Being A Landlord & Tenant worldwide

 In Singapore I was a tenant in 5 properties over a 30 year period. Our first flat was centrally located. It was brand new.

I was also a landlord in London.

What are the main problems?

1 Payment of rent. Unemployed tenant. Covid and self-employed worker.

2 Empty flats - insurance, dirt, leaks, vandalism, squatters, expenses of council tax and maintenance.

3 Children - damage and overcrowding.

4 Pets - damage to the flat, the common area, noise annoying neighbours. |New legislation says you cannot refuse to have pets for no good reason. A good reason would be that you are already bound to no pets by your own contract. You might be allergic to animal fur and feathers, as I am. A good tenant might be willing to have pets neutered and wormed and to take out insurance. 

On the plus side, one tenant told me that after a neighbour got a cat, the mice problem ended. 

5 Noise

6 Tenants leaving tenancy early too early or too late

7 Mould

8 Equipment failure.

9 Furnished or unfurnished.

10 Gardening, garage doors, subsidence drains, storm damaging fences and patio doors.

Useful Websites

Wildlife

However,  it had cockroaches, in the kitchen. 

Snakes

A girl downstairs discovered in her school bag the skin which local snakes discard annually. Singapore has 70 species of snake.

 In 30 years I never saw one in the city, except a large one on the fence at a noisy party, it obviously hadn't read that small snakes are scared by noise, (although my parents in London, England, had had a breeding pair of adders in their garden backing onto woodland in Stanmore in 1978.)

Apart from wildlife, in Singapore I had three main problems. 

Problems

1 Mould

As  tenants in Singapore, we had mould, from tropical rain running from the flat roof down the outside walls of the skyscraper. Painting over was a temporary solution. The problem returned the following year. Another company had a more expensive but effective solution of removing plaster and adding a waterproof lining.

In the UK the maintenance company rep showed that a device for detecting damp could show the damp from the top corner, being a ceiling leak from pipes or broken guttering. A mould patch half way could be foliage or an overflow pipe from a kitchen boiler. Mould alongside a bed meant that the one pint of water which every adult, two children or two pets breathe out, was going onto an adjoining wall. Walls should be free of leaning furniture and furnishing to allow airflow. So curtains should not rest against windows and walls. Bedding such as headboards and duvets should be a gap away. Cupboard contents should be inside racks away from the back wall. Fifties style furniture on feet is best to allow air flow. The oriental and Middle eastern style of living, with cushions around the walls and on the floor is fine for hot, dry climates, But the lack of air flow produces moisture turning into mould.

Also windows should be opened.

2 Missing Furniture or furnishing

We went into the new property and a shelf was missing in a kitchen cupboard. 

My family said, don't complain, we don't need it.

When we moved out two years later, our leaving inventory showed a missing shelf, so the letting agent charged us for the replacement. Tenant's loss.

The new curtains didn't quite meet. My family said, don't complain. 

When the landlord came round and saw the skimpy curtains a few weeks later, he said, I wish you'd told me last month, I could have got them replaced. Now it's too late. Landlord's loss.

The moral is, make sure anything missing or broken is listed on the inventory and recorded in an email immediately. 

It's good for the tenant. And good for the landlord.

3 Street Noise

In little India we backed onto a busy street with an Indian temple. We could drown out continuous noise from traffic by playing music. 

However, we had loud intermittent noise from processions. Indian processions for example, Thaipusan. And noise from lion dances at Chinese New Year.

In Singapore you can report noise at night. 

A friend of ours with a pilot in the family told us they had been disturbed by builders digging by the road nearby late at night. 

The family went out to remonstrate. 

The foreman shrugged, and lied. 'We have to dig now. It's a gas leak.'

The family retorted. 'We have already reported you to police who are on their way. It's not a gas leak. This street is on bottled gas.'

The workmen quickly threw their gear into the truck and drove off.

4 Protecting Building From Damage By Movers 

On moving in and out, tenants had to pay management to put protective baffling on the lifts and corridor floors and flat doorways. This is very sensible. 

