Landlord

Posted by MichikoNakamura Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:22:07 GMT

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Have you ever had problems in your apartment but didn't know how to tell the landlord?   For example, if you have a leaky faucet you could tell your landlord:

"Could you please fix my leaky faucet?"

The landlord might try to fix it or if he can't he'll probably call a plumber. Read to this opening conversation:

Michiko: Hello Mr. Edison. Could you please fix my leaky faucet?
Mr. Ed: O.K. let me take a look at it.
Michiko: What's the problem?
Michael: I'm not sure, I'll have to call a plumber.

Read this example sentence:

"Could you please fix my leaky faucet?"

There's another common problem that occurs with sinks and bathtubs. It has to do with the drain.   Read this example conversation:

Michiko: My bathtub drain is clogged.
Michael: Did you try cleaning out all the hair?
Michiko: Yes, nothing helps.
Michael: Did you try Drain-O?
Michiko: Yeah, but that didn't work either.
Michael: You'd better tell the landlord.
Michiko: I think I will

When water doesn't go down the drain, we can use one of these sentences:

"The bathtub drain is clogged"

"The bathtub drain is plugged"

"The bathtub drain is stopped up"

What happens if your shower doesn't work well? Read this conversation between a landlord and his tenant:

Michiko: Hi, Mr. Depp. I have a problem with my shower. Could you help me?
Mr. Depp: What's wrong?
Michiko: Well, hardly any water comes out of the showerhead.
Mr. Depp: I'll check it out.
Michiko: Thank you.

You might have a problem with your showerhead. It might leak or it might have a weak spray. In this situation, you can use one of these sentences.

Read these example sentences:

"Hardly any water comes out of the showerhead"

"The water doesn't come out in full force"



If the water is coming down from the ceiling, you can use this sentence:

"Water is leaking down from the upstairs tenant's apartment"

Now read this next conversation between a husband and wife:

Michiko: Osamu, I think something's wrong with the washing machine.
Osamu: What's wrong?
Michiko: It keeps making strange sounds.
Osamu: You'd better call the landlord and tell him about it.
Michiko: Good idea. I hope he can fix the machine.

When you have a problem, make sure you explain to the landlord clearly. In this conversation, the wife said:

"It keeps making strange sounds"

She could also say:

"I hear funny noises"

This means that the machine didn't sound normal.   Now read this next conversation where the wife calls the landlord to complain:

Landlord: Hello?
Michiko: Hello, Mr. Peters. This is Michiko Miller from apartment 23. I'd like to make a complaint about the washing machine.
Landlord: What seems to be the problem?
Michiko: It makes funny noises and also stains my clothes.
Landlord: What kind of stains are they?
Michiko: It looks like some kind of grease or oil.
Landlord: O.K. I'll have a look at it.
Michiko: What about my clothes? They're ruined! I'd like some reimbursement.
Michael: I'm sorry, I can't give you any. Look in your contract.

This was a sticky situation. Whenever you call the landlord you should identify yourself. For example:

"This is Michiko Miller from apartment 23."

The next thing she did was to give the purpose of her call. For example:

"I'd like to make a complaint about the washing machine."

If something happens to your clothes and ruins them, you should try to see if you can get reimbursed. Reimbursed means getting money back for the damage. Hearing funny sounds and getting stains on your clothes are not that common but giving a machine coins and the machine not working is a common problem.

Now, read this next conversation:

Landlord: Hello?
Michiko: Hello, Mr. Peters. This is Michiko Miller from apartment 23 again. There's a problem with one of the dryers.
Landlord: What is it now?
Michiko: I put some coins in the dryer but my clothes didn't dry.
Landlord: How long were they in the dryer?
Michiko: About an hour.
Landlord: O.K. something might be wrong. I'll check it out.

Another way to complain is to say:

"There's a problem with one of the dryers."

You can describe your situation like this:

"I put some coins in the dryer but my clothes didn't dry"

Let's read another example conversation:

Kid: Mommy, this door is stuck!
Mom: Is there something under it?
Kid: No. It just won't move.
Mom: Hmm, we should tell the landlord that something is wrong with it.
(telephone rings)
Landlord: Hello?
Michiko: Hi, this is Michiko Miller from apartment 5. I'm calling to tell you about a problem with my door.
Michael: Do you have any idea what the problem might be?
Michiko: It might be the hinge, or lock.
Michael: I'll have a look at it today. What time should I come by?
Michiko: Any time after 5:30 would be good.

If you have a problem with your door, it's usually because it's stuck or it squeaks. Squeaks means it makes noise. You can use one of these sentences:

"My door is stuck"

"My door squeaks"

The landlord asked:

"Do you have any idea what the problem might be?"

Read these example sentences:

"There might be a problem with the hinge"

"There might be a problem with the lock"

Another common problem people have is locking themselves out of their apartment.

Read this short conversation with the building manager:

Michiko:    I locked myself out of my apartment. Do you have a spare key?
Michael:   Sure. Here you are.

If you leave your key in your apartment or car, you could say:

"I locked myself out of my apartment."

or

"I locked myself out of my car."

Most apartments have elevators. There is a chance that the elevator could break down and you could get stuck.

Read this conversation between two people in an elevator:

Michael: Can you push #4, please?
Michiko: I did.
Michael: How come we're not moving?
Michiko: I think the elevator is broken.
Michael: What should we do?
Michiko: Let's use the emergency telephone.
Michael: Hello? I'm stuck in an elevator. The address is 765 Amana St. What should we do?
Man: Just wait. We'll have someone down there in about 10 minutes.
Michael: Thank you.

If you are stuck in an elevator, you should use the emergency phone. Tell the person the situation and address.   Read this example sentence:

"I'm stuck in an elevator. The address is 765 Amana St"