Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with flat

Housemate doesn't clean up after himself. Help.

dunkadunc — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:58:24 -0800

My housemate doesn't clean up, like ever. How can I do to make things work, or at least more bearable? I've been sharing an apartment since the beginning of September with an old acquaintance, and everything's been going well enough. EXCEPT:
My housemate doesn't help out with the cleaning. Every day I come home to even more mess, and it's starting to really bug me.

Some background here: My housemate and I are both 23, male, and college seniors. We went to high school together but lost touch after graduation. I was looking for a housemate for an apartment I found this August, and a mutual friend said Housemate (whose mom died last year) was looking for a place as well. We signed a lease, moved in and started school, so far so good.
The first hint I got that Housemate wasn't very good at cleaning was about a week in when he asked me what "rinsing" dishes meant. Since then, he's remained pleasant, but the amount of housework he's done has gone from little to almost none.

The main problems:
-His dishes stay dirty in the sink either until I wash them or there are no more clean ones, whereupon he washes a dirty one, uses it, and puts it back in the sink. The same thing goes for pots and pans. I can count the number of times he's washed all the dishes in the sink on one hand, and even then they've come out covered in brown curry grease and needed to be washed again.

-When asked to wash his dirty pots and pans that were filling up the sink, Housemate was surprised that I would want them to be cleaned even if I wasn't immediately going to use them. Housemate said that he would wash them before he needed them again "only as a favor". He cooks about four gallons of curry every two weeks.

-Although he was willing to split the cost of a $50 vacuum cleaner, the only time he's picked up a broom was when he broke a glass. He's been leaving brown greasy globs of curry on all the kitchen surfaces and covers the floor in oil when he cooks. All these problems with cleaning up have carried over to the bathroom as well.

Apart from all this, he's been a decent housemate, asking if I want to watch cartoons or split a pizza or whatnot, or coming out to parties with me.
I've talked to him about washing dishes and cleaning up around the apartment, and he's always said "sure"- the problem is it doesn't end up happening. He tends to drink beers and watch cartoons when he's done with schoolwork and doesn't have anything to do, so it seems like a combination of procrastination and just not knowing how to run a household: his mom used to do all the housekeeping.

What can I do to encourage him to do his share of housework, or failing that, what can I do to minimize the amount of mess I have to deal with? Ideally, we would clean up after ourselves, and if someone else missed something then the other would clean it, no problem.
I don't want to be that passive-aggressive guy, but something's got to change, since I'd like to be able to have guests over without feeling embarrassed. I'd be tempted to only clean up after myself, but I'm afraid the apartment would be taken over by maggots.

How can I find a room in London without viewing it first?

SamuelBowman — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:53:53 -0800

How can I find a decent room in London without being there to view it first? I'm starting a postgraduate degree in London at the end of September, and need to find a room reasonably close to Russell Square (less that 4 miles away) for a reasonable price (less than £130/week). To add difficulty to this, I won't be able to actually be in London until I move there to start the degree (I'm not in the country at the moment), so I'll need to be able to find somewhere and secure it before I arrive there.

I've been looking at Gumtree.com for flat listings (is there anywhere better that I should be looking?), and most of the places that get back to me are obvious scams: sent from fake-looking Hotmail accounts, attaching pictures of gigantic rooms supposedly in Covent Garden (etc), and asking for tiny rents. The ones that do seem real are extremely relucant to deal with someone they can't meet before confirming everything. In general though, most people don't even bother replying to my emails. (Am I doing something wrong or is this normal?) I don't know anybody in London who would be able to look at flats for me.

I'm really stuck – if you have any advice about finding a nice room in London without being able to view it first, I'd really appreciate hearing it!

Would a tire that is losing pressure rapidly be safer on the front or back of the car?

Malice — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:10:33 -0800

I have a tire that keeps losing pressure rapidly. In a car with front wheel drive, would it be safer to have the tire on the front, or the back? At least until the tire can be replaced. How would this effect (or not effect) the car?

Changing a tire on a VW Jetta

Horace Rumpole — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:45:57 -0800

My 2002 VW Jetta has a flat tire, the hubcap requires a special key to remove it, and I can't seem to find the key. Can someone tell or show me what I'm looking for? (It's our first flat in this car, and the manual doesn't show it clearly.) If I call roadside assistance to change the tire, and I can't find the key, will they likely have a key with them?

