worst Of. these burdensome expenses. An
agreement is 2 lease Tor any term less than
efause Wen fiahrS It a and 9pf Is only o0f G Costs ta a F rsPa,riP of
about SIS. So he took the house for Ave years
in an agreement Well. when he got in he
walls went with the agreement. All the ap-
pointments that he had seen had been left in
the mex, conner, would buy them. These in
cluded the window shutters, awnings. gas fix
f Sapd rail closet net t snely stsjjrsg! gas Ses stoves syeo even e rni, the me
nan said that these things were worth
them: Even strips OF wood to keep the draught
out Of where, the floors joined the walls were
GUIDED my friend looked about him and dis
covered that he had to buy Tenders, for all the
in the closets. bell ropes to work the bedroom
call bells. and. really | have forgotten nine.
$3.50 before he finished with them. At the
same time he was presented with an inventory
OF the landlords property and. this included
hook. bell. bolt and fastening or appointment
Of every sort. These he was told must be left
in the same order in which they were turned
over to him. Il
am told that in New York it is better to rent
an unfinished than a furnished house. They
say that il a New Yorker. tries to rent n fur:
nished house the presumption lis that he is hard
in Londo on there is no such feeling, because all.
except the very rich, are in the habit of renting
their houses furnished, These are almost a
nomah papDla ThaV live in TOWN in tha aaa |
son. which is the middle OF summer. After
that they 20 to the %seashore or to the south of
France. or to their country houses for the
The consequences is that tens Of thousands Of
well-to-do folks rent their houses for six
months or nine months. if not for a whole year.
at a time; When they rent a furnished house
meet your agent for the purpose of taking
an inventory of the, furniture. Your agent
a Is 9Teifyy as sprY6; he Knows hs sHa% Row ah things poin Is
out the cracks, and kicks, and dents and
scratches that he sees as he looks Mt each
article. The landlords agent seems very leth-
what is going on, but loafs through the Job as
II his duties We're pertunctory. But oh. dear
reader. you should see that same man when
your lease has expired and he is seeing what
and plate with a lead pencil, he turns every
chair upside down and studies the bottoms and
legs, he examines the mantelpieces, he even
stares at the doors to see whether they swing
evenly or not, he takes down the gas globes to
see II the edges. are knicked. he even makes IA
note of IA spot OF rust on a pillow case. He who
a sleuth hound. into microscopic. into demon
of conscientious alertness.. Lord pity you II
you have had careless servants or boisterous
or have not done your utmost to put
things back into as good order az you found
them. Your bill. which they call your "dilapi-
dations account" will make you Ill.