As a landlord we should have this in the UK. Instead as a landlord, I suffered from complaints that the corridor carpets were ruined by tenants moving in out. 

I have tried to keep the flats fully furnished and not to allow furniture to be moved in and out.

Fire Safety

If you rent out to retirement age people, the advantage is that you don't have children creating noise and damage. On the other hand, an elderly person might keep burning the toast and setting off the fire alarm.

Leaks

In London we had a leaking heated towel rail in the bathroom. I tried two plumbers who were not available. 

I looked online and up popped an ad for a 24/7 service. They wanted about 90 pounds paid upfront, which I paid. They said the plumber was on another job half an hour away. I said ok. 2.30 pm. I go half hour postponement until 4.30 when it was dark. Then I was told the plumber agreed with the tenant to come back next morning. ok. I did not want to drive over in the dark and hang around. Later Sunday the towel rail burst sending water everywhere. The porter called the fire brigade who turned off the water and the electricity.

Next day the plumber arrived. He fitted a new towel rail and charged about nine hundred pounds.

He said that the radiators were on the same system and also likely to leak, and that would be about six thousand pounds. 

I called back the other two plumbers.

One said the towel rail was not on the radiator system but on a separate system which was turned off under the bath. 

The other one said that the towel rail on the hot water system should not have been stainless stell, which you identified by attaching a magnet. 

The original plumbing company would not tell me the maker or guarantee of the towel rail and said the guarantee was from their company. I would not let them do any more work for me because of their huge prices and unhelpfulness. The staff on the phone were very soothing and knowledgeable. But the plumber had not turned up in time. I then had to spend another thousand or so on replacing the wooden floor of the hall which was flooded, plus the disruption of time spent choosing flooring, pulling up the old damaged flooring, wait for concrete floor to dry, survey, choosing new flooring - I refused to have glue down flooring because I'd had that previously and when replaced, the carpet fitters said the wrong glue was used and instead of pulling up sheets, you had to chip off the stuck down panels inch by inch which took hours and cost me a lot. Glue could also be a fire risks.

Fire Alarms and Extinguishers

After the New Year's Eve fire in Switzerland, I am now looking at supplying a fire alarm, fire extinguisher, and fire blanket. I am included to not get the fire blanket. Neither I nor any other amateur would be likely to risk getting close enough to put down a fire blanket.  Spraying powder or anything else from a distance is more likely to be done.

To conclude on Good Tenants' and Landlords' best practice

For tenants

1 Pay on time and send a whatsapp saying you have done so.

2 Report leaks and other problems promptly. 

3 Preserve all guarantees, and fire safety stickers on furniture.

4 If you go abroad tell the landlord you are away and who nearby has the key if there is a leak, fire or other problem. 

5 Inform the landlord if you have anybody to stay longer than a fortnight. The landlord is legally obliged to check that he is not renting out to illegals. He or she needs to know that relatives staying in your flat are not squatters.

4 If given notice, leave. You might want a good reference. The landlord who wants to get rid of you might be tempted to give you a good reference but is legally obliged to tell the truth and risks a large fine by not doing so.

3 If you can, clean the oven or have it professionally cleaned. Hire a cleaning company to leave the whole flat as it was when you found it, including carpet cleaning.

For landlords

1 Answer immediately. 

2 Fix problems quickly. 

3 Use check-a trade. 

4 Ask your local whatsapp group for reliable plumbers, electricians and other workers such as gardeners, fence builders, drain fixers.

The tenant is not a friend, but a business contact. 

Keep calm and carry on.

My family say,

 'It's not a problem, it's a task. Everything collapses after twenty years and needs replacing. That's what money is for.

Websites on tradespersons and businesses

checkatrade.com

tripadvisor.co.uk

Useful Websites on Fire Alarms

https://www.fireprotectiononline.co.uk/small-kitchen-fire-safety-bundle

£56.12 for smoke alarm, fire blanket and fire extinguisher (powder).

..................................

https://simplyextinguishers.co.uk/landlord-fire-safety-bundle

£46.79

.....................