Apartment and tips for Paris move

avocade — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:48:54 -0800

Hello, Hive, I'm planning on moving to Paris a few months for work and pleasure. As a native Swede and a member of the EU group of states, I guess I'll have an easier time getting a somewhat reasonably priced apartment reasonably close to Cité, Montmartre or what have you (Notre Dame I guess would be the center point everything revolves around). Has the Hive got any good suggestions regarding apartment-finding? Other tips on good areas to live, areas to avoid, would be great as a general guide. Also, since I would stay more than a few weeks, and since it probably would help getting a better apartment, is it preferable to write myself in Paris, or could I still be written in Gothenburg (Sweden)?

I'm asking since I will still be working within the context of my own private company (OLBproductions.com) which is registered (and taxed) in Sweden. I'm not sure how it would complicate things if I temporally "switched nationality."

When I lived in Freiburg, Germany for six months, I was written there, but then didn't have a business of my own to be concerned about.

Lastly, as this is a new town, and mostly a new country for me (I've been in Paris for only a few days before, and lived in France at all for about a month altogether; Nice, Lyon, Privas) tips in general on the living: the eating; the washing of clothes; acquiring internet access; finding the best and most hidden restaurants (inexpensive or not); movie theaters showing films sans dubbing; best cappucino; good early bread (stupid question); clubs the likes of Berlin's Berghain (haven't been there? plan it now!), its hard-to-find underground modern music arenas, and New York's basement jazz clubs; good places to go for a run in the morning; turkish baths, etc, etc--simply a bunch of stimulating places one should visit when not working, to get away from it all.

Happy new 2009! (Will be a better one than most think.)

Is the british property market totally dead?

singingfish — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:44:31 -0800

My friend has a one bedroom flat in Edinburgh in Scotland which is let as an overseas landlord arrangment. The tennant is moving out, the flat has an excellent tenancy record (full occupation at all times during the 10 years it has been let out. But it might be time to sell it. Will putting it on the market make it hard to let? Is the British property market now so bad that selling it shouldn't be considered?

Flat, wide, short feet: help finding boots?

korpios — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:22:08 -0800

I have feet that are flat (no significant arch), wide, and on the shorter side (around sizes 8.5 to 9 mens, US). Where can I find decent winter boots (and shoes in general, for that matter)? I've been wearing Merrill Radius shoes for the past year, size 9; it always felt like I had a bit of extra room up front, but having the corresponding increase in width helped make up for it. The arch was uncomfortable at first due to my flat feet, but over time it seemed to wear in. Now that those shoes are showing their age (including completely worn-away lugs on the outsole) — and considering that they do nothing to stop the bitter Chicago cold — I figured I'd pick up a pair of winter boots.

The boots are a pair of Merrill Snowmotion 6 Waterproof, size 9.5; despite the increase in size (to accommodate the insulation and whatnot), they still feel too tight; I wore them to the office today, and I could feel my feet falling asleep ... not good. Due to the waterproof material (rubber?), they don't have nearly as much "give" as the Radius shoes; I'm going to return them, but I don't have the slightest clue what to try next since so many manufacturers of decent shoes don't make very much in wide widths. Meh.

ShoeFilter, help? ^_^ I'm in Chicago, if that helps with specific recommendations; I don't care where I buy my boots from, or what brand, so long as they're made well and fit well — but in that vein, I'd like to avoid online retailers since it's so hard to size oneself that way.

how to become an amateur hosteller ?

nicolin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:30:47 -0800

I need an advice on a business proposal I want to do to my mother. My mother has inherited a flour mill. It was my grandfather's business and she didn't want the building to turn into a wreck after my grandfather had given up milling. So she invested a fair amount of money to turn each level of the building in an autonomous flat (I've put some pictures here). What happens now is that my grandfather is gone and my mother has a tremendous amount of money to give to the bank each month. So she really needs to rent out each level. The mill is located in a small village, in the south of France, which hasn't many assets apart from the fact that it's a real quiet place, a rural one. The three flats had been rented for a few months, but someone moved out, and then someone moved out again. So there's only one person inside the building right now.

I would like to tell to my mother to put some furniture in one of the flats to be able to rent it per week or even for a few days to travelers and people eager to taste a little quietness.

