ESL Podcast 438 - Renting an Apartment
apartment manager - a person whose job is to take care of problems in an apartment building, collect the rent, and find people to live in the building
When our toilet stopped working, we called the apartment manager.
vacancy - the availability of an apartment or hotel room; an empty apartment or hotel room
Last weekend, so many people came to town for the university's graduation ceremony that there were no vacancies in any of the hotels.
unit - one of many apartments in a building
Are you interested in a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom unit?
to move in - to begin to live in a new place; to bring one's furniture, clothes, and other things to the new place where one will be living
Before moving into our new house, we need to pack all of our clothes and books.
lease - a legal agreement between the owner of a house, apartment, or other property and the person who is going to live there or use that property, paying a certain amount of money for a certain period of time
According to their lease, they aren't allowed to have a cat in their apartment.
to be up - to end; to finish; to expire
His contract job is up at the end of the year and then he'll have to find a new job.
the first of the month - the first day of a month (January 1, February 1, etc.)
If they don't pay their rent by the first of the month, they have to pay a $25 late fee.
laundry facilities - the place where there are washers and dryers, where people can wash their clothes
This apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer, but everyone who lives in this building can use the laundry facilities on the first floor.
landlord - a person who owns a home, apartment, or other property and lets someone else live there or use the space, who pays a certain amount of money for a certain period of time
Xena is a great landlord because she always fixes things right away.
tenant - a person who lives in a home or apartment owned by another person, paying a certain amount of money for a certain period of time
Most of the tenants in that apartment building are college students.
utilities - water, electricity, natural gas, and other things that a person needs to live and that must be paid each month
Even though it's really hot outside, we're not using air conditioning because we want to save money on our utilities.
furnished/unfurnished - with or without furniture, especially in a room or apartment that is being rented to someone
If you rent an unfurnished apartment, you'll have to buy a couch, bed, dresser, table, and more. I suggest renting a furnished one instead.
end unit - an apartment that is at the edge of a building, without another apartment on one side
I want to live in an end unit, because that way, I won't have as many noisy neighbors.
common wall - a wall shared by two or more apartments or rooms; a wall between two apartments or rooms
The common wall between our apartments is very thin, so we can hear almost everything our neighbors say to each other!
rent - the money paid every month so that one can live in a home or apartment owned by someone else
Her landlord just raised the rent from $1,100 to $1,350, so she's going to try to move to a less expensive part of the city.
security deposit - money that one gives to the owner of a property before moving in so that if there are problems or damage while one is living there the owner gets to keep the money, but if there are no problems or damage the money is given back to the renter
To rent an apartment in that building, you have to pay a $350 security deposit, but you can get all of the money back when you move out if you've taken good care of the apartment.
to get back to (someone) - to give someone a response or answer after a certain period of time
Let me check my calendar and get back to you once I know whether I'm available on Thursday.
to jump on (something) - to take advantage of an opportunity quickly, without waiting too long
I don't like my current job, so if a new one comes along, I'm going to jump on it.