Fire extinguisher and bracket 

£16.49 on ebay

.................................................

https://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/collections/quantity-discount-available

£38.27 triple bundle

You might also want a carbon monoxide detector.

You can buy a combined smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm.

also check ebay, amazon, lidl and asda. costco uk and costco usa.

Organizing Events And Safety For Landlords

 When you get on a plane, you will hear a safety announcement before take off. Importantly, where to find the exits. Hotel bedroom doors show you the route to exits.

At most Toastmasters International speakers' club meetings I have attended in England, whoever opens the meeting, the Toastmasters of the Day (or the Sergeant at Arms or President) gives directions to the fire exit.

At a large meeting, such as a speech contest or conference, such as one I attended at London Business School, an usher or person in charge of seating will prevent latecomers or those without ticketed seats from sitting on the stairs because that blocks the aisles and is forbidden by safety regulations.

If you are organizing the meeting, you might get to know the layout of the building, the toilet location, kitchen or cafeteria or coffee machine area, the time the meeting ends. Also the entrance, fire exit, any defibrillator machines which are often found in public areas and near swimming pools.

If you are a landlord, or renovating a building, you might wish to check regulations and install fire exit signs.

Chinese and Japanese symbol for exit on left.

Russian sign. From Wikipedia.

Old French and English sign. Nowadays pictures of a running man are used bedause they are more universally understood.

Useful Websites

https://www.fireandevacuationservices.co.uk/training/fire-warden-training?msclkid=ad0760c9dd9b1a9814ce0997b09b1453

https://landlordcertificatelondon.co.uk/fire-safety-and-fire-exit-signs-uk-regulations-2025-lcl/

French Words You Already Know In English

French menus need not be a mystery. You already know many French words.

French flag

B

ballet

bon - good, used in bonjour, good day, bonsoir, good evening, and bon-bon the sweet

boulevard

bouquet

brasserie - eatery

brassiere - bra, item of women's clothing also called soutien gorge which means lift neck which is a euphemism or polite word

C

cafe

cafetiere

centre - centre

chauffeur

coiffeur

corps - body, corps de ballet

croissant

E

et - and , as in son et lumiere

fumer - to smoke, as in pas de fumer, no smoking, no fumes. De means of. ne - pas is no.

L

lait - milk, cafe au lait is coffee with milk, au is at 

lumiere, as in son et lumiere, light

M

madame - madam

matinee - afternoon performance, matin is morning

menu - le menu is the menu

mortgage - literally dead hand

moulin - mill or windmill as in Moulin Rouge, red windmill, a London landmark

N

naive

ne - no, don't 

noir - black, as in film noir which is a gloomy or sad film

Nom de plume - pen name, literally name of pen

P

President

R

regrette - regret, as in the Edith Piaf song, je ne regrette rien, I don't regret nothing (anything) 

renaissance - rebirth, art era, newspaper name

republique - republic (newspaper name and street name)

Restaurant

Reunion - meeting

rouge - red, as in the cosmetic, also as in moulin rouge, red windmill, adjective second after the noun

S

servis - service, as in servis compris means service included

son et lumiere - sound and light

T

train - train (written the same way, pronounced tran, just the same without the letter i)

V

Ville - town, centre ville means centre of the town

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Memories Of New Year's Eve Safety Precautions In London Evoked By The Swiss New Year's Eve Fire Findings

A couple of years ago I attended  New Year's Eve dinner at a restaurant near Trafalgar Square in London.

Spiral Staircases, Basements & Exits

 It was down a spiral staircase. I asked where the fire exit was. They had another second exit beyond the kitchen. That would be the escape route if the fire was between me and and the spiral staircase. If the fire started in the kitchen, the escape route would have been up the spiral staircase.

I was concerned about the staircase.  But half an hour after midnight, I was glad to be out and going home.

Entrances and Exits To Tube Stations

Unfortunately, when it was time to leave, there were huge queues outside the nearest underground railway station. Police had blocked off the entrance because crowds from Trafalgar square and areas all around had already filled the station platforms, escalators and entrance hall.