Do you think that it's a good idea ? I would like to promote such a place on English speaking sites to attract people seeking a fFrench rural spot. Is it worth a try ? How would you manage that ?

Studio apartment in the sub-400 euro per month range in Madrid?

charls — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:08:47 -0800

MadridApartmentSearch Filter: I recently moved to Madrid to study for a year, but have a terrible experience with my current flatmates and I'm looking for another place to stay. Can I expect to find a studio apartment in the sub-400euro range, or is it too much to ask for? I've seen many places, but from what it seems the only offers in that suit my budget are from families/elderly people renting rooms to make ends meet. Can I expect to find a studio in that range, or is it too much to ask for? Can anybody lead me to some sites or newspapers where I could find such offers here?

Your help is much appreciated!

PS. My spanish is OK, so I will be able to communicate with prospective landlords.

What's up with jute?

wsg — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:26:17 -0800

My 8' x 12' jute rug has been rolled up for several months. Now I've unrolled it again and it won't lay flat. It's all hilly. It's on a hardwood floor with a rug mat underneath it. What's the best way to get it to lay down nice and flat with no hills and dales?

Too flat too soon, too bad?

gergtreble — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:05:25 -0800

How long does your iphone (3G) battery last? I've read this thread. And I have implemented some of the suggestions. But as now we are 3 months into our iPhone 3G experiences I thought I would see how everyone is doing, and try to get some useful data to see if my phone is lemony. If the admins think it is too soon for such a similar post then feel free to get rid...

I'm getting a bit worried about my iphones battery. A couple of weeks a go I had a problem where the phone got REALLY hot and the battery drained within about an hour. Now I have heard that high temperatures can damage the battery. Since then I've been a bit paranoid about it.

On Friday my phone had quite a bit of use, but not what I would call excessive. I took a few photos and videos. Made a few calls and did a bit of browsing. But by 9:30pm the battery was as flat as a pancake. It was fully charged at 8am.

Today. No calls, one text message sent. Its basically been on standby on my desk all day and the battery has drained by nearly 25%. And that's without 3G or wifi switched on. With 3G on its down to about 60% at the end of the day. (8hrs)

So in order to figure out if I need to visit apple. Can you guys (and gals) who have an iphone let me know how your batteries are faring up?

Cheers in advance.

West London two-bed flat search.

Kreiger — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:46:23 -0800

LondonFlatSearchFilter: Ms. Kreiger and I need a two-bedroom flat in West London. Where should we be looking for leads? We know what areas we want to live in (broadly speaking: Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, Acton, Ealing), when we need to move (2008-08-28), what we want to pay, and what we should expect for our money in each area.
What I want to know is whether we're missing any possible sources of apartments. Right now we're getting the Loot, looking on FindaProperty.com, and browsing a few letting agencies' sites directly (Haart, Dexters, and a couple of smaller places). Craigslist hasn't turned up anything interesting for us, nor has Gumtree, so we're not actively using either of them.
Are we missing any double-super-secret search methods here?

Fold-flat DVD player case?

WinnipegDragon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:27:06 -0800

Is there an in-car case available for a fold-flat portable DVD player? I have a Toshiba SDP91SK portable DVD player that I purchased to help entertian a two year old on a seven hour car trip. It is the type that the screen swivels and folds flat like a tablet PC.

I wanted to get a case or bag that will let me mount this to the back of a car seat (in my 2007 RAV4 if that matters). All the cases are like this one that open like a laptop and leave the lower half of the player hanging. I'm worried about the little one kicking the crap out of the player with this thing hanging six inches from her feet.

Is there a similar bag out there that will let the player fold flat so that there is not so inviting a target for little feet? Google has failed me so far...

Urban areas flat as a pancake?

zardoz — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:23:53 -0800

What are the flattest cities in the world? I mean Bonneville Salt Flats-flat. Well, no place is that flat, but what large urban areas are famous for having virtually no hilly areas at all? Sort of the anti-San Francisco.

