Rent an apartment

When you contact a landlord or letting agent, certain phrases make the conversation smooth, polite and efficient. These phrases open the conversation, ask for the key facts (price, bills, size), and arrange a viewing at a time that suits both sides. Mastering them will help you sound professional and well-prepared, even on the phone.

Start by saying why you are calling and which property you are interested in. Then ask about the rent, whether bills are included, and whether the property is still available. Finish by suggesting a time to visit. Many callers forget to ask about the deposit, so remember to include that as well.

Being polite matters a lot in British rental culture. Landlords and agents expect polite forms such as 'Could I…?', 'Would it be possible to…?', and 'I'd like to…' rather than direct commands. Softening your questions in this way makes a good first impression, and landlords are often more willing to help polite, well-organised tenants.

Here are the most useful phrases for this lesson:

Notice how each phrase has a clear function. When you listen to the listening activity later, try to identify which function each sentence is performing. This is a useful habit for any phone call in English: listen for the purpose of each turn, and you will follow the conversation much more easily.

A small but important point: in British English, 'flat' means what Americans call an 'apartment'. You will hear both 'flat' and 'apartment' in this lesson, and they mean the same thing. The letting agent (the person who manages the property) is also sometimes called the 'landlord' if they own the flat, or the 'estate agent' if they work for an agency. Knowing these terms will help you in real life as well as in this lesson.

Tom calls a letting agent to ask about a flat on Park Road. Listen to the natural phrases in use.

Read this opening line aloud. Speak clearly and politely.

Now ask for a viewing. Remember to keep the question polite and friendly.

In this listening activity you are going to hear a real phone call between a caller called Tom and a letting agent called Emma. Tom has seen an advert for a one-bedroom flat on Park Road and wants to find out more before booking a viewing.

The call covers several typical points: the monthly rent, whether bills are included, the deposit, the floor of the flat, whether it is furnished, and a possible time to visit. Listen for these details — they are the kind of information you will need to understand in any real rental phone call.

Before you listen, here is a useful prediction question: if you were calling about a flat for the first time, what three pieces of information would you most want to know? (Think about price, location, size, and bills.) Keep your answer in mind as you listen — you will hear Tom ask very similar questions.

As you listen, try to ignore any words you do not understand and focus on the key information. The questions that follow will test your gist (the main idea), your understanding of specific facts, and finally a small detail you must catch exactly. In British English, the rent is usually given as 'per month' and prices are spoken in full: 'eight hundred and fifty pounds' rather than 'eight-fifty'.

Listen to a phone call between Tom, a caller, and Emma, a letting agent.

What is the call mainly about?

How much is the rent per month?

The /æ/ vowel is the short, open 'a' sound you hear at the start of the word flat. It is a key sound in rental vocabulary, and it appears in words like apartment, landlord, man, that, can and bad. In British English, /æ/ is one of the most common short vowel sounds, so getting it right will make your spoken English sound clearer and much more natural in everyday situations such as phoning a letting agent.

How do you actually make /æ/? First, open your mouth wide — wider than you would for most other vowels. Drop your jaw down and keep your lips relaxed, not rounded. Your tongue sits low in the mouth, near the bottom, and pushes slightly forward. The sound is short and bright: think of the surprise you show when you say 'cat!' — that little open burst is the /æ/ vowel. Hold your hand under your chin as you say it: you should feel the jaw drop sharply.

Many learners confuse /æ/ with /e/ (as in 'men', 'bed', 'lend'). The two vowels sit close together on the vowel chart, but the mouth shapes are very different. For /e/, the mouth is only half open, the lips are slightly more spread, and the tongue is higher and more central. For /æ/, the mouth is much more open and the tongue is lower. Try the contrast yourself: say 'bad' with a wide open jaw, then say 'bed' with a smaller, tenser mouth. The two vowels are not the same, and the difference in meaning matters — 'man' and 'men' are not interchangeable.

Here is a quick comparison:

In this lesson you will hear /æ/ in flat, apartment, landlord, manager, handy and that. Try saying each word slowly, keeping your jaw low and your mouth open. If your mouth feels almost uncomfortably wide, you are probably doing it right. With practice, this short, open vowel will become much more natural in your speech.