We asked the waiting time, which would be about half an hour, estimated. We could see a huge line, behind snake barriers, like you get at Disney and I had experienced many years ago at Habitat in Canada.  We did not want to queue. We did not want to stand still in the cold for half an hour or more.

We went back to the warm restaurant which was still open with about half the diners still there and we reclaimed our table felt obliged to order more wine and food. Down and up the spiral staircase again. 

Crowds and Crushing

I remembered another New Year's Day in Singapore when we joined a crowd watching the parade of Harley bikes with the riders, and the the passengers in colourful costumes. I was swept away from my husband and I retreated into a shop doorway. Even there, for a moment I was crushed by the press of passers-by, and for a moment I feared I would be injured by the press of people.

Avoiding Crowds

This year, my American relative in London told us he did not want to join us for a New Year's eve dinner in central London. he preferred to stay home and watch television, not go to a crowded city centre. He also does not drive at night in London in winter.

My husband was still keen to go. After being frail, I declined to go to the city centre, ending late beyond midnight. 

Instead we took a frail friend who is on chemotherapy, to a New Year's Day lunch at Borough Market (see my other blog posts). The Market was closed for New Year's Day, so the streets were not crowded.

A spiral staircase to a basement is not ideal for a fast exit.

If I don't see a fire exit. I try to sit near a door, away from the kitchen.

The latest news reports 40 dead and 116 injured. The basement had a permitted capacity of 100. So either there were more than the permitted number in the basement, all of whom died or were injured. Or people above on the ground floor were also injured. Or people who went back to rescue others, or retrieve belongings, were also injured.

Long Term Effects Of Fire

 Whichever it was, a huge number either dead or with physical and mental trauma for many years, probably for life. This event will certainly stay in my mind for the coming month, and every New Year's Eve, and when planning where to go. The costs of lifetime care require huge payouts from individuals or insurance companies.

Records of Fire Checks and Extinguishers & Fire Escape Exits

In terms of fire checks, it seems to me that those in charge of several buildings, whether as landlords, or governments, need a spreadsheet of properties, with records of inspections on a checklist, so that gaps in inspections or provision of fire extinguishers can be remedied.

Fire Extinguishers Misused & Locked

Earlier newspaper reports indicated that fire extinguishers were locked away because bar patrons, youngsters, had tried to use them when there were no fires for a prank. If that is the case, as with fire alarms, signs should warn of large fines for prank use of fire alarms. (Which happens in schools, university dormitories - it happened several times at my son's residence in Brunel.)

Warnings Needed

Scouts and schools should emphasize that such pranks lead to loss of life. Why? Because after pranks, patrons ignore alarms. Also building managers lock away extinguishers. 

Exits Misused

Also leaving without paying through a fire exit, or entering through a fire exit to avoid paying, causes the fire exits to be locked.  

I remember seeing signs in streets on the numbers of people killed on the roads in certain dangerous areas. We have mandatory notices on basins used by staff instructing them to wash their hands. We should have signs saying, 

If patrons leave without paying, then instead of allowing tabs, credit cards should be taken at the beginning, or deposits taken, or money taken for entry with for first drink free.

In London we had to leave a non refundable deposit for our Christmas Day meal at Hawksmoor. that was to prevent no shows. But the same would also deter the use of fraudulent cards, embarrassment over cards which are beyond expiry dates and don't work. Business hotels now take payment in advance as an option, which enables customers to leave whenever they like without paying. A similar system was used at WOW in Portugal. You paid for a museum tour which included four drinks at designated points in a one way system, showed a pink bracelet and a card which management ticked for each alcoholic or non alcoholic drink. This would also prevent people drinking too much.

Sample Sign Warning

40 dead and more than 100 left with lifelong injuries from fire in a building with blocked fire exits. 

Do not block or lock this fire exit! 

Penalty 500 dollars.

