Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-06
LONDON APARTMENTS
Renting a Furnished Flat In the
English Metropolis.
THE TRICKS OF THE AGENT.


THE TRICKS OF THE AGENT.
At First Everything 10 Pleasant, but
[ After the Place 10 Taken the Woes
Of the Tenant Begin With the Ad-
vent Of tho Inventory Man.
TO the uninitiated American the rent
Of furnished fat in London seems a
very simple and remarkably inexpen-
sive matter. Every one is extremely
polite, and your path is made easy.
But no sooner have you closed the
door of your new quarters than you
are beset by the bogy Of extras"
While you are taking a contented
glance at the new domicile, congratu-
lating yourself on the bargain and
thinking how much more similar
place would cost you In New York.
your musings are interrupted by the
arrival of the man With the inventory.
His business is to make an inventory
of every blessed thing your fiat con-
tains, from four post bed to kitch-
en- spoon.
At first you are vastly amused over
the listing of such apparently insigni6-
cant. items as "a lincrusta Walton
frieze," the number of tiles in the FIRE
place, the bolts on the windows, the
locks on the doors, description of the
handles on the dressing chest and the
number Of screws therein. but when
you have been dragged through every
room, going over these-to us-absurd
details. you plunge from rage to de-
SPAR and finally collapse when your
tormentor at last departs. For this
entertainment you have paid from half
a guinea (about $2.e0) upward, accord
ing to the rent of your fiat.
But the real power Of the inventory
Is only felt when you take your de-
parture. You may be morally certain
that the only damage you have done
has been to break one or two teacups,
for which you are quite prepared to
pay an extordonate sum without a
murmur. You may be sure OF this. but
presently you will receive q bill all
neatly written out and covering sew.
eral. pages of foolscap and entitled
"DiIapidations"
You will find that in every room the
walls have been "chipped." the enamel
on. the bathtub slightly marred" a
monogram on a napkin ring scratch
3D." several saucepans damaged" a
knife handle "bent," q number Of
plates Cracked" and so on. am
quoting from a list Of ''dilapidations"
presented to friends Of mine who had
occupied fat for two months. during
which time, after strenuous cleaning
efforts, they left the premises In much
better condition than when they went
in. The bill amounted to fl 1Ss. 3D..
roughly about SOS.
Here there is no such fact recog-
uized az ordinary wear and tear on
furniture.
For the lease, which Is here called
agreement" you have to pay from 10
shillings up to 3 guineas and more, &C.
cording TO rent. Then the government
stamp affixed thereto. without which
the document is not legal. costs you
from half q crown (62 cents, to q guinea
or more. again according to rent.
You may have taken your fat by
''the month" but when your agree
ment is sent you find out it is for every
four weeks: You will probably phone
the agent calling bis attention to the
error, and he will inform you It is cor
rect that way.
In renting an unfurnished fiat, the
shortest term for which Is three years,
you discover that the electric light fx-
lures are not included In the rental
Protest unavailfng, you buy them
yourself and pay for their installation.
You must rent also your own gas cook
ing stove. You fancy the tenders for
the flreplaces must have been over
looked. but not SO; you must buy them
yourself! As you have been SO accus-
toned to a continuous supply OF bot
water, It never occurred to you to In
quire into the subject. You find you
can obtain it only by keeping con-
tinuous fire In your kitchen range.
AS the penetrating, c]ammy gray
horror of an English winter draws on
you begin to appreciate what it means
to be minus steam heat. Your only de-
tense are the coal fires, romantic In
story. but totally inadequate to defy
this marrow reaching, damp cold OF
London. Bathroom and halls remain at
arctic temperature. for the CRATE fires
do not radiate beyond few feet, 80
you may sit close and burn or retire
to a corner and freeze.
After having learned through pain
full experience the futility Of struggle
against English ways and methods it
is amusing to watch the explosive
American, who in hotel office. at rail-
way station and on steamships holds
: forth as to the various things he will
not submit to. He IL usually listened
to with a certain exasperating defer.
ence at which the British underiing Is
n mast master. But nothing - changed,