Why is renting an apartment a giant pain in the ass?

[harmonicon]

First, I should note that this is in England, which is totally fucked up in some ways compared to American - for instance, types of housing discrimination are legal here that would be totally illegal in the US.

So, a few weeks ago my landlord showed me a place, and after looking around a bit more, I told him on Friday that I'd like to take one of the places he showed me. Well, he emailed me the forms to rent the place, and it's not according to the terms that he said he rent it to me during the viewing. For one, the rent is 5 pounds more a week, which is bullshit - 250 pounds (500 dollars) a year extra isn't chump change. Also, he said he thought he could wave the maintenance fee (for collective areas in the apartment building), which was still included in the contract he sent me. Also, he wants some bullshit system of payments that lots of landlords around here do to keep students in line, because we're treated like second class citizens - more money up front, in fewer payments - basically, because they think students will pay rent late, so they make them pay multiple months at once. Bullshit. Anyway, I'm going to email him back and ask if he'll go back to what I thought we had agreed to when he showed me the place, because that's what I was comparing other properties to. I have half a mind to just walk away, but I do really want the apartment.

The real dilemma. The house next door to where I live now is empty and being very slowly renovated - ever since I moved into my place last year. I talked to the owner last week, and he'd rent it to me really cheap, but I'm not sure if it would be fixed up in time. It's also hard to get a feel for the place since it's sort of a bit of a construction site. Now I'm thinking I should take him up on his offer, because I wouldn't have to deal with all of this paperwork bullshit from some landlord who manages properties for a living - my money would just be going to some guy who has an extra house. Unfortunately, that also means that he's an unknown quantity, and could turn out to be an asshole in ways that a rental company wouldn't be. Even fixed up it wouldn't be as nice as the place I thought I'd move into, but the cost is considerably less, which would mean I could do more traveling, or pay down some student loans, buy a nice vintage telecaster with a bigsby on it, etc. However, the first place is very nice, and I'm making more money now than I have in the past, and it would be nice to live in a nicer place than I ever have before.

UGH! Opinions?