Owning vs.

Renting
Steps for renting a place to live

1- Look for a flat or house to rent by looking at the classifed ads in newspapers,
browsing the Internet or walking around the area you are interested in.
2- Make an appointment with the real estate agent or the landlord/landlady.
3- Meet the real estate agent or the landlord/landlady to see the flat or house.
4- Inspect the flat or house and ask questions to the real estate agent or
landlord/landlady.
5- Sign the lease and pay a security deposit and a month's rent in advance.
6- Pack your possessions, hire a moving van and get ready to move into your new
place!

Steps for buying a house/flat

1- Look for flats and houses to buy by looking at the classified ads in newspapers,
browsing the Internet, visiting real estate agencies and looking around the area you are
interested in.
2- Contact the real estate agent or the owner of the house/flat you are interested in.
3- See the house/flat with the real estate agent or the owner.
4- Inspect the house carefully, ask as many questions as you want, analyse the
location of the house and try to contact the neighbours.
5- Make an offer and get ready to negotiate the price (you may need to take out a
mortgage or loan).
6- Sign the agreement to purchase the flat/house, do up the house if necessary, pack
your possessions, hire a moving van and get ready to move into your new flat/house!

Tips on how to get the best possible results when looking for a place to rent:

1. Do your homework: Look at newspaper classified ads, apartment country publications, and
local bulletin boards for available units to investigate.
2. Know how much you can afford: The rent shouldn’t take up more than 25% of your monthly
take-home pay. Determine your price range and narrow your search. Don’t forget to ask if
utilities are included.
3. Check out the neighbourhood: Walk around and visit the apartment building and
surroundings at different times of the day or night.
4. Location: Is this location convenient? How far is it from your work, school or friends? Drive
to and from your target apartment several times at different times of the day to test traffic
patterns.
5. Inspect the premises: Inspect the property carefully and take pictures of any damage so that
it is fixed, but also so as not to be charged later for something you did not cause.
6. Amenities: Ask about laundry facilities, parking, pool, gym, and storage.
7. Be prepared: Most landlords will ask you to fill in an application and list previous addresses,
landlords’ phone numbers, your employers, salaries, and personal references. Having all this
information available takes some of the stress off and makes you stand out from other
applicants.
8. Negotiate: Depending on market conditions, some landlords may be willing to give you
substantial discounts if you ask. Ask the landlord to weigh fees, throw in servicesor even lower
the rent. Most people are surprised to find out that the asking price is usually negotiable.
9. The small print does matter: Read your lease carefully; don’t just sign it. The lease is a
contract that sets your rights and obligations with the landlord. Take it home and make sure
you agree with everything it says. If you have doubts, don’t sign or give any money until those
doubts are addressed.
10. Check it out one last time: Prior to moving in, do one final walk-through. Make sure all
damages are fixed, and check all lights, appliances, faucets, toilets, and drains. One last thing:
Your landlord insurance won’t cover your belongings if they are lost or damaged in a fire or
burglary. If you want the contents of your apartment insured, you’re gonna need renters
insurance

Desirable things to consider when looking for a place to live

 Size and number of rooms

 Purchase price
 Location
 Proximity to work and schools
 Plenty of storage place
 Neighbours and possibilities for social relations
 Well-designed kitchen
 The age of appliances
 Modern bathrooms
 Central heating and air conditioning
 Plenty of windows
 Easily maintained garden
 Handy for buses

*ver el mind map de Owning a house at the age of 25

Vocabulary

Tenant: a person who pays rent for the use of a room, building, land, etc. to the
person who owns it

Landlord / landlady: a person or company from whom you rent a room, a house, an
office, etc.

