Chapter 11 — Exercises

Housing is high-stakes and very practical. These exercises rehearse the moments that trip up newcomers most. Sample answers for closed items follow.

A. What Would You Do?

Scenario 1: No credit history

A landlord likes you but says, "I'll need to run a credit check." You have none. You: - (a) Give up — you'll never get approved. - (b) Proactively offer alternatives: a guarantor, a larger deposit, several months upfront, an employment letter, bank statements. - (c) Hide that you have no credit and hope. - (d) Offer to pay in cash with no paperwork.

Scenario 2: The eaten groceries

Your roommate keeps eating your food from the shared fridge. You: - (a) Say nothing and seethe. - (b) Address it directly but kindly: "Hey, can we agree to keep our own groceries separate? I've noticed some of mine going." - (c) Start eating their food in revenge. - (d) Move out immediately.

Scenario 3: Quiet hours

It's 11:30pm and you want to play music and have friends over on a weeknight in your apartment. You: - (a) Go ahead loudly — it's your home. - (b) Keep it quiet during quiet hours (and give neighbors a heads-up for any planned gathering). - (c) Ignore the first neighbor complaint. - (d) Assume noise rules don't apply to you.

Scenario 4: Dropping by

You want to see a new friend who lives nearby. You: - (a) Just show up at their door (warm and spontaneous, as at home). - (b) Text first: "Are you free? Could I drop by?" - (c) Knock repeatedly until they answer. - (d) Let yourself in (the door's unlocked).

Scenario 5: The lease clause you don't understand (new)

The lease has a clause about "joint and several liability" and an early-termination penalty you don't fully grasp, but you're eager to sign. You: - (a) Sign quickly — it's probably standard. - (b) Ask the landlord (or a tenant-rights service) to explain the clauses before signing, since the lease is legally binding. - (c) Sign and assume you can ignore the parts you don't like. - (d) Cross out the clauses yourself without telling anyone.

Choose and justify each. How does the privacy norm explain Scenarios 3 and 4? Why read every lease clause (Scenario 5)?

B. Decode This

  1. A neighbor: "We should have you over sometime!"
  2. "Quiet hours are 10pm to 7am."
  3. "Are you on the lease?"
  4. "It's month-to-month."
  5. "First, last, and security."
  6. (new) "Utilities not included."
  7. (new) "We're looking for someone tidy / a good fit." (in a roommate ad)

C. Translate Between Cultures

Task 1 — Open-door to privacy-respecting. You're used to friends and family dropping by freely. Rewrite each into a Western-appropriate version: 1. Showing up at a friend's home unannounced. 2. Expecting a new neighbor to become like family quickly.

Task 2 — Report a repair. Write a clear, written (text/email) message to a landlord reporting that the heating has stopped working — creating a record and asking for a fix.

Task 3 — The roommate conversation (new). Write a kind-but-direct message proposing a chore/quiet/guest agreement with a new roommate before problems start. Why is setting expectations early better than fixing conflicts later?

D. Culture-Shock Journal

  1. My space. How does the Western private home compare to home? What do you find freeing, and what feels lonely?
  2. The application. Describe your rental-application experience (or expected one). What was hardest? What worked?
  3. Community. Since the Western home won't provide communal warmth by default, what's your plan to build community here?
  4. Both/and (new). The privacy norm is both not-coldness (warmth comes through invitation) and a real source of isolation. Where have you felt each side of that truth?

E. Ask a Local

Ask a Western friend: - "What are the unwritten rules of being a good neighbor / roommate here?" - "What do landlords here want from renters, and how do people with no credit get approved?" - (new) "Is it weird to knock on a neighbor's door to say hello, or should I not?"

Record the answer.

F. Self-Assessment

Rate 1–5: 1. I know how to find housing and spot rental scams. 2. I have a plan for the no-credit-history problem. 3. I read leases fully before signing. 4. I respect quiet hours and don't drop by unannounced. 5. I document property condition to protect my deposit.

Note date and scores. (Appendix J collects the book's self-assessments; Appendix I has tenant-rights resources.)

Sample Answers & Discussion

A: 1 → (b) — proactive alternatives reassure landlords; giving up (a) is unnecessary, and no-paperwork cash (d) invites scams/disputes. 2 → (b) — Western roommates expect direct, kind communication; silence (a) breeds resentment, revenge (c) escalates. 3 → (b) — quiet hours are real; loud weeknight noise prompts complaints (privacy/consideration norm). 4 → (b) — text first; dropping by unannounced (a/c/d) violates the privacy norm, even with friends. 5 → (b) — a lease is a binding contract; understand every clause before signing (crossing out unilaterally (d) isn't valid). Privacy explains 3 & 4: the home is private space; you don't impose noise on neighbors or your presence on others without notice.

B — Decode This: 1 = a friendly signal, not a firm plan (Chapter 7). 2 = no loud noise 10pm–7am — enforced socially/legally. 3 = "are you a legal tenant named on the contract?" (matters for rights/responsibility). 4 = a flexible lease renewing monthly (no fixed term). 5 = pay first month + last month + a security deposit upfront (US). 6 = you pay electricity/gas/water/internet separately (budget for it). 7 = they're screening for compatibility/cleanliness — present yourself as reliable and easy to live with.

C — Task 1: 1 → text first: "Are you around? Could I come by?" 2 → expect friendly-but-gradual; a brief intro, occasional small talk, friendship over time (not instant family). Task 2 model: "Hi [Landlord], I wanted to let you know the heating stopped working as of this morning (date). It's not turning on at all. Could you arrange a repair as soon as possible? Thank you — [Name], [unit]." (Clear, dated, in writing.) Task 3: early expectation-setting prevents the silent-resentment spiral; a shared agreement (chores, quiet, guests, groceries) gives everyone a fair reference point before anything goes wrong.

D, E, F are personal — your honest reflection is the answer.