Listening for ielts 7 Unit 1

110
Listening for IELTS
Unit 5
: Listening Activity No. 19 
(
Terry who is from Australia, is talking to his friend, Mary, who came to study history at Leeds University 
two years ago. He's asking her about accommodation.
)
Terry
: ... so, do you have to pay the rent weekly or monthly?
Mary
: Well, usually monthly, but sometimes weekly. If it's weekly, then you have to pay it in advance on 
a fixed day of the week; then if you want to leave you have to tell your landlady or landlord one week in 
advance on the day of the week on which you pay your rent.
Terry
: Oh, right, so that's one week's notice. What about monthly payment?
Mary
: Er ... if you pay your rent monthly you usually have to give one month's notice. But if you have 
furnished accommodation or you don't get any meals, then legally you have to give one month, even if 
you're paying weekly. So it is really important to have a definite arrangement with your landlady at the 
beginning of your tenancy so you know the exact amount of notice you have to give. The same applies 
to the landlady if she wants you to leave. She has to give you either a week or a month's notice, 
whatever she decides. You usually have to pay a deposit too. If you do, you should make sure that you 
know exactly what it is for.
Terry
: So I have to pay a deposit whenever I move to a new place then.
Mary
: Yeah, most landladies ask for a deposit against damage, or in lieu of notice. 
Terry
: What do you mean?
Mary
: You know, if you have to leave without giving the required amount of warning, or sometimes the 
deposit's on the key which is returnable when you give it back when you come to leave.
Terry
: That sounds fair enough.
Mary
: You should really get a receipt for any deposit you pay, because it'll probably say what it's for. Oh, 
and you should also make sure that you have a rent book or some sort of receipt for your rent. If your 
landlady doesn't give you one, get one yourself and make sure that she signs it when you pay.