The Negotiator
(Thursday)
We went to meet the landlady to talk terms. She looked nice enough and was receptive to our requests and considerations, but as I expected was quite careful with money and costs. We had a long discussion on the contract starting date and I think in the end we'll keep the status quo. Unfortunately, the girls were not really voicing their opinions and I had to do most of the talking. In such negotiations, you have to state your case and ask reasonably for (quite a lot of) stuff cos you won't get everything that you ask for. If u just settle for nothing more you will (may) be bullied. how to say.. you may be giving them a chance to take advantage of you if you don't stand your ground.
When she went upstairs to check on some fittings, i gathered my future housemates together and asked them if they wanted to seek a reduction in rent. It seems they were 100% satisfied with the price, which was a £3 increase on the present rate of £52. I feel that it is not an appropriate increase. So what if you are rich and can pay for such an amount? Fair increase! Well so they got me to mention and negotiate it with her. Since Jenn was kicking me to talk, I asked Arman his present rate of rent, and then asked the landlady about how she calculated her increase in rent. She explained that "based on the inflation of 2.5%..." I took hold of the calculator, keyed in 52*2.5=130 and then, speaking a little like to no-one in particular, calculated the sum aloud... "so 52 plus 1.30 is 53.30." I put that figure out to the landlady and she, to my surprise, was quickly willing to drop the rent, first to £54, then voluntarily to £53.50. Here was a guy who knew his stuff so she probably realised she couldn't take advantage of us. The girls were beaming already so I settled for that. I had actually wanted to push it to £53.30 cos that's the level she set, but aiyah, just chin chai a bit give her the twenty pence (a week) lah..
The one thing that riled me was that we had to pay our rental fees in full at the start of the year. The girls, usually cautious, had missed out a small but important point. You should not agree to pay such fees in full unless under severe extenuating circumstances! I had forgotten to speak to them about this earlier. They were very happy to pay everything in full. Yes, it may simplify your own finances as in you don't have to budget for things in the year since you will have parted with the money, but you effectively give up your bargaining power. The issue of rights. Yes, she may look very approachable now, but we may never know. Situations can change. When problems arrive you can't hold anything back to get her to move fast. Plus she holds our deposits too! Well anyway their hasty agreement to this (even if verbal) sort of out-maneouvered me and I had to back down and agree, somewhat grudgingly (though I didn't really show how unwilling I was).
And the issue about the keys/lock. Personal opinion of mine: having a shorter, smaller key with self-locking mechanism is more convenient than having a light installed in the corridor within your own premises leading to your garden.
We went to meet the landlady to talk terms. She looked nice enough and was receptive to our requests and considerations, but as I expected was quite careful with money and costs. We had a long discussion on the contract starting date and I think in the end we'll keep the status quo. Unfortunately, the girls were not really voicing their opinions and I had to do most of the talking. In such negotiations, you have to state your case and ask reasonably for (quite a lot of) stuff cos you won't get everything that you ask for. If u just settle for nothing more you will (may) be bullied. how to say.. you may be giving them a chance to take advantage of you if you don't stand your ground.
When she went upstairs to check on some fittings, i gathered my future housemates together and asked them if they wanted to seek a reduction in rent. It seems they were 100% satisfied with the price, which was a £3 increase on the present rate of £52. I feel that it is not an appropriate increase. So what if you are rich and can pay for such an amount? Fair increase! Well so they got me to mention and negotiate it with her. Since Jenn was kicking me to talk, I asked Arman his present rate of rent, and then asked the landlady about how she calculated her increase in rent. She explained that "based on the inflation of 2.5%..." I took hold of the calculator, keyed in 52*2.5=130 and then, speaking a little like to no-one in particular, calculated the sum aloud... "so 52 plus 1.30 is 53.30." I put that figure out to the landlady and she, to my surprise, was quickly willing to drop the rent, first to £54, then voluntarily to £53.50. Here was a guy who knew his stuff so she probably realised she couldn't take advantage of us. The girls were beaming already so I settled for that. I had actually wanted to push it to £53.30 cos that's the level she set, but aiyah, just chin chai a bit give her the twenty pence (a week) lah..
The one thing that riled me was that we had to pay our rental fees in full at the start of the year. The girls, usually cautious, had missed out a small but important point. You should not agree to pay such fees in full unless under severe extenuating circumstances! I had forgotten to speak to them about this earlier. They were very happy to pay everything in full. Yes, it may simplify your own finances as in you don't have to budget for things in the year since you will have parted with the money, but you effectively give up your bargaining power. The issue of rights. Yes, she may look very approachable now, but we may never know. Situations can change. When problems arrive you can't hold anything back to get her to move fast. Plus she holds our deposits too! Well anyway their hasty agreement to this (even if verbal) sort of out-maneouvered me and I had to back down and agree, somewhat grudgingly (though I didn't really show how unwilling I was).
And the issue about the keys/lock. Personal opinion of mine: having a shorter, smaller key with self-locking mechanism is more convenient than having a light installed in the corridor within your own premises leading to your garden.
posted by cheez~ at
2:41 am
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