How Landlords Find Tenants 2 – English Language Bits

Match these words with their meanings below.

You can type the words or copy & paste them.

guarantee – make up – confirm – relationship – responsible – credit rating – employment – bank statement – fair – kick out

Example:

to add something else to something to make sure it meets the expectations – make up

document that lists the amounts of money taken out of and paid into the bank account –

a number or a letter grade that tells about how likely a person or a company to pay back the money that they borrow –

connection between people or objects –

good, right –

to show that something is true or correct by checking it –

to make someone leave a place or a job –

having a job –

to make sure that something will happen; for example, to pay money for somebody if they cannot do it –

a person that can be trusted to make good decisions, –

Fill in the missing words in the text. You can type them or copy & paste them.

You can check your answers by listening or by using the Submit button.

guarantee – make up – confirm – relationship – responsible – credit rating – employment – bank statements – kick … out

Yuliya: So you usually meet the tenants in person before [renting your place to them]?

Tim: Oh, yeah, of course, sure.

Yuliya: And you mention you usually get 7 or 8 responses, so how do you choose one?

Tim: I try to be , I try to go in order. If the first person that gives me the application, meets the requirement, seems okay, then I go with that person. If there’s something wrong with that, if there’s something I’m not too sure about, then I’ll go to the second application, and do it like that. So you have to be quick. When you put in the application, you have to move quickly, that’s for sure.

When I look at the applications, I also just make a few phone calls, just to check on the situation, or the money in the bank, etc[etera].

I think because the units I have are downtown, because they’re in a house, I tend to get younger applicants. Also those units are smaller, so no families, really. So they tend to be younger, which means that they don’t have a long history of work, or earning money or , or whatever.

So I don’t usually depend on the credit rating, but I do look at bank statements, and check up on the employer, and the information that they tell me.

Yuliya: So, would you say it would be very difficult to rent if you don’t have a job yet?

Tim: Yeah, that would be difficult. Every landlord wants to make sure that you can afford the place. So if it’s a credit rating, that shows that you’re and you can do it.

If it’s a bank statement which shows that you paid every month, or several that show you pay your rent every month, that shows responsibility. If you have enough money in the bank, then at least that shows that you have the money to pay for it, as well.

If there’s a problem, it’s going to cost them a lot of money to the person .

I think they’re a little more nervous when you are applying, and they want to make sure that you can pay for it, and that you’re responsible enough to pay for it.

And if you don’t have a job I think you have to for that somehow in a different way, with money in the bank.

Or maybe have a guarantor, a relative or somebody who can co-sign the lease, to , something like that, would help the landlord feel a little bit more confident in you.

Yuliya: Thank you for sharing that!

Discussion Questions:

These questions are for you if you want to practice speaking or writing.

Does Tim ever rent to a tenant without meeting them in person?

How many people can respond to an online ad (advertisement)?

Which applications does Tim look at first?

Does he always go through all applications?

What information does Tim usually confirm through phone calls?

Which information is sometimes missing from young applicants?

What does Tim do about that missing information?

What situation makes renting a place especially difficult?

What can make up for unemployment at the time when one is looking for a place to live?

What makes small private landlords so careful about choosing their tenants?

What about you?

Have you ever been a landlord?

How did you advertise your place?

How did you choose your tenants?

Did they need to complete an application?

How many applications did you usually get?

Did you ever rent a place to somebody without meeting them in person?

What did you pay attention to when meeting somebody in person?

How happy were you with your tenants?

Have you ever had any problems with your tenants? (Non-payment of rent, damage to the property, etc.)

What did you do about that problem?

Find the best sentence for each of these words. (You can type the words or copy & paste them)

guarantee – make up – confirm – relationship – responsible – credit rating – employment – bank statements – kick out – fair

Landlords may ask for a copy of a with your application.

A few big companies in Canada collect information on everybody’s credit history and calculate based on this information.

There is a very strong between the food we eat and our health.

The bank will only lend me money if my parents the loan.

I know I can leave my little daughter with my older son for an hour or two. He is very .

Two other witnesses ed what the suspect said.

It is a good place to work. We have a great boss, he is very .

I am saving as much money as I can to buy a home in the next few years, and my parents will the difference if I don’t have enough for a downpayment.

One needs full-time to be able to pay for living in a large city.

the prime minister was ed out of his position