Useful Websites On Fire Safety

SAFETY

https://www.cross-safety.org/uk/safety-information/cross-feature-article/fires-nightclubs-started-pyrotechnics

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+are+bengal+lights

WORLDWIDE FIRES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fireworks_accidents_and_incidents

SWISS FIRE

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/switzerland-swiss-bar-fire-owner-6z2nnv6fq

VIDEO

https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=mail+swiss+fire&type=E210GB885G0#id=3&vid=222bbd08dee9ddf4b2bab9916fa98119&action=click

Victims of Swiss Fire

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vel0xvlvgo

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/swiss-ski-resort-fire-every-36490994

Update on Swiss fire on New Year's Eve

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/switzerland-swiss-bar-fire-owner-6z2nnv6fq

Please share links to useful posts from my blogs.

Fire In Swiss bar On New Year's Eve And Fire Safety Announcements

 The New Year's Eve Fire in Switzerland set me researching safety for my own home and buildings I manage, events I manage at club meetings, and places I visit.

Toastmasters Clubs Fire Exit Announcements

 Toastmasters Clubs worldwide, mostly, although not always, follow the American and British protocol of the Toastmasters of the Day starting the meeting by indicating the fire exits to use if we hear a fire alarm.

Sergeant At Arms

The Sergeant At Arms, in my opinion, should know the location of fire extinguishers in the kitchen. And any first aid box. And defibrulators near swimming pools and corridors and lobbies.

Emergency Numbers

Check the numbers for fire, police and ambulance are on the notice board. Memorize them. Numbers vary from country to country.

He or she should know of any second exit, and how to open the room or building windows.

Door Unlocking

If the building has double doors but only one is open, be the first to rush to the doors and open the second door.  

Inward Opening Doors

 If the doors open inwards, pull them inwards so that people don't rush out and get crushed against the door and prevent doors opening inwards.

Direct people to the fire muster safety point to do a head count.

Safety Centre

Ensure people do not return to the building, for belongings, or to search for others, until the all clear is given.

Ensure they do not leave without informing the convenor. We had a fire alarm at a meeting in Harrow. A visitor who lived nearby decided not to wait around at the muster point and went home. The SAA had thought to grab the guest list, which he had as it recorded which visitors were willing to speak in the impromptu speaking session (called table topics).

In a real fire, the fire brigade, or a volunteer, might have dashed back looking for the absent visitor, risking the rescuer's life unnecessarily.

Guest Lists At Conferences And Hotels

For the same reason, as an emergency checklist, a hotel guest list at reception should include everybody staying in the building, as well as day or evening visitors who have come in for a meeting or party.

It is helpful to know the locations, doors, windows and fire exits of nearby areas.  Your meeting may move to a larger or smaller room when your meeting or another has more or fewer guests.

Knowing the building's layout is handy to you and helpful for visitors who can quickly be directed to car parks, fire escapes, kitchens, toilets and reception areas. 

Entertaining And Escorting To Exits

If adults and children are kept entertained on the premises, welcomed at the entrance, and escorted to the exits, they feel happy, confident, entertained. They are less bored and inclined to unsupervised, annoying and potentially dangerous pranks.

Happy to start Hindi

Hindi is the language. Hindu means the people or their religion. 

Most will understand the greeting namaste with hands held together as you bow as if in prayer.

 Jungle is a Hindi word.

I thought I should look at Hindi again, one of the languages I have signed up for in Duolingo. I thought I should spend five minutes a day on the languages which are not my language of the year. (This year until mid year, June, it's Spanish.)

I looked at my previous posts and found that Amma mean s mother. Ji is added to a name as a sign of respect, such as Ghandhi-ji.

 An easy to remember often used word in Asia is jungle.

A
Avatar
From Hindi अवतार, from Sanskrit, descent of a deity from a heaven

B
Bandanna
from bandhna (बांधना) to tie.
Bangle
from bāngṛī बांगड़ी, a type of bracelet.
Blighty
"Britain" (as a term of endearment among British troops stationed in Colonial India): from Hindi-Urdu vilāyatī (विलायती, ولايتى) "foreign", ultimately from Arabo-Persian ولايتى "provincial, regional".
Bungalow
from बंगला banglA and Urdu بنگلہ banglA, literally, "(house) in the Bengal style".[1]

