Lovely, friendly houseshare, quiet convenient loc.

Living and dining area

Hello! I’m Martin, I’m a professional in my 30s, and for many years I lived as a tenant in shared houses in Oxford. A few years ago, I had the good fortune to be able to acquire a house of my own; I developed it into a houseshare, which I lived in myself for a number of years (although recently I’ve moved out to live with my partner).

I’ve put a lot of time and effort (and money) into doing not just the bare minimum (like many shared houses I've seen over my time in Oxford) but in making it a very pleasant place to live: the kind of place I would want to live in myself. As I have a good amount of experience of living in houseshares in Oxford, I’ve been able to see what works (and what doesn’t), so I’m (hopefully) putting that to good use in this house.

The long-term aim is for the house to become a restful, calm home for a small group of friendly, considerate people. Living in the house currently are three friendly 20s/30s professionals and researchers; in total we are looking for two more residents to join them.

If you are interested and would like to view, please read the details below and send me a bit of info about yourself. Please also read the section below describing how we’re adapting current viewing arrangements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Happy room hunting! Martin 😊

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THE ROOMS

Room A: Double room with ensuite bathroom
£730 pcm, inclusive of bills*; available from Nov 17th 2020

A double bedroom with attached ensuite bathroom. It is equipped with a double storage bed with excellent mattress; a comfortable armchair; a wardrobe with full-length mirror; a glass desk with desk chair; etc. The ensuite bathroom is equipped with shower, toilet and washbasin.

Room B: Top floor bedroom (with small double bed)
£580 pcm, inclusive of bills*; available from Dec 13th 2020 (sooner entry may be negotiable)
A top floor bedroom. It is equipped with a small double storage bed with excellent mattress; a comfortable armchair; a large wardrobe with full-length mirror; a small desk with desk chair; etc.

*inclusive of: electricity, gas, water, council tax, TV licence, broadband.

Between the large wardrobes, storage beds and drawers, both rooms have a good amount of storage. Some long-term storage space is also available in the outbuilding for larger items such as suitcases.

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THE HOUSE

There is a large kitchen/living area on the ground floor. The kitchen is well equipped: dishwasher, food processors, ample food preparation space etc. The living area has a dining table, a large sofa, an armchair and TV.

There is a bathroom (with shower and bath) on the top floor and a toilet with washbasin on the ground floor (these are in addition to the bedroom with the ensuite bathroom). There is a separate utility room with washing machine, dryer, ironing facilities etc.

The garden/patio area is lovely to sit or dine outside (weather permitting!)

Other features:

- Ultrafast (112 Mbps) fibre broadband
- Mesh wifi network throughout the house for reliable fast connectivity (with additional ethernet network in most rooms)
- 100% renewable electricity (and vegan-friendly furnishings)
- Cycle parking is available both in the front driveway and in the rear shed.

Car parking: no off-street car parking is available; however on-street parking is available down the street or on neighbouring streets.

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HOUSEMATES

This house is primarily aimed at professionals in their early twenties through late thirties. It is a mixed gender house.
Non-smokers only. No pets, sorry.

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LOCATION

The house is located in a quiet cul-de-sac in Temple Cowley. (Not to be confused with Templar’s Square Cowley, which is a shopping centre.)

Cycling:

The house is approx. 15 mins cycle from Central Oxford (this can vary a little dependent on traffic). All of East Oxford (from the hospitals to the science park) is accessible by cycle in less than 15 mins.

Buses:

The bus stops for the city centre (via Cowley Road) are 4-5 mins walk from the house. There are up to 30 buses per hour each way in daytime; there are night buses too.

The bus stop on Hollow Way for Headington, the hospitals and Brookes is a 3 mins walk.

Shopping:

There are multiple supermarkets and a major shopping centre at Templar’s Square, 10 minutes walk (or 4-5 mins cycle) from the house. There is also a convenience store about 4 minutes walk from the house.

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OTHER DETAILS

In usual (non-pandemic) times there is a cleaning arrangement for the communal areas of the house. This covers regular cleaning of all communal areas for £20 per month, payable in addition to the rent. This ensures the common areas of the house are always clean and hygienic – a common problem in shared houses!
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this cleaning arrangement is currently suspended until spring 2021 - this is to eliminate any chance that the cleaner will introduce the virus to the house.

The rooms are for single occupancy: partners are welcome to visit and stay overnight (but not live here).

Applicants should be in employment (or be a PhD student). A reference is needed (don’t send it yet!).

The deposit is equal to approximately 5 weeks rent.

The minimum length of residency is 11 months. Six weeks notice is required for cancellation of the contract at any time. There is no maximum length of stay.

There is no contract start fee, or contract exit fee (after the initial 11 months have elapsed).

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There are a couple of things I need to restrict in order to be a keep the council happy and be good neighbours:

1. You can't the house as your main place of work, or have clients on premises - this is a council requirement. Exception – working from home due to COVID-19, when you would normally work elsewhere.
2. Large parties are not permitted (to due agreement with neighbours). However, small gatherings (up to 4 guests, e. g. a small dinner party), are welcome, as long as you don’t disrupt the other housemates.

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GETTING IN TOUCH

If you would like to view, please send me some brief info about yourself (see below) and I’ll be back in touch with you with available times.

Furthermore, feel free to ask any questions!

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COVID-19 AND VIEWINGS

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, viewings need to be done a bit differently to usual.

The first viewing will need to be conducted remotely, by video chat (Skype or Whatsapp). I can give you a complete tour of the room and house and answer as many questions as you like.

After this, for those who are very interested, we can arrange a second, in-person viewing prior to a final decision. During this, I ask that you respect the wellbeing of the current residents – and myself – by wearing a mask and following the usual anti-covid protocols (details to follow). Thanks!

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To arrange a remote viewing, please send some brief info about yourself:
(easiest to copy, paste and fill out your details)

Name & age:
Approximate move in date:
Give some idea of how long you would like to stay:
Are you employed?:
Are you a smoker?:
Do you have a car?:
Have a look at points 1 & 2 above, I want to check that you would be OK with these?:
What days/times would suit for an initial viewing via video chat?

Thanks – looking forward to hearing from you!