Housing Complaints

Pre-Listening Exercises

•Finding a good apartment for rent sometimes takes time, but things always come up. What kinds of complaints or problems do tenants experience when renting a home or apartment? Briefly discuss these ideas with a partner. Explain one solution for each problem

you came up with .

•ELPFUL TIP: If there is a problem with your housing, contact your landlord immediately so you can resolve the issue. You might even be liable for damages (e.g., water damage from a leaking pipe) if you don't report it.

Idiom

• "teed off" = upset, angry"She was really teed off because the landlord wouldn't fix her toilet."

• "go ballistic" = become very angry suddenly"The landlord went ballistic when he found out the tenants destroyed the apartment."

Vocabulary• enant (noun): occupant, resident, lessee

- I have to talk to the tenant next door about his barking dog.• blaring (verb): very loud

- I can't do my homework with the TV blaring next door• walking refrigerator (noun phrase): a very big person (slang)

• pungent (adjective): strong, harsh odor (noun): smell- Your dog has a real pungent odor. When was the last time you gave it a bath?

• zone (verb): designated, marked, set aside for- This area is zoned for commercial use only, and the city is planning to build several shops here.

• agriculture (noun); also agricultural (adjective): farming- The main livelihood of those in this region is agriculture.

Vocab• livestock (noun): farm animals

- We will sell some of our livestock this summer.• resume (verb): continue, start again

- Classes will resume at the beginning of September.• exercises (noun): drills, maneuvers, activities, operations

- The fire department will carry out its emergency preparedness exercises later this week.

• artillery (noun): large guns, often on wheels, used by armies- The army has removed its artillery in anticipation of the peace treaty.

• protest (verb): complain, challenge- The residents protested the building of the waste plant within 20 miles of their neighborhood for safety reasons.

• cease (verb): end, stop- It is unclear when the steel factory will cease its operations.

Post-Listening Exercises

• What would you do if you were Mr. Burton at the end of this conversation? For each of these situations, what request would you use and how would you respond to possible objections on the part of the individual(s) you are talking to:

• you decide to speak to the man in 4B by yourself • you call up the landowners next door to complain • you visit the owner's office to vent your

frustrations