House of Junk and Glory

We're looking for a new housemate to replace me at the end of November in a biggish semi-detached house in Stretford. Here are the boring details first:

The room:
The room available isn't huge, but I've been able to fit a double bed, desk and several random clothes storage bits in. It's unfurnished, so you can be a bit creative with the space. I might be able to leave some of the hanging storage bits if needed. I'm tempted to take my red window blind with me, but it's up for discussion. The window is large and looks out onto the back garden and the houses across the ginnel. It's a bit like Coronation Street out there, which I suppose is inevitable. You can walk to the Coronation Street studios in about half an hour if you want more of that sort of thing.

Money:
The rent is approx £275 per month including bills; it also includes twice weekly milk deliveries and a monthly cleaner. It's going to be a bit more in December, and then a fair bit less in Jan/Feb. We tend to take turns buying biscuits and toilet roll and other essentials (are there any other essentials?). I'm pretty sure the only thing it doesn't cover is the TV licence, which the housemates have also taken turns with on a yearly basis so far. The deposit is £200, payable directly to me because it's just easier that way, but it's all held in accordance with the proper Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

The rest of the house:
Big living room looking out onto the road, big TV with an Apple thingy and a laptop permanently hooked up. Printer, if you ever need one. Lots of books. Comfortable sofas including a sofa bed for friends. Coffee table with a high biscuit turnover. A big fireplace with some giraffes living in it. Fairy lights.

Hallway is spacious, again lots of books (although I'm taking one of the bookcases away with me), loads of space for shoes and coats. One bedroom downstairs.

Kitchen is a decent size and has a fridge; the freezer belongs to me and the inbuilt one isn't currently working, so I'm not sure what's happening about that, but if you happen to have a freezer then by all means bring it. Gas hob, plenty of cupboard space, too many mugs. Dining table which usually has stuff all over it, but is nice when it's tidied. An under-stairs cupboard which you wouldn't use for anything valuable, but is stellar for booze and Tupperware.

The garden is nice, with a table and chairs for sitting outside on summer mornings. There's a shed, an outdoor cupboard, and an outdoor toilet, none of which are remotely appealing, but would be very useful if they were cleaned up. Bins, lots of bins. More fairy lights outside.

Upstairs is a spare single bedroom for visitors as well as the available room and two more bedrooms. Also the bathroom, which has a decent bath/shower.

It can all get pretty messy, because we have so much stuff, especially Matt, who insists he's going to sell it all on Ebay sometime soon.

The area:
Stretford is a nice quiet little part of south west Manchester. Half an hour's walk to Chorlton or the Lowry/Salford Quays. There's a canal nearby, a Spar up the road, and the Stretford Mall at the bottom of the road which has a Tesco, Aldi, Costa, PureGym, etc. The tram is a 5-10 minute walk away and that'll get you into town or wherever you need to go. Also buses, we have those. Trafford Centre is a short bus or taxi ride away. There's a lovely local pub a couple of streets away which is owned by a friend of the house, and Victoria Park is right across the road.

The housemates:
The important bit. You'd be living with a beautiful, if clumsy and whiny, indoor cat called JJ (he's very long haired, so you need to be OK with a bit of moulting). He belongs to Matt, who is a freelance email developer and actor. Sounds very fancy, but he just wafts around drinking cups of tea really. Then there's John, who has the downstairs bedroom. He's a grumpy Manc who likes video games and physics. Alice has the other upstairs bedroom; her dad is the landlord, which is handy for repairs and so on. She likes food so much that she'll interrupt a really tense moment in a film to tell you what she had for lunch that day. We've decided to find it endearing.

Matt works from home, John does shifts, and Alice's office hours vary too, so there's usually somebody in to chat to. We watch films and TV together, take turns putting the kettle on, and there are often shared dinners in/out, pub trips etc.

You:
It's important that the new person becomes a friend. We spend a lot of time together, both in and out of the house, and it would probably be a bit uncomfortable if the fourth housemate wasn't involved in any of that (although obviously nobody will demand any of your time; we're not weird). You'll fit in if you're good at puns. Other stuff that goes down well around here: food-based TV shows, sci fi, Super Furry Animals, coffee, three-year-long arguments, mocking each other, T-shirts with your own face printed on them.

I'll be very sad to leave, and you'd do well to find a household as enjoyable as this one. If you've managed to read this far and it sounds good to you, send us a message to let us know when you could come over for a cup of tea and a chat.