Essential Skills and Work Habits in Work, Learning and Life
Renting an Apartment

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Video Script:  Renting an Apartment

Location/Activity:  At Home in Ash’s Current Apartment

[Two young men are in an apartment and we hear one say “Hey, could you get more boxes from the grocery store?”  The other man answers “Yeah”.]

Ash
:  My name is Ash, and this is the apartment I’m looking forward to leaving behind as soon as I can find a new one.  [Ash picks up vacuum and we see roommate putting items into a bag.] It’s been great, but sharing a space this small with a roommate has been crazy. [Roommate bends down and picks up large plastic bin lined with a garbage bag and carries it across the apartment.]

Skills Alert:
  Work Habits:  Working Safely

Ash:  I have a new full time job so I’m finally able to afford my own place.  In between packing up my stuff, I started to search for apartments.  First, I have to figure out what I can afford…[Ash is sitting down at a makeshift desk with paper on a clipboard in front of him and a telephone to his left.  He is busy writing numbers on the paper.]

Skills Alert:  Scheduling or Budgeting and Accounting, Level 2

Ash:  …I don’t what to spend more than 25% of my take home pay on rent…

Ash
:  …but I can afford more if I can walk to work instead of taking transit. [Sitting at the computer.]

Skills Alert: 
Computer Use, Level 2

Ash:  The only apartments I could find in the newspaper are either too far from work or too expensive.

Skills Alert: 
Problem Solving, Level 2

Ash
:  So I’m checking some apartment listing sites online.  [Screenshot on the computer showing Featured Vacancies in Toronto GTA.] I found a few that looked promising and I’m going to check them out.

Skills Alert: 
Document Use, Level 2

Ash:  [Picks up map and uses his finger to search through the map] I located them on a map to see if they’re close enough to work, and I’m calling to get more information. [Picks up the telephone receiver and dials number.  He has a pen in his hand and paper beside him.]

Skills Alert: 
Document Use, Level 3
Numerical Estimation, Level 1

Ash:  [Speaking on telephone] Hi, I was wondering if you had the apartment available?  Is it a lease agreement or is it month-to-month?  Okay, what kind of security does the building have? 

Skills Alert:  Oral Communication, Level 2

Ash:  [Writes down answers on the paper] Is the first and last required?  Are utilities included?  What’s the earliest move in date?

Skills Alert:  Writing, Level 1

Ash:  [Crosses off one item on the paper] Some time today would be perfect. [Hangs up the phone and grabs his paper]

Skills Alert:  Document Use, Level 1

Location/Activity:  Outside on way to visit Apartment #1

Ash:  [Screenshot:  Apartment for Rent 416-000-5521] I’ve collected all the information I can, and I’m going to check out two of the best possibilities.  [We see Ash walking down the street] I have my map and my notes and decided to walk, since both locations are quite close by.

Skills Alert:  Document Use, Level 1
Document Use, Level 2

Location/Activity:  Inside Apartment #1

[A man is on a ladder painting a stairwell.  A woman is holding the ladder for him.]

Skills Alert: 
Work Habits:  Teamwork
Work Habits:  Working Safely


Ash:  
[Walking up the stairs.  He sees the painter and assistant.] Hello.

Landlord:  You the guy that phoned?

Ash:  
Yep.

Landlord:  Okay, great. [Comes down the ladder and hands paint roller to assistant] Here Siya, if you do the walls I’ll do the trim later.

Skills Alert: 
Oral Communication, Level 2
Work Habits:  Initiative
Work Habits:  Reliability

Landlord:  [Shakes hands with Ash.  The two of them start walking down the stairs.] Let me show you the apartment.  [Opens door to bathroom and the two of them look in.] So, three piece bath.

Ash:  
So it’s an older building…

Landlord: 
[The two of them walk down hallway toward the kitchen] Yeah.  …but we’re gonna fix it up, I think it’s going to look good.

Skills Alert: 
Work Habits:  Entrepreneurship

Landlord:  [The two of them are in the kitchen.] So this is the kitchen, and you’ve got your electric stove over here…two sinks – like that. [Screenshots of stove and sinks]

Ash:  Do you have copies of old utility bills, from the past tenants?

Landlord:  Yeah, I have them over here. [Opens kitchen drawer and hands papers to Ash] Look through these, I think it’s pretty reasonable overall.

Ash:  [Looks through utility bills] Oh, perfect…yeah.

Skills Alert:  Document Use, Level 2

Ash:  [Landlord walks Ash out of the building.  Ash turns to speak to Landlord.] So I have to say, I really like the place! Um, what would I have to do to get the application started?

Landlord:  Okay, well what I’d like you to do is fill out the rental applications.  [Landlord hands Ash some papers] I’m going to do a credit check on you, and I want a couple of references and so on.  I’ve also got a copy of the lease agreement, you should look that over…if you take the place that’s what we’re going to have do…

Ash:  Yeah.

Landlord:  Sign that out.  Perfect.

Ash:  Okay, great.

Landlord:  [Shaking hands] Excellent, thank you very much.

Ash:  Thanks.  [Landlord returns into the apartment and Ash leaves]

Skills Alert:  Oral Communication, Level 2
Document Use, Level 2
Reading Text, Level 3

Location/Activity:  On the Way and Visiting Apartment #2

[Screenshot:  Sign on City Street:  Apartment for Rent with an arrow pointing right.  We see Ash walk down a laneway and then return.]

Ash:  I like this apartment as much as the last one, but the landlord seemed to think I was too young and he seemed disappointed that I wasn’t married.  I don’t think that’s any of his business.

Location/Activity:  Back in Ash’s Current Apartment

Ash:  [Computer screen showing Residential Tenancies Act, Statutes of Ontario, 2006, Chapter 17] I was suspicious about the landlord of the second apartment so I checked the Landlord Tenant Act, [Cursors through this website] and discovered that he can’t discriminate on the basis of age or marital status.

Skills Alert:  Reading Text, Level 4
Computer Use, Level 2
Finding Information, Level 2

Ash:  [Sitting at the computer viewing the screen.  His papers and a calculator are on the desk to his right] I checked over all my notes before making a final decision. 

Skills Alert:  Decision Making, Level 2

Ash:  [Screenshot of utility bill and calculator] When I reviewed the utility costs, I could see that the second apartment would cost quite a bit more in the winter, for heat, than I expected…but the location would save me transportation costs.  The lease agreement seemed to be standard, compared with the information I found online.  In the end I like both places, even though they are both pretty small.  But I prefer the first landlord. 

Skills Alert:  Scheduling, Budgeting and Accounting, Level 3
Decision Making, Level 2

Ash:  [Speaking on telephone with his clipboard of papers in his hand] Hey, Mr. Lang.  I’m just following up on the apartment, is it still available?  Great! [Ash smiles] good…yeah…no that’s good. Uh, when could I pick up the key? Okay good!

Skills Alert:  Oral Communication, Level 1

Ash:  I’m definitely excited about my new apartment, but now I’ve got to pack all of my stuff and move it to the new place. [Screenshot of his apartment with packed bins.  He uses a tape measure to get the size of one of his packed bins.]

Skills Alert:  Measurement and Calculation, Level 1

Ash:  [Searching through his packed bags] I wish I had money for a mover but with my new budget forget it! Guess I’ll have to call a couple of friends and see if they can help.

Skills Alert:  Problem Solving, Level 2
Work Habits:  Initiative
Work Habits:  Teamwork