Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-10-09
LONDON APARTMENTS
Renting a Furnished Flat In the
English Metropolis.
THE TRICKS OF THE AGENT.
kt First Everything Is Pleasant, but
After the Place Is Taken the Woes
of the Tenant Begin With the Ad'
vent of the Inventory Man.

fNItcT tHc FidCe 10 inc wOtB
of the Tenant Begin With the Ad.
vent of the Inventory Man.
To the uninitiated American the rent
Of a furnished fiat in London seems n
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 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 f1at con-
tains. from four post bed to Il 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. IA 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-
spair and finally collapse when your
| tormentor at last departs. For this
entertainment you have paid from half
Il guinea (about $500, 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 eXtortionate sum without II
murmur. You may be sure of this. but
presently you will receive bill all
neatly written out and covering sew
eral pages of foolscap and entitled
lapidations.'
You will find that in every room the
walls have been "chipped.' the enamel
on the bathtub slightly marred."
monogram on napkin ring scratch
ed" several saucepans damaged"
knife handle "bent,' number of
plates "cracked" and so on. I am
quoting from list Of "dilapidations"
presented to friends of mine who had
occupied a fiat 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 $9.GS.
Here there Is no such fact recog-
nized as ordinary wear and tear on
furniture.
For the lease. which Is here called
agreement" you have to pay from 10
shillings up to guineas and more, ac
cording to rent. Then the government
stamp affixed thereto, without which
the document is not legal. costs you
from half crown (62 cents' to guinea
or more. again according to rent.
You may have taken your fiat by
1.-The month"; but when your agree
+ ment is sent you find out ii is for every
four weeks. You will probably phone
the agent calling his attention to the
error, and he will inform you II Is cor
rect that way.
In renting an unfurnished fiat. the
shortest term for which Is three years,
you discover that the electric light fiX-
lures are not included In the rental
, Protest unavailing, 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 fireplaces 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 hot
tar n
guire into the subject. You find you
can obtain 1t only by keeping con
tinuous fire in your kitchen range.
AS the penetrating, clammy gray
horror of an English winter draws on
you begin to appreciate what it means
to be minus steam heat. Your only de-
fense are the coal fires. romantic in
story, but totally inadequate to defy
this marrow reaching, damp cold of
London. Bathroom and halls remain al
arctic temperature. for the CRATE fires
do not radute beyond few feet, so
you may sit close and burn or retire
to corner and freeze.
After having learned through pain
full experience the futiity of struggle
against English ways and met hods 1t
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 is usually listened
to with n certain exasperuting defer
ence at which the British undering is
past master. Rut nothing is changed.
and he has to submit. and the sooner
the lesson is learned the more comfort
| able he will be.
The impen n"trable stolidity Of the av-
erage Briton is not to be disturbed.
and the longer one remains in this
! country the more definitely one learns
that the English people have pretty
substantial idea of commercalism and
that you are paying for the lesson.-
London Cor. New York American.