C

Cashmere

soft wool from goats in Kashmir

Cheetah
from cītā, चीता, meaning "variegated".
Chit
from चिट्ठी Chitthi, a letter or note.
Chutney
from चटनी chatni, meaning "to crush"
Cot
from Khāt, खाट, a portable bed.
Chowkat
from Shokat, Urdu, a door frame.
Cummerbund
from kamarband , cf. कमरबन्द - Urdu کمربند, meaning "waist binding" [ultimately from Persian کمربند]
Cushy
probably from khushi, cf. Hindi ख़ुशी - Urdu خوشی "easy, happy, soft" [ultimately from Persian];[2] but some sources prefer an origin from "cushion"[3]

D
Dacoit
from Daku, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. Hence also dacoity(banditry)
Dekko
(UK slang for 'a look') from देखो Dekho, the imperative 'look', (دیکھو देखो ) meaning look at or study something.
Dinghy
from Dinghi, small boat
Dungaree
Heavy denim fabric, also referring to trousers made thereof, from Hindi डूंगरी (ḍūṅgrī, “coarse calico”), the name of a village.

G
Garam masala
from Hindi and Urdu गरम मसाल‌ा گرم مصالح garam masālā, literally "hot ( = spicy) mixture",[4] from Persian گرم garm 'warm, hot' and Arabic مصالح maṣāliḥ 'benefits, requirements, ingredients'.
Guru
from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Sanskrit गुरुः guruḥ "one to be honored, teacher," literally "heavy, weighty."[5]
Gymkhana
A term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place and referred to any of various meets at which contests were held to test the skill of the competitors. In English-speaking countries, a gymkhana refers to a multi-game equestrian event performed to display the training and talents of horses and their rider [-khānā from Pers. khānāh خانه "house, dwelling"]

J
Jaconet
modification of Sanskrit jagannaath, from Jagannath (Puri), [India], where such cloth was first made.[6]
Jodhpurs
Full-length trousers, worn for horseback riding, that are close-fitting below the knee and have reinforced patches on the inside of the leg. Named after Jodhpur , where similar garments are worn by Indian men as part of everyday dress.
Juggernaut
from Jagannath (Sanskrit: जगन्नाथ jagannātha), a form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha where during Rath Yatra festival thousands of devotees pull temple carts some 14m (45 feet) tall, weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. These carts seat three images of the deity, meant to be brothers for a 'stroll' outside after the ritual worship session. They are fed by thousands and thousands of worshipers with holy food, as if the icons were living. Early European visitors witnessed these festivals and returned with—possibly apocryphal—reports of religious fanatics committing suicide by throwing themselves under the wheels of the carts. So the word became a metaphor for something immense and unstoppable because of institutional or physical inertia; or impending catastrophe that is foreseeable yet virtually unavoidable because of such inertia.
Jungle
from जङल् jangal, another word for wilderness or forest.

K
Khaki
from खकि khākī "of dust colour, dusty, grey", cf. Hindi ख़ाकी - Urdu خاکی [ultimately from Persian].
Karakul
A hat shaped like a fez but made of real or imitation karakul and worn by Pakistani Muslims on occasion.[7] It is called a "Karakulli topi" (Topi meaning cap).
Karma
from Sanskrit, the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect.

L
Loot
from LooT लूट, meaning 'steal'. Robbery

M
Multan
from Multan, Pakistan: A kind of rug prevalent there.[8]
Mogul
from Hindi and Urdu: An acknowledged leader in a field, from the Mughal rulers of India like Akbar and Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.
Maharaja
from Hindi and Sanskrit: A king.
Mantra
from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word or phrase used in meditation.

