I'm moving to Halifax for school in the Fall and was wondering if you guys could help me out with some questions I have.

My SO and I will both be attending Dal this Fall and so we've been on the prowl for a place (for about a month now). These are the questions that have come up so far:

1. With regards to electricity bills...

I've had several places where this is not included in the monthly rent and so I have to brace myself, cover my eyes, and just ask them for an estimate. The damage is usually not bad at all-- a typical response for a one bedroom apartment is that it runs about $40- $60 every other month.

Now, I then asked a two bedroom place what I could expect for electricity. The fella said it would be about $375/mo in the "dead of winter", but that averaged over the year it would be about $175/mo. Yikes! :3 Any idea what gives here? Are monstrous electricity bills what one can expect if they're not living in a huge apartment complex? Where do you live, and how much do you pay?

2. What's the opinion on cyclists?

They're absolutely loathed out here in Toronto, despite there being significant efforts to increase bike lanes and whatnot in the downtown core. I've noticed (googlemaps o_0) that there aren't too many bike lanes out in Halifax, so I'm just wondering what we can expect from pedestrians and motorists. Is bike theft as rampant out there?

3. How easy is it to get some decent furniture?

The ads on craigslist are somewhat strange, as the majority of them come from this place (don't visit it; I refuse to, too). Is there somewhere else you recommend we look?

4. Why are all the old people renting apartments so terribly rude? Is it worth dealing with a grouchy landlord if the place is really, really nice? -____-

Thanks for any information you can give! We look forward to being in Halifax soon! :D

tl;dr How much do you pay for electricity? Do you like cyclists? Where are some places to look for a nice sofa, kitchen table, and a bed?

Thanks for the help :)

Edit: For those wondering, nebulawanderer is my SO.