Evict: evict somebody (from something) to force somebody to leave a house or

land, especially when you have the legal right to do so
Host: a person who invites guests to a meal, a party, etc. or who has people
staying at their house

Guest: a person that you have invited to your house or to a particular event that you
are paying for

Afford: (usually used with can, could or be able to, especially in negative sentences

or questions) to have enough money to be able to buy or do something

Owe: to have to pay somebody for something that you have already received or
return money that you have borrowed

Put up: (pv) to show a particular level of skill, determination, etc. in a fight or

contest

Withhold: withhold something (from somebody/something) to refuse to give

something to somebody

2-story: two floors or levels

Floor plan: a diagram of the shape of a room or building, as seen from above,
showing the position of rooms or furniture

Breach of contract: (incumplimiento del contrato)

Co-signer: (cofirmante, cosignatario)

Realtor: a person whose job is to sell houses and land for people

Credit approval: good or acceptable

Break the lease: (romper el contrato)

Ghetto: an area of a city where many people of the same race or background live,
separately from the rest of the population. Ghettos are often crowded, with bad
living conditions.

Starter home: a small house or flat that is suitable for people who

are buying their first home:

Ritzy are: expensive and fashionable

Curb appeal (US) / Kerb appeal (UK) : If a house has kerb appeal,

it looks attractive from the outside, so that people want to buy it:

Soar: if the value, amount or level of something soars, it rises very quickly

Unveil: unveil something to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public
for the first time

Buck: to oppose or refuse to go along with something:

Reveal: to make something known to somebody

Procedure:  a way of doing something, especially the usual or correct way

Dead money: investment that results in no profit

Throw away (pv): to get rid of something that you no longer want

Mortgage: a legal agreement by which a bank or similar organization lends you

money to buy a house, etc., and you pay the money back over a particular number
of years; the sum of money that you borrow

Wage: a regular amount of money that you earn, usually every week or every
month, for work or services

Receipt: a piece of paper or an electronic document that shows that goods or

services have been paid for

 Ad = advertisement. You can also say “advert”. You can use this form to talk about
the time it takes to do something.

Furnished = with all furniture – chairs, tables, shelves, beds etc.

Plus:  means something is extra, or not included.

As well = too.

House-hunting: the activity of looking for a house to buy

Living alone vs. Sharing a room/house

Pros and cons of living alone

PROS
 Freedom: you decide what to
eat, what to wear, how to spend
your time, and so on. This
freedom can make you
independent, responsible and
confident.
 No one to fight with, no one to
makes demands on you, no one
to tell you what to do
 Distance: it gives you a better
perspective on your life.
 Separation from your family: it
enhances love and affection and
brings freshness to your
relationships.
CONS
 There is no one to guide you.
Every decision is yours, you
cannot pass the blame.
 Finding a place to live may be
difficult.
 Some cities are not very
welcoming to strangers
 You have to manage all your
finances
 A new place doesn’t have the
amenities that your house has
 Your family will be very worried
about your safety
 A new city many be forbidding if
  Living alone teaches you to you don’t speak the local
value yourself and others. language
 Social life: you can make friends  Adjusting to another way of life
if you are socially active: can be difficult.

Activity 7.4 page 74

LEXIC GRAM MEANING COLLOCATI EXAMP

AL MA- ON LE
ITEM TICAL
CATE
GORY
Home N (Br. Inf) A person who - He is a bit of a
bird seldom goes home bird and
anywhere and likes might want to
spending time at take you to his
home. mum`s every
night.
Relocate Verb (especially of a - My company
(Transitive- company or will relocate 10
Intransitive) workers) to move or employees the
to move next month
somebody/somethi
ng to a new place to
work or operate
Teem Phrasal verb
(usually be teeming
- The school was
with teeming with
with something) parents
 to be full of people, because there
animals, etc. moving was a serious
around problem with
the students.
Of Expression More important ADJ + importance: Do the
paramoun than anything else enormous, especial, homework is of
extreme, paramount
t fundamental, great, importance for
importanc high, overwhelming, English
e paramount, particular, students.
primary, prime

