Kwame M.
This is a basic studio with three single beds, two pushed together to look like a king size bed. The gas stove has two burners, but only one works. There’s a kettle, frying pan, two saucepans, and a small fridge with a broken rack inside. There’s no microwave. Ask the owner to count everything, including teaspoons, with you there, and possibly sign off on it. Otherwise, she may say something is missing when you leave. The bathroom is moldy, and so is the ceiling, where paint is flaking and falling down. The toilet runs constantly into the bowl. There are seven cylindrical chandeliers but only two have bulbs. There’s one bin in the bathroom and one in the kitchen, but guests are expected to separate rubbish. The garden around the studio is overgrown, and you have to walk through it to reach the gate. The kitchen window overlooking the sink can’t be closed unless someone pushes it from outside while you bolt it from inside. You’re expected to watch your electricity use, but the owner won’t say what she considers reasonable. The place is old and poorly maintained, so things can go wrong, and the owner doesn’t explain that. She can ask you to move out at a moment’s notice and refuse to refund your balance. Worst of all, she may tell you what she thinks your medical diagnosis is, despite being neither a doctor nor a therapist. The owner doesn’t respond to reasonable requests.
