Susan: Bob and I looked at several flats last week.
Bob: We looked nearly everywhere: in the city, in the suburbs … and we can’t decide. If we rent a house in the suburbs we’ll have to drive, which is quite expensive nowadays with these petrol prices.
Susan: We looked at every kind of flats: one bedroom, two bedrooms. I can’t even remember all the places we saw. I’m also quite confused, I don’t really understand terms like security deposit, leases, and utilities.
Tim: Wait a minute! Before you start looking at flats, you should decide what kind of property you’d like to rent, and where you’d like to live. If you know what you want, it’ll be much easier to find a place!
Susan: I’d like a small house in the suburbs, three bedrooms, with a dishwasher, air-conditioning, and a swimming pool nearby.
Bob: Sure! And I would like a villa by the seaside. Susan you know that we can’t afford such a big house.
Tim: Did you make a budget? Do you know how much you can afford?
Bob: Well, actually, we didn’t.
Tim: First of all, you have to decide how much you can afford. The rent of a flat and the utilities should cost less than one third of your monthly budget. Then you should decide what kind of flat you want, how many rooms you want, you want it furnished or unfurnished. After you decided everything, you can start looking at places.
Bob: Do you have any idea where we can find out about properties for rent?
Tim: First you should decide where you want to live – in the city or in the suburbs, which neighbourhood you like. Then surf the internet as there are plenty of websites that deal with property rentals and sales. Susan: Is the internet the only way to get information about flats for rent?
Eve: There are other ways to find out about properties. Drive or walk around the neighbourhood you like and look for ’rent signs’. Pop in the local estate agent’s, they generally have a bulletin board with notices about flats for rent. But be careful, if you use rental services, the agency may charge a fee!
Peter: At last, but not least talk to your friends and people at work. They may know about places for rent.

Q: Do you live in a flat or in a house? – Lakásban vagy házban élsz?
A1: I live in a flat. – Lakásban élek.
A2: I live in a house. – Házban élek.

Q: Who do you live with? – Kivel élsz?
A1: I live with my flatmate. We go to the same school, so it’s comfortable for us to live together and share the rent and utilities. – A lakótársammal élek. Ugyanabba az iskolába járunk, így kényelmes, hogy együtt is lakunk és megosztjuk a bérleti díjat és a rezsit. 
A2: I live with my family. – A családommal élek.
A3: I live alone. – Egyedül élek.

Q: Do you share your room with somebody? – Megosztod a szobádat valakivel?
A1: No, I have my own room. – Nem, van saját szobám.
A2: Yes, I have to share my room with my sister, as we live in a small flat. – Igen, meg kell osztanom a szobámat a testvéremmel, mivel egy kis lakásban lakunk.

Q: Do you own or do you rent your home? – Van saját otthonod vagy bérelsz?
A1: I’m renting my home at the moment. – Jelen pillanatban bérleményben lakom.
A2: I own a small flat, I managed to buy it with the help of my parents. – Van egy kis lakásom, sikerült megvennem a szüleim segítségével.
A3: I mortgage my house, so I have to pay the mortgage every month to the bank. – Lakáshitelem van, így a banknak minden hónapban törlesztenem kell. 

Q: If you live in a house: Is it a detached or a semi-detached house? – Ha házban élsz: Családi házban vagy ikerházban laksz?
A1: I live in a detached house in the suburbs. – Családi házban lakom a külvárosban.

Q: If you live in a flat: Do you live in a block of flats or on a housing estate? – Ha lakásban laksz: Társasházban vagy lakótelepen laksz?
A1: Yes, I live in a block of flats, on the second floor. – Igen, társasházban lakom, a második emeleten.

Q: How many stories has the building got? – Hány emelet van az épületben?
A1: There are six stories in my building. – Hatemeletes a házunk.

Q: How big is your home? – Mekkora az otthonod?
A1: My home is seventy square metres. I have five rooms altogether: there are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room. I also have a small hall and a balcony. – Az otthonom 70 négyzetméteres. Összesen öt szobám van: két hálószoba,egy konyha, egy fürdőszoba és egy nappali. Van egy hall és egy erkély is. 

Q: Are you happy in your home? – Boldog vagy az otthonodban?
A1: Yes, I am. My flat is quite central, and I can walk to work. It is also located in a quiet street, close to a park. – Igen. A lakásom a központban van, így gyalog megyek munkába. Egy csendes utcában helyezkedik el, közel egy parkhoz. 
A2: Unfortunately, I am not very happy with my home. It’s in the suburbs, so I have to travel a lot to go to work, and sometimes it is very dangerous to walk home alone on the streets at night in our neighbourhood. – Sajnos, nem vagyok túl boldog az otthonommal. A külvárosban van, így sokat kell utaznom a munkába, és néha nagyon veszélyes haza sétálni egyedül éjszaka a környékünkön. 

There are many different kinds of homes that we live in. You can live in a flat, in an apartment, in a bungalow or in a house. But what makes them different?

Flat:

Sometimes living in a flat is a simple way to get on the property ladder when you are thinking about buying a home. Flats are often part of a larger building that has been separated in to smaller living spaces. The kitchen area is sometimes an open area shared with the living room and your flat will also have a bathroom and bedroom.

Apartment:

You may live in an apartment. An apartment is like a flat, but it is often part of a much bigger complex of buildings. Because apartments are often found in tall buildings you will have to use the lift or elevator to get to your home.

Bungalow:

A bungalow is a word given to a house that is on one ground floor level only, a bit like a chalet. A bungalow does not have any stairs, because all of the living area is on one floor. This usually means you will have a kitchen, bathroom, lounge or living room and bedrooms. This kind of home is popular with older people because you don’t have any stairs to climb when you go to bed.

House

A house is a property that is usually built on two or more floors. On the ground floor you will find the kitchen, the lounge and maybe dining room where you eat your meals. Upstairs you will find the bathrooms and bedrooms. In some larger houses you may also have a small toilet downstairs.  Also in a larger house you may find a garage where you can park your car or bike.

Exercise: Fill the blanks! 

1. You live in a ………………… if it stands on its own grounds.
2. A house is …………………   if it is joined to another house. You can also call it semi.
3. You live in a …………………  if your house is in a terrace or row of houses.
4. If you live in a …………………, your home is in a block of flats or is part of an older house.
5. A …………………  is usually a small house in the country.
6. A …………………  is a house with only one floor.

answers: detached house, semi-detached or duplex , terraced house, flat or apartment, cottage, bungalow