Okay, I got to see the next-door flat today and on the whole it would be an improvement. The bedroom and living room are very good and I really like them. Also, they are very spaceous, which is exactly what we need. The kitchen is okay, though there is no window. However, we can finally have a washing machine! Big plus. The bathroom was horrendous though and it won't be changed much. They will repaint and wallpaper it, but there is no shower and they won't put one in unless we are willing to pay a whole lot more in rent than I think is reasonable. If they refurbish the bathroom, they would do the kitchen too, but not one without the other.
The rent (no refurbishment) is already at the very top of our budget so I am negotiating a little, hoping to get it down a bit. However, even if they want to stick with the amount they told me, we would accept. Still, they don't need toknow that.
Really, it is the two rooms that make me want the place. If they weren't right, I would never move in. I really do hate that bathroom! So much so that I don't even remember details about it; for instance, I have no idea where the toilet and sink are in it - I was so distracted by the bad walls and the horrible tub and lack of shower.
A plus is that we won't have far to move, just from door to door. We are still on the same storey, in the same house, with the same distance to work (which means I can keep coming home for lunch). We are as central as we are ever going to get for our money. Tomorrow I may know more about the rent.