N
Nirvana
(in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.
Nehru jacket
a kind of sleeveless jacket that worn buttoned up to neck - formal and often worn by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

P
Pashmina
from Hindi पश्मीना, Urdu پشمينه, ultimately from Persian پشمينه.
Poori
from Hindi poori, from Sanskrit पुर (pura) or "cake".[9]
Punch
from Hindi and Urdu panch پانچ, meaning "five". The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.[10][11] The original drink was named paantsch.
Pundit
from पण्डित Pandit, meaning a learned scholar or Priest.
Pukka
(UK slang: "genuine") from Pakkā पक्का,پکا cooked, ripe, solid.
Pyjamas
from Hindi, पैजामा (paijaamaa), meaning "leg garment", coined from Persian پاى "foot, leg" and جامه "garment" .[12]

R
Raita
from Hindi and Urdu रायता ریتا rayta.[13] yogurt based dish, some add sliced/chopped/diced, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, pineapples, pomegranate or other salads to complement rice or roti meals.
Roti
from Hindi and Urdu रॊटी روٹی roti "bread"; akin to Prakrit रॊट्ट rotta "rice flour", Sanskrit रोटिका rotika "kind of bread".[14]

S
Shampoo
Derived from Hindustani chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]) (verb imperative, meaning "rub!"), dating to 1762.[15]

T
Thug
from Thagi ठग, meaning "thief or con man".
Toddy (also Hot toddy)
from Tārī ताड़ी, juice of the palmyra palm.
Typhoon
from Urdu طوفان toofaan.[16] A cyclonic storm. 

V
Veranda
from Hindi baramdaa बरामदा or another Indian language, but ultimately probably from Portuguese or Spanish.[17]

Y
Yoga

I tried this exercise once before and wrote a blog post about Indian words, using 33.
See my post:
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/33-indian-words-used-in-english-and.html

Useful Websites on Hindi

duolingo.com

preply.com/en/blog/colors-in-hindi

mantrawordscoach.com/blog/hindi

https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/hi/en/Learn-Hindi

https://www.duolingo.com/characters

https://www.amazon.sg/Essential-Hindi-Words-Phrases-Travelers/dp/

https://wikitravel.org/en/Hindi_phrasebook   Many useful words, to print out when travelling. Several words are the same as English, pencil, police, tampon, taxi.

https://wikitravel.org/en/Devanagari_phrasebook (Showing charts of vowels and consonants written in the pretty, squiggly Devenagari characters)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_English_words_by_country_or_language_of_origin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Hindi_or_Urdu_origin

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Snow in London - streets, rooftops, cars, gardens

Snow on car, pavement and rooftops in Hatch End, NW London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Snow on rooftiles in Hatch End NW London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A novelty for those who have not seen snow. Not seen snow for a while. Or not ever seen snow. 

January 6th 2026 in London, real snow fell. 

Snow In Streets 

 Snow covered the tops and bonnets of cars. (Americans call the front of the car the hood.)

In the street, snows fell on pavements (which Americans call sidewalks).

Snow on Rooftops

 The rooftops went white. Why is one roof white, the other dark, clear of snow? Has the snow melted on a warm rooftop? Is the roof over a warm attic? Does that mean a nice warm house? Or is snow a good sign, meaning that the attic is insulated from the house, so that the house is warmer?

Snow in Back Gardens

Snow covered the grass in gardens, turning the green to white. 

In back gardens (which Americans call back yards) snow fell on the leaves on trees, making what looked like white umbrellas on brown and white supports.

It looks romantic. It might be slippery underfoot. What about driving? The met office issues predictions. The met office, government and AA (UK Automobile Association) issue warning about not driving, or taking blankets, hot drinks in bottles, phones with full charge, chocolate snacks for energy. I would add a toilet container.

However, by lunch time, the snow had stopped falling, started melting, and the heat of cars was clearing the main road.

Snow On Cars

If you plan driving, allow extra time to clear the snow off the windscreen and other windows.

Photographing Snow

If you see snow, rush out and film it straight away. Take both still photos and videos. I missed my chance.

 My husband took photos and put them on his Facebook page. Being a statistician by training and profession, he fulfilled the old joke about the reply of a statistician to a beggar who complained that he had not eaten for a week, 'How does this compare with the same date last year?'

Useful Weather Websites

UK

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/forecast/uk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather

https://www.theweatheroutlook.com/forecast/uk/pinner--greater-london#google_vignette

USA

https://eu.usatoday.com/news/weather/

SINGAPORE

https://www.accuweather.com/en/sg/singapore/300597/weather-forecast/300597

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