Handle Verb to deal with a 1.touch sth with your I don’t know if I
(transitive) situation, a person, can handle with
 an area of work or a hands this situation. It
strong emotion ADV. is really serious.
-carefully, with
care,carelessly,
roughly
2.deal with sb/sth
ADV.
competently,
efficiently, properly,
skilfully, successfully,
well
badly,carefully,
delicately, easily,
routinely
VERB + HANDLE
be able/unable to,
can/could, know how
to
| be designed to, be
equipped to
| learn how to | be
easy to | be difficult
to, be hard to
PREP.
with
Fallout Noun the bad results of a - Eating junk
(uncountabl situation or an food can have a
e) action serious fallout
on your health.
Hindsight Noun the understanding PREP. With hindsight
(uncountabl that you have of a in -with it is easy to say
e) situation only after PHRASES they should not
it has happened and (with) the have released
that means you advantage/benefit/ him.
would have done wisdom of hindsight
things in a different
way
Think Phrasal verb (to sth) to think - You should
back about something think back
that happened in about your fight
the past with Sara. You
may be wrong.
Stand for Phrasal verb (stand for sth) to - Your family an
support or friend will
represent always stand
something for you-
Look Phrasal verb (look forward to sth) - I’m looking
forward to be thinking with forward to
pleasure about Sally’s party. I
to something that is can’t wait.
going to happen
 (because you expect
to enjoy it)
Look for Phrasal verb (look for sth) to - We were
hope for something; looking for a
to expect something place to dinner
when he called
me.
Rent out Phrasal verb grant the services of - We rent out our
or the temporary apartment to
use of, for a fee tourists every
year
Struggle Noun A very difficult task ADJ. Take classes
(countable) that you can do only great, life-and-death, from home is a
by making titanic | bitter, struggle.
a great effort desperate, fierce,
heroic, violent
| just
| unequal | armed
| class, internecine
| economic,
ideological,
leadership, political,
power, revolutionary
VERB + STRUGGLE
begin, put up, take up
| be engaged/locked
in, carry on, wage
STRUGGLE + VERB
ensue, take place |
continue, go on |
intensify
PREP.
in a/the ~
| without a ~
| ~ against
| ~ between
| ~ for
| ~ over
| ~ with
PHRASES
a sign of a struggle
| years of struggle
Land a Idiom To find a job and be  -  As soon as I
well job hired. land a job and s
tart to bring in s
ome money,
 I’m going to
get a stereo.
Pick up Idiom (for sth) Pay the bill, - Her friend
the tabs especially for a picked up the
group of people in a tab for all the
 restaurant, etc. Smirnoff at the
party.
Limited Expression To have a limit on - We are
how much you can managing in a
budget spend on sth limited budget
because John
lost his job.
Prohibitiv Adjective (of a price or a - The price of the
e cost) so high that it house was
prevents people prohibitive so
from buying we started to
something or doing look for a new
something neighbourhood.
Amenity Noun a feature or service ADJ. Even though
(usually that makes a place excellent | basic |local the student
plural = pleasant, | modern residence is
amenities) comfortable or easy | public very nice, it will
to live in | recreational, social never have the
VERB + AMENITY amenities of my
have home.
| offer, provide
| lack
First time Expression A person who left - I’m a first time
home his house recently home leaver so
it is very
leaver difficult to me
to prepare the
dinner every
single night.
Call up Phrasal verb (Call somebody up) - He called me up
to make a phone call to tell me about
to somebody. the problem
with the pool.
Security Expression Something that - I really feel my
blanket provides someone family like a
with a feeling of security blanket
safety because they
and comfort when are always
they are in a protecting me.
situation that
worries them or
makes them feel
nervous.
Stark Adjective unpleasant; real, - The
and impossible to government is
avoid making stark
adjustments to
wages.
Resilience Noun the ability of people ADJ. You need the
(uncountable) or things to recover great, remarkable | resilience to
quickly after natural avoid falling
 something VERB + RESILIENCE into her lies.
unpleasant, such as PREP.
shock, injury, etc. ~ to
PHRASES
strength and resilience

Round up Phrasal verb To increase - I can feel that

something my feelings for
him are
rounding up.
Retrospec N thinking now about - My university
tion the past. days seem
happier in
retrospection
Solitude N the state of being - He likes living in
alone. solitude
Maldies N an illness or - He is suffering
desease.. from some
strange malady

Vocabulary

Enrol (US) / Enrol (UK): to arrange for yourself or for somebody else to officially join
a course, school, etc.