Income tax versus Fair tax....help

madmamasmith — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:32:48 -0800

I need to better understand the proposed tax systems. Mainly the fair tax or sales tax versus an income tax. I am writing a paper for school on the viewpoints of TTARA (The Texas Taxpayers and Research Ass.) and CTJ (citizens for tax justice) but cannot gain a clear idea of what each side is proposing. Obviously the republicans want the fair tax, and since TTARA is business minded, I assume they too seek the fair tax, or at least support it. But what is the Dem idea of fair taxation? Do they want an income tax? What is all this talk on CTJ about income tax cuts? I don’t have the patience to sift through all the material so I'm hoping someone can give me a basic idea of the differing positions on the matter. Mainly answer the question of who wants what and why, and who benefits most from each plan.... Also what about the working poor, do they benefit most from an income tax? Etc. Etc.

Am I being bullshitted by the tire shop?

pontouf — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:53:03 -0800

So I got a flat tire on my 1984 toyota corolla. I just got my rear tires replaced two months ago and the flat was one of them. I went to get it replaced because I figured it was a defect or something. The shop told me it was my fault because of snow chains. Problem is... I haven't used snow chains on them... So are they totally bullshitting me? I've only ever used snowchains on my tires once, for about 10 blocks and on my front tires only, BEFORE I even got the rear tires replaced. So what gives? They happened to see the snow chains in my trunk when they pulled out the busted tire and matched up a groove that was worn into the inside of the tire. They showed it to me (and I kept the old tire) and it definitely looks like something wore a circular groove all the way around it, but there is no way it was snow chains.

When I pulled over to see the flat it was nearly half off the rim and the valve was torn out. Does anybody have any idea what could have caused this OTHER than snow chains? I hate being swindled and I know they only decided it was snow chains because they saw I had them.

Contractor telling me outrageous lies. In writing. What are they guilty of? Lots more inside.

AmbroseChapel — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:52:42 -0800

Contractor telling me outrageous lies. In writing. What are they guilty of? Lots more inside. This is Australian property law, and I realise that none of you Are My Australian Property Lawyer; but I'd like to hear from anyone who thinks they have a useful idea, suggestion or example.

I own one of the units in a building. An Act in state law requires every such building to contract a managing agent. We're unhappy with the agency we're currently using and have cancelled the contract. They have replied saying that our cancellation is invalid, quoting Section X, subsection Y of the Act. But the section they quote isn't even relevant*. It's a lie, plain and simple, intended to mislead us into accepting that they retain the contract.

This is not the first time they've done something like this. I have a letter from them stating unequivocally that the phrase "not less than seven days" means "seven days or less". It's pretty outrageous.

More seriously, they currently claim they have a three-year contract with us. But it turns out the three-year contract came about (before my time) when they "renewed" a one-year contract whose provisions state that it can only be renewed for an equal period.

There's no subtlety or room for interpretation in the Act. It's surprisingly simple and straightforward. So, these people are lying to us, in writing. All I can do is write back and say "That's not the case. Your contract is cancelled".

Let's assume that a reasonable person would conclude that they're deliberately attempting to mislead us in order to retain a contract we have legally cancelled; that they've acted unethically and in bad faith.

So ... what are they guilty of?

Is there a criminal offence here? Something like "obtaining money under false pretences"? "Deceptive conduct"? "Misrepresentation"? Or do I have grounds for a civil lawsuit against them, and if so, what could I claim? Their fees are about 50% higher than the industry standard. Could I make a claim against them for the difference in fees -- between what they charged during their unlawful 3-year contract and what we could have paid had we been able to cancel?

My course of action so far is to do all I can for free. To complain to the state board which arbitrates such disagreements. To complain to the state institute of property managers and estate agents. To simply sign a new contract with a new agency when this one runs out and return their bills if they continue sending them.

But as you can tell, I'm pretty pissed off about this. I don't like being lied to. I'd like to make things as hard for them as possible. My dream is to see them on TV with a microphone shoved in their face and some guy asking "aren't you ashamed of yourselves?" as they cover their faces and run for a car. Shortly before they get put out of business for their crimes.

But realistically, what's the worst I can do?

* The boring details are that they quoted a section saying "the Chairman must call a General Meeting when asked to do so in writing by an eligible Member of the Committee". They say the meeting wasn't valid but haven't sighted such a request in writing. That section merely describes the duty of a Chairman to call meetings when required to do so by a third party. The very next clause in the act says the Chairman can call a meeting whenever they like. I'm the Chairman.

