Most arguments at the end of a lease are about cleaning. Tenants think the flat looks fine; landlords point at the kitchen. The 11 problem is usually the cooker, where months of cooking leave a 12 layer that a quick wipe cannot remove. Bathrooms come second, because warm, damp corners let 13 grow. Experts suggest breaking the job into small tasks over a week, which makes it far more 14 than one exhausting day. Take photographs when you finish; if a landlord later disagrees, an image with a date is worth more than any 15 you could give.
Cheap old flats hide costs that no advertisement mentions. In a 16 winter, water inside an outdoor pipe can 17 and split it open. Drains that are already narrow 18 in the first cold week, and the bill arrives before the landlord answers the phone. Ask two questions before you sign. Is the building 19 enough to have survived the last big earthquake without repair? And does the lease say who pays when a pipe fails? A tenant who asks looks difficult for five minutes; a tenant who does not may pay for months. That is a 20 many people learn too late.