Chore: a task that you do regularly

Bill: a document that shows how much you owe somebody for goods or services

Conducive: (conducive to something) making it easy, possible or likely for

something to happen

Calamity: an event that causes great damage to people’s lives, property, etc.

Gnawing: making you feel worried over a period of time

Joint: involving two or more people together

Outlandish: strange or extremely unusual

Stark: unpleasant; real, and impossible to avoid

Ratio: the relationship between two groups of people or things that is represented
by two numbers showing how much larger one group is than the other

Cohabit: cohabit (with somebody) (usually of a man and a woman) to live

together and have a sexual relationship without being married

Expressions:

A wave of sadness swept over me: when you suddenly feel really sad
 Our family was crumbling: the bond hat unities the family is being broken

Find a way out of the nest: to find a place to live outside the place you grew up

There is something almost odd about: there is something strange or unusual in a

situation

First-time buyers: people who buy a house for first time

A decent and affordable place to live in: a nice and comfortable place to live where
you feel good and you can pay

Young adults are not flying the nest: adults don’t leave their parents’ houses and
they are not mature enough for their age

To make that big move into the wider world: take the big step of living alone and
being independent

Still shack up with their parents: to be still living bin your parents’ house

A record-high number of young people are still living with their parents: why?
 More than a third of Americans between 18 and 31 are currently living with
their parents.
 21.6 million “millennials” living at home
 Three variables:
- Economics: many millenials don’t have a job
- Bachelor’s degrees: the college enrollment increased significantly
-More bachelors: unmarried young people are six-times more likely to
be living at their parents’ place
WHY: higher unemployment, more people going to college, and more single people.

Living in the city vs. Living in the country

Vocabulary

Metropolis: a large city, especially the chief city of a country

City: a large town. A town, usually with a cathedral, granted special rights.

Town: a group of houses, shops, schools, etc. that is bigger than a village but
smaller than a city.

Country/countryside: (usually with “the”) districts where there are fields, moors, etc.
as opposed to towns and areas with many buildings.

Village: a group of houses etc. which is smaller than a town

 Outskirts: the areas that form the edge of a town or city.

Suburbs: the outer area of a town, rather than the shopping and business centre in
the middle.

Rush hour: the busy part of the day when towns and cities are crowded, either in

the morning when people are travelling to work, or in
the evening when people are travelling home

Word family: CITY

City council: a group of elected officials who make the laws of a city and help to
govern it

Cardboard city: an area of a city where people who have nowhere to live sleep
outside, protected only by cardboard boxes

City father: a person with experience of governing a city

City planning: the control of the development of towns and their buildings, roads,
etc. so that they can be pleasant and convenient places for people to live in

City centre (UK) / Downtowns(US): the central part of a city.

City slicker: a person who behaves in a way that is typical of people who live in big
cities

City hall: the local government of a city and the offices it uses

The City (UK): the business centre of London where the large financial
organizations are, such as the Bank of England.

Garden city: a city that has been specially designed to have a lot of open spaces,
parks and trees

Activity 8.4 page 81

CITY

Adjective Verb+city City+verb City+noun Prep Phrases

beautiful build grow flourish dweller centre in a/the ~ the edge of a
industrial life council outside a/the ~
university ~ the outskirts
cosmopolitan of a ~
coastal the centre/
provincial middle/ heart
capital of a ~

COUNTRY
 Adjective Country+N Prep
open life across ~
beautiful air in the ~
fascinating lane/road cottage
great area
attractive district
picturesque dweller
unspoilt people
green house
wooded cottage
hilly
mountainous