10 weeks in London, < $5000. How can I do it?

electric_counterpoint — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:42:54 -0800

I'm a Yank who'll be working in London for ten weeks this summer. My budget is really limited, and, with the dollar falling, it shrinks a bit more every day. Right now I could just use some general advice on living cheaply. Quick background: I'm a grad student working for free, living on a grant of $5000, minus airfare. Yikes. I'll be working just north of the City, in Zone 1. This will be from late May to early August.

I've seen a few questions about finding cheap housing, but, on following up on their suggestions, I see that most require at least three months' stay. I'll only be in London for a bit over two and a half, and (though I'd love to) I can't afford to stay any longer. So where should I live, what kinds of flatshare/bedsit/hostel options should I pursue, when should I expect to find places for the end of May on the market, and what generally should I keep in mind to keep my costs down?

I want it loud... but my neighbours don't!

ClarissaWAM — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:31:55 -0800

Please help me find the best music solution for my new but badly insulated (UK) flat. I like my music loud - but my downstairs neighbour doesn't. I've just bought a top floor flat in a converted Victorian house with a nosy and clearly concerned downstairs neighbour.

I don't too much mind headphones as long as the quality (& convenience) doesn't suffer. I also intend to get the best under-carpet-insulation I can afford.
But what else can I do to maximize my pleasure and minimize her annoyance?

- what is the best option WRT really good headphones? (wireless?)
- considering I do like my music blasting how can I make sure she hears as little of it as possible? (soundwoofer on some sort of support, speakers high up & away from walls... what else?)
- are there any cheap tricks I am missing?

Thanks for any help!

Should we pay this fee (UK)?

altolinguistic — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:13:55 -0800

Does anyone know anything about UK property law? Can they make us pay this? Conveyancer demanding small payment they should have asked us for a year ago. Background - my partner and I bought a house a year ago, and he sold his flat at the same time. As far as we were concerned, both sales were complete, we had moved in, and the buyer of the flat sold the flat on in March (we found this out by looking at an online property prices site).

A few weeks after we moved, our conveyancer sent a letter to us saying that a 'registration fee' of 0.05% of the sale price was owing to the management company that owns the freehold of the flat, and that this payment is 'traditionally made' by the vendor, and that my partner, as the vendor, therefore owes £51.25. As far as we were concerned the sale was complete, and 'tradition' is not an adequate reason for paying anyone anything, so we ignored the letter.

Fast forward to last week when we received a copy of the letter requesting payment, along with a cover letter asking quite nicely for the money. Then this week we received another letter from our conveyancer, sounding more worried this time, with a copy of a letter from the buyer's solicitor to our conveyancer containing the enlightening phrase 'With respect, you knew what payments were required from your clients prior to completion and this sum should have been retained by yourselves from your clients to cover these costs'.

So it looks like the conveyancers have made a mistake and are trying to recoup the money from us. What is our position? Should we pay? Are we obliged to pay? How should we approach the conveyancers? To be clear, this is in the UK, we don't seem (yet) to be under any threat of legal action if we don't pay this, and all letters so far have been civil.

Volume!

you're a kitty! — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:55:39 -0800

Gimmie volume! Not the acoustic kind... I have fine, flat hair, and want awesome big hair. I've always had baby-fine, extremely straight hair that doesn't really like to do anything, no matter what I try. I've had good haircuts and that's helped (it's chin-length at this point), and volumizing spray + blowdrying upside down gives me some texture, but the only thing that's caused my locks to remotely approach "volumnious" is Bumble&Bumble's hair powder, which, while great for events, is definitely not something I'd want to use every day. Any suggestions? Are there products or techniques out there that I've just somehow missed, or must I embrace the hair I had as a six-year-old?

How do you get flat tires from nails?

atlman — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 22:56:36 -0800

How do nails/screws get stuck in tires? One would think that a nail or screw or other piece of metal would be lying flat on its side on the road, so when a vehicle runs over it, how does it raise up to puncture the tire?

Even if it were sitting upright, wouldn't the vibrations of the approaching vehicle cause it to fall over?

How can I be a silent (and compact) ninja?

ajp — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:31:10 -0800

Having recently moved to a small flat with little outside space, my free-standing kick-boxing bag is of no use. Even if I had room to hurl myself at it, I'd annoy the neighbours. What sort of equipment can I use to practice Thai boxing and grappling at home? I'm surrounded by neighbours on 5 of 6 sides, and the 5th wall has precious little space for mounted equipment because there are windows in the walls. Anything I get will either need to be relatively unobtrusive, or easily stowed away. So far I'm thinking of investing in:

1. Grapple dummy.
2. One of those flat, wall-mounted sandbags for punching.
3. Elastic-mounted speed-ball for speed punching.

