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.