TOWN

Adjective Verb+town Town+verb Town+noun Prep Phrases

little live in get out grow flourish centre in a/the ~ the middle of
small of leave hall (the) ~
nearby move out of square the edge of a
neighbouring walls ~
surrounding council the outskirts
ancient life of a ~
historic planning
old new
industrial
busy
sleepy
provincial
home
native coastal
seaside
holiday
market
university
shanty
ghost

VILLAGE

Adjective Village+noun Preposition Phrases

big, large, community in a/the ~ the edge/outskirts of
little, small, tiny, outside a/the ~ (the) ~
ancient, attractive,
beautiful,
picturesque,
quiet, nearby,
 neighbouring,
surrounding, remote,
country,
rural,
coastal, seaside,
deserted,
agricultural, farming,
fishing holiday,
mining.
Key words:

Shanty town: an area in or near a town where poor people live in shanties

Inner city: the part near the centre of a large city, which often has social problems.
In the UK this is a negative expression and means the poor areas around the city
centre.

Overcrowded: (of a place) with too many people or things in it

Cosmopolitan: containing people of different types or from different countries, and

influenced by their culture

Industrial

Historic

Centre

Expressions

Boils over: If a difficult situation or negative emotion boils over, it cannot

be controlled any more and people start to argue or fight.

Human sardine tins: when there are a lot of people overcrowded.

Come to a standstill: to stop completely

Put up with: (put up with somebody/something) to accept somebody/something that

is annoying, unpleasant, etc. without complaining

At a premium: if something is at a premium, there is little of it available and it is

difficult to get

The cost of living: the amount of money that people need to pay for food, clothing
and somewhere to live

Green cities
A green city is a place where people try to take care of the environment by reducing
energy consumption, generating less waste and recycling clean waste, planting
trees and shrubs and respecting nature.

City Location Action taken

Oslo Norway lowest greenhouse gas
emission promote energy
efficiency buildings
Stockholm Sweden use bikes, walk to lessen
noise level, to increase
ecofood product
Freiburg Germany solar panels atop its
buildings cultivate solar
energy, reduce carbon
emissions
Malmo Sweden solar energy, biofuel (from
organic waste)
Vancouver Canada fresh air, open clean parks,
renewable resources
San Francisco California banned use plastic bags
recycling program
Portland Oregon eat locally produced
products. carpool. recycle

Country life vs. City life

Expressing preferences (language focus)

a) Prefer + gerund + to + gerund

I prefer living in a quiet place to living in a big and noisy city
b) Would prefer + infinitive with to + rather than + infinitive without to
I’d prefer to stay at the village and work at home rather than do nine-to-five job in
an office
c) Would rather + infinitive with to + than + infinitive without to
I’d rather drive to work every day than give up my life in the country

City life Country life

Buildings block of flats farmhouse
skyscraper barn
offices cottage
multi-storey car park
Transport traffic jams tractor
smog train
noisy
trolley
 car
underground
taxi
bus
Jobs stockbroker farmer
executive labourer
clerk shepherd
secretary
business executive
hectic
stressful
Features pollution valley
city centre fresh air
entertainment field hills
education peaceful, calm, quiet
culture healthy
busy surroundings
unhealthy isolation, loneliness
lack of medical facilities.

The holiday (movie) -vocabulary:

Low point: the least interesting, least pleasant or worst part of something

Hamlet: a very small village

Idyllic: peaceful and beautiful; perfect, without problems

Turn out: (used with an adverb or adjective, or in questions with how)to happen in a

particular way; to develop or end in a particular way

Unrequited: (of love) not returned by the person that you love

Home exchange: a form of lodging in which two parties agree to offer each
other homestays for a set period of time.

I’m head over heels: completely in love

Phrasal verbs
Break out: have started suddenly
Fall out: quarrel
Set out: start
Cut off: insolation
Break down: lost control of your feelings and start crying
Make up: end a disagreement and become friends again
Bring back: make you remember
Fall for: feel in love with somebody
Hold back: control
Come/run across: met someone by chance