Does anyone have any experience of purchasing or using these things? Are those wall-mounted sandbags really bad for joints?

One real problem is how can I practice kicks? I'd prefer something that can take a good solid impact.

Any other suggestions? I have plenty of other kit (skipping rope, gloves, weights, Thai pads etc) and I do get to train in a gym, but I'm specifically interested in training I can do by myself, in my own lounge. I can mount things on one wall, possibly, but I really need to insulate whatever I'm using so the sound won't travel. I think a grapple man on a thick wrestling mat might be the best I can hope for. Shame I can't punch it without the lights falling out of the ceiling in the flat below.

Any creative suggestions most welcome :-)

Got no money, need to pay deposit. How?

reklaw — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:41:41 -0800

How can a student with crap credit borrow £1,000 for a flat deposit? So I've got myself into a bit of a mess. I'm moving out in a month (I have no choice in this), but don't have enough money to pay the new deposit without getting back the deposit from the flat I'm in now.

Effectively, there'll be an overlap of a few weeks to a month or more (who knows with landlords) where I'm £1,000 down, waiting for a cheque to turn up, and paying loadsamoney on living in a hostel or something in the meantime.

I'm not in particularly dire financial straits or anything (haven't been for a while now), but I just can't stretch to sinking £2,000+ into having two deposits with two different landlords at once.

So far, I have tried:
1. The parents. Unfortunately my dad is unemployed and my mum is in the middle of selling her house to pay off her debts. Similar poverty on girlfriend's side of the family.
2. Getting my overdraft extended. The bank told me to get lost thanks to my apparently low credit rating. Pulling my credit report showed up nothing out of the ordinary - I've got few accounts and no strikes against me on anything. I can only assume the problem is that I'm too young/don't apply for enough stuff/aren't "credit active" enough.
3. Signing up with a new bank to get their higher overdraft. Apparently you can't do that without paying back the first one, thanks to "responsible lending practices", even though all this is interest-free student stuff. Great!
4. Getting a loan or another credit card. See above on bad credit rating.

Things that won't work: Getting a cheaper flat, as this is already the cheapest around (moving in costs one month's deposit plus one month's rent plus any fees plus the cost of carting all my stuff about). Trying to get the deposit back faster - landlord is constantly abroad and generally useless. Begging on the street - Manchester seems to have more than its fair share of beggars already. Getting a job - I work part-time, but even going full-time wouldn't raise the money quick enough.

Any other suggestions before I go pay a visit to our friends at Payday Loan Sharkery 4U?

[This is in England, as ever].

How do I choose which apartment to rent?

une_heure_pleine — Tue, 15 May 2007 03:32:14 -0800

Help me choose between two apartments for rent, and decide if I would like living in a highrise in the city centre. I've been offered two apartments (which makes me very lucky, as the rental market here is very tight), and am having trouble choosing between them. In particular, I'm trying to work out if I'd like living in the CBD. What factors should I be considering in this choice?

Some background: I'm female, mid-20s, work office hours (rarely leave work before 6), often have things on after work, but tend to be home on weekends. I like to cook and to garden (although only in pots). I don't drive, and I walk to work. I live in Melbourne, Australia.

Apartment 1 is in an inner suburb (about 3km from the city, where I work). It's on the ground floor at the back of a three-storey block of nine, in what seems to be a fairly quiet street. It has two small courtyards. It's about seven or eight minutes walk from one tram line and one train line. The nearest main street has nice shops and cafes.

Apartment 2 is in the central business district. It's in an eight storey building, at the front of the building with a very small balcony. It's in the middle of lots of public transport options, but as it's in the business area I don't think there'd be much life around there on weekends. It's a nicer apartment though - it has carpets, and is lighter than apartment 1. However, it's also more than 10% more expensive, and is at the very top of my budget.

I've only ever lived in houses, not apartments, so please tell me if I'm missing something obvious. Both have enough space, decent kitchens and adequate bathrooms. I will have one more chance to see the first apartment before I decide.