In connected speech, /æ/ often appears in unstressed syllables too. In 'apartment', the main stress is on the second syllable (a-PART-ment), but the first 'a' still uses the /æ/ vowel, just shorter. In 'landlord', the first syllable LÆND uses /æ/. Keep the vowel open and bright even in short, unstressed syllables. A useful trick: if you are unsure whether to use /æ/ or /e/, think about the meaning. 'Man' and 'men' look similar in writing but mean different things — a clear /æ/ keeps your listener on the right track.

To make /æ/: open your mouth wide, drop your jaw, keep your lips relaxed, and place your tongue low and forward. The sound is short and bright, like the 'a' in 'cat'. It is much more open than the /e/ in 'men' or 'bed'.

Repeat after me. Keep the vowel short, open and bright. Your jaw should drop.

Say the full word. The first 'a' is a short /æ/ even though the main stress is on the second syllable.

Two syllables: LÆND-lord. Keep the first vowel wide and low. Now say it.

In this reading activity you are going to read a short message from a landlord called Mark. He is advertising a studio flat on Mill Street and is looking for a new tenant. The message is the kind of message you might receive if you replied to an online advert.

Before you read, here is a useful reading strategy.

Strategy box: Scanning for specific information When you scan a text, you move your eyes quickly down the page looking for particular facts — a price, a date, a place. You do not read every word. You already know what you are looking for (for example, 'How much is the deposit?'), so you let your eyes jump until you find a number near the word 'deposit'. Scanning is much faster than reading word by word, and it is the best strategy for messages, adverts and timetables.

Here are four key words from the message, with their meanings:

Keep these meanings in mind as you read. When you finish the message, you will be asked first for the general idea (gist) and then for specific details. Use scanning for the detail questions — you do not need to read the whole message again, just look for the right line.

Read this short message from a landlord called Mark. He is advertising a studio flat on Mill Street.

Hi! I'm Mark, the landlord of a small studio flat on Mill Street. It is available from 1st March. The flat is on the second floor, fully furnished, with a double bed, a sofa, and a fitted kitchen. The rent is £720 per month, and all bills are included — water, electricity and broadband. There is a £720 deposit and a minimum six-month contract. The flat is five minutes from Central Station and close to a big supermarket. Viewings are possible on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. Please reply with a short message about yourself, your job, and when you would like to move in. Looking forward to hearing from you.

What is the main purpose of Mark's message?

How much is the deposit?

In the speaking block you are going to practise the phrases from the everyday English section in a real conversation. You will first hear a short model dialogue, then repeat the key sentences yourself, and finally have the same conversation live with the AI.

When you call a letting agent, three things matter most: clarity, politeness, and confidence. Speak clearly so the agent can hear your name, your question, and your suggested time. Be polite — use 'Could I…?' and 'I'd like to…' rather than 'I want to…'. And be confident — give a specific time for the viewing instead of saying 'any time is fine'.

Here are the most useful phrases again:

When you do the roleplay at the end of this section, you are Tom, calling a letting agent about a one-bedroom flat. Use the phrases above, add your own details (a name, a time that suits you, perhaps a question about the deposit), and keep the call short and natural. Remember: in British phone calls, it is normal to give your name at the end, not the beginning.

Listen to the model dialogue first. Notice how Tom opens politely, asks the key questions, and finishes by giving his name. Then repeat the model sentences aloud, and finally have the same conversation with the AI. You can record yourself and listen back to check your pronunciation — especially the /æ/ sound from the first section.

Listen to this short model call. Tom is asking about a studio flat on Park Road.

Read this opening sentence aloud. Speak clearly and at a natural pace.

Now ask the key price question. Remember to link 'rent is' together smoothly.

In the writing block you are going to learn how to write a short, polite message to a landlord enquiring about a property. This is the kind of message you might send by email or through a website form after seeing an advert online.

A good message has three short parts: a greeting, the purpose of your message, and a polite close. Keep it short — landlords are busy people and read dozens of messages every week. Aim for about 50 to 60 words. Here is a model:

Dear Ms Green,

I'm