After one year and a few days, my stay in the Kirkstall Brewery Residences would came to an end. Since my arrival I had lived comfortably in the Tower Flat of the Kirkstall Brewery Residences. But back in June 2006, I was asked by our residential service department if I could move out in September. Since I originally had planned to stay there only for a few months, that moving out was somehow overdue. But I really liked that Tower Flat, with its views over the Kirkstall Valley, and the whole ambience of that old industrial brewery setting. So I had stayed in here, but now I would have to look for another place to live in Leeds - as the university had now arranged for someone else to move into that Tower Flat where I lived for the past year.
I did not consider buying a property (yet), but instead focussed on flats and houses for rent. What a zoo that is! There are so many agencies, and one has to look often at all the web sites to find the property that would be suitable. The whole rental market in the UK is largely unregulated, and each agency has their own way of dealing with their lettings.
In July I had explored Leeds for finding a suitable accommodation, and I had gotten my first experience with the UK housing market. As I did not want to buy a house but rather wanted to rent one, I faced the completely unregulated rental market with its strange conventions. I visited several places and saw quite a variety of flats and houses: a nicely appointed house, but close to a busy loud (and polluted) road, a small flat in a great neighborhood (Alwoodley), several old houses which looked like they would need lots of repairs and renovations, a nice new house but with very small rooms, a few flats with a moist smell of mold.
At the end of July I had finally found a decent home. I had sent an email to the letting agency that I was very interested. But when I rang the letting agency the next morning, I was told that the house is already gone - someone else was faster. Very strange system - only the very first lesser would be considered and would be allowed to file an application. This application usually costs something, around 120 - 160 pounds. It includes a credit and reference check, and if not approved, there is no money back. But only one application at a time is processed - so I was "out" and not considered for this home anymore. What a pity...
But then a few days later I got a call from the letting agency that I could now send an application - the other party who had originally expressed an interest, had never filed a formal application, and so it was now my turn. Great. I submitted the application, provided all the references, but then I had to leave to the US for the moving trip. So while in the US, I was not even sure yet if I could move into this house - my application had not yet been approved. However, now after my return, I signed the lease on 5. September and got the keys - now we could move into the house. However, since there was no furniture in it, we decided not yet to move into it right away but first buy a few essential things and move in a few weeks later.
