8.3.1

WOMAN: Good morning. How can I help you? MAN: Hello. I’m interested in renting a house somewhere in the town.

WOMAN: Right. Could I have your name please? MAN: Yes, it’s Steven Godfrey.

WOMAN: And tell me how many bedrooms you’re looking for. MAN: Well, we’d need four, because I’m going to share the house with three friends.

. . . . . . WOMAN: Good morning. How can I help you?

MAN: Hello. I’m interested in renting a house somewhere in the town. WOMAN: Right. Could I have your name please?

MAN: Yes, it’s Steven Godfrey. WOMAN: And tell me how many bedrooms you’re looking for.

MAN: Well, we’d need four, because I’m going to share the house with three friends. WOMAN: Okay, there are several of that size on our books.

They mostly belong to families who are working abroad at the moment. What about the location?

MAN: It’d be nice to be central. WOMAN: That might be difficult, as most houses of that size are in the suburbs.

Still, there are a few. What’s your upper limit for the rent? MAN: We’d like something around £500 a month, but we could go up to £600 if we have to.

But we can’t go beyond that. WOMAN: Do you know how long you want to rent the house for?

The minimum let is six months, as you probably realise. MAN: We’re at college here for two years, and we don’t want to have to move during that time if we can avoid it.

WOMAN: Right. And how soon do you want to move in? All our lets start on the first of the month. MAN: Well, as soon as possible, really, so that means September 1st. WOMAN: Okay, let me have a look at what we’ve got. . . .

We have photographs of all the houses on our books, so you can get an idea of what they’re like. There’s this one in Oakington Avenue, at 550 a month.

Combined living room and dining room, with a separate kitchen. It doesn’t have a garage, though you can park in the road.

MAN: Ah, we’d prefer to have one, if possible. WOMAN: Right. Then have a look at this house, in Mead Street.

It’s got a very large living room and kitchen, bathroom, cloakroom. . . MAN: How much is it?

WOMAN: That one’s 580. It’s very well furnished and equipped. It also has plenty of space for parking, and it’s available fora minimum of a year.

Oh, and there’s a big garden. MAN: I don’t think we could cope with that, to be honest.

We’ll be too busy to look after it. WOMAN: Okay. Then there’s this older house in Hamilton Road: living room, kitchen-diner, and it has a study. 550 a month.

MAN: That looks rather nice. But whereabouts in Hamilton Road? WOMAN: Towards the western end.

MAN: Oh, that’ll be very noisy. I know the area. WOMAN: Yes, it’s pretty lively. Some people like it, though.

Well, what about this house in Devon Close? MAN: That looks lovely.

WOMAN: There’s a big demand for houses in that area, so prices tend to be quite high. But this one hasn’t been decorated for a few years, which has kept the rent down a bit.

It’s got a living room, dining room and small kitchen, and it’s 595 a month. I think it would suit you, from what you’ve said.

MAN: It sounds fine. . . . . . .

MAN: Why’s that part of town so popular? WOMAN: Well, there’s a big scheme to improve the district, and it’ll soon have the best facilities for miles around.

MAN: What sort of thing? WOMAN: There’s a big sports centre under construction, which will be very impressive when it’s finished.

In fact the swimming pools already opened, ahead of schedule, and it’s attracting a lot of people. MAN: What about cinemas: are there any in the area?

WOMAN: The only one closed down last year, and it’s now in the process of being converted into a film museum. The local people are trying to get a new cinema added to the scheme.

MAN: I think I heard something about a plan to replace the existing concert hall with a larger one. WOMAN: Ah, that’s due to start next year.

MAN: Well it sounds an interesting area to live in. Could I go and see the house, please?

WOMAN: Yes, of course.