Renting

Unit 1: Video and Photograph

THE VIDEO ISN'T PLAYING OR YOU CAN'T WATCH THE MOVIE? You may need to download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and use IE or the Mozilla Firefox Browser to watch the movie. . A connection speed of 500 kbps is recommended for the best viewing experience.

photograph: waiting at the airport

1. What was the video about? Where do you think it was set?
2. What made the house boat special?
3. What is happening in the photograph above?
4. Describe your own living arrangements.
5. do you rent or own your own home?

An Idiom

Two's company, three's a crowd
This idiom means that two people is an ideal number is two people - i.e two lovers. However, if a third or fourth person joins them, they are an unwelcome nuisance.

Unit 2: Reading Comprehension

Nowadays, it can be difficult to find a good place to rent. You can rent a cheap, small one-bedroom apartment for about $50 a week, but you will have to share a kitchen and toilet with other tenants. If you don't want to live in a shared accommodation setting, you can rent a self-contained apartment which will only cost a few dollars extra. Most people look for rental apartments through newspaper advertisements or through a real estate agency. Once you find a place that you like, by law you need to arrange to inspect the place. After the inspection, if you decide that you want to rent the property, you will have to bring some references from your bank and from work, and submit an application form. If the landlord approves your application, you need will need to pay a one month bond, plus a two week rental deposit. The bond is usually refunded to the tenant when they decide to move out.

Vocabulary Practice

Apartment - a building containing different rooms.
Tenants- a person who pays rent to live in an apartment.
Shared accommodation - an apartment usually with a common toilet, shower and laundry.
Self-contained - an apartment that contains the toilet, shower and laundry area.
Advertisements- to promote or make known something; such as through the newspaper.
Real estate agency - a business that rents, sales and maintains rental apartments.
Inspect - to carefully examine.
Property - something that is owned by someone, such as a house.
Landlord - the owner of an apartment that is rented out to tenants.
Bond - money paid in advance as security for something.
Deposit - a part payment.