Annie's flatmate moved out three weeks ago, and she's looking for someone else to move into her spare room. Last week, she posted an advert on her company's monthly online newsletter. She got a reply from a colleague in another department who is asking to view the room.
Annie: Hi! You must be Rob. Come in, come in here, give me your coat. It's cold outside tonight!
Rob: Thanks. Yes, it's a bit nippy, especially for April! Thanks for letting me come round tonight. I really need to find a place to live nearer work. At the moment the commute takes me an hour and a half. I was so excited to see your post in the company newsletter. This place would be ideal.
Annie: It would be great for me, too – I need the rent to pay the mortgage. Right, it is super convenient. So here's the living room. I'm out three or four evenings a week - I go to the gym and I'm in a choir. So if you just need to relax at home in front of the TV. I won't be here to disturb you. My last housemate spent all her free time in front of the television. Don't worry about the stains on the sofa and the rug. She used to eat takeaways every night and quite often spilled food on the floor and the sofa.
Rob: Oh, right.
Annie: I know it needs to be cleaned. I'll get it done when I have the time.
Rob: May I see the kitchen? I do like to cook from time to time.
Annie: Through here. It's quite small. But it's got all the appliances you need. Electric kettle, gas hob, fridge. The door of the fridge doesn't shut properly and the light inside doesn't work. But I push this box against the door and that keeps it shut. One of the rings on the hob doesn't work. I don’t think you’ll ever be using all four rings at the same time, so it shouldn’t be a problem. But I'll get it all fixed.
Rob: Right. What about that broken window pane?
Annie: I've been meaning to call someone to get that replaced. A little accident. My boyfriend was here. He’s a big baseball fan, and was demonstrating how to pitch. Stupidly, he used a jar of jam to show me, and he let go! Fortunately, I ducked just in time and it missed me. But it did hit the window and smashed a pane of glass.
Rob: As you say, fortunately it didn't hit you. Can I see the bathroom?
Annie: Er ....er ........ well ...
Rob: Don't tell me! The toilet doesn't flush and the basin is blocked up.
Annie: No! They work just fine. Come and look. The shower’s a bit temperamental. Sometimes when you're having a nice hot shower, the water suddenly gets freezing cold. It's quite a shock, but you’ll get used to it. Just bang the pipe and the water gets hot again.
Rob: Thanks for the tip!
Annie: Now, your room. It's very cosy.
Rob: Thank you. Oh...... that mirror is cracked! That means seven years bad luck. I couldn't possibly sleep in a room with a cracked mirror on the wall!
Annie: No problem! I'll just take it down. So, what do you think? We can negotiate a bit on the price. The room is available now so you could move in whenever you want. What do you think?
Rob: I think I’ve already made up my mind. [Note to self: very doubtful]