English · B1 · vocabulary · 5 minutes
Housing and renting
Understand listings, leases, deposits, repairs, and relations with a landlord.
Understand the choice
Housing exchanges mix legal vocabulary with practical problems. Confirm whether a property is furnished, what the deposit covers, how long the lease lasts, and who handles a leak.
Core rule: A tenant pays rent and a deposit under a lease; a landlord arranges repairs, although legal responsibilities vary by place.
Notice it in context
The tenant reported the leak before signing a new lease.
El inquilino informó de la fuga antes de firmar un nuevo contrato de alquiler.
Reported takes leak as object; before signing uses an -ing clause because before is a preposition here.
The furnished flat requires a deposit equal to one month’s rent.
The apartment with furniture needs security money matching one rental payment.
Furnished, deposit, and rent describe listing terms.
The landlord arranged a repair after the tenant photographed the leak.
The property owner organized restoration after the renter documented the escaping water.
Landlord, repair, tenant, and leak describe a maintenance record.
What to remember
- Rent is payment or the act of paying to use; let is commonly the owner’s act in British English.
- A lease is the agreement; a listing or advert describes the available property.
Common trap: Do not assume landlord always means an individual man; it can refer to any owner or rental company.