Sachin the landlord

We don’t have a very large fridge and we share it with 2 other people, thereby decreasing our space even more significantly. Because of this, we go to the grocery store almost every day. Colin and I are now friends with the ladies at the meat counter and we know which cashiers are a little more pleasant. I went to a young girl the other day who I quite like and she asked me to remind her how much longer I’ll be here before heading back to America. I said that it wouldn’t be for another year and a half. She was quiet for a moment and then asked, “and HOW did you end up in Guildford?” I laughed and said it was out of desperation and we’re out of here as soon as our lease is up. She doesn’t live anywhere near Guildford so I’m not really sure why she would work in such a bad neighborhood. I’ll ask that next time.

Our landlord has been bombarding us lately with emails begging us to stay beyond our agreement. He moved back to India and is subletting the apartment to us trying to make some extra money. He furnished the place but is charging crazy rent because he found 4 desperate North Americans who didn’t know any better when signing the lease. Anyways, we told him that we could rent another 2-bedroom place in Guildford for $300 a week rather than the $420 he’s charging the 4 of us (not that we’d stay in Guildford). He called us liars and said that he’d give us this place for $400. Colin told him no deal and that we’d just like a reference letter and a receipt. He took this for hard-balling and is now sending us emails every few days telling us that he’ll sell us the furniture and charge us super low rent, that his father is sick, that we should just make him an offer, that he can’t go any lower, that he CAN go lower etc… I almost feel sorry for him but he totally conned us into renting an overpriced apartment in a super shady neighborhood AND he refuses to acknowledge me. Anytime I’ve ever emailed him, his response is always addressed to Colin. I can’t wait for the day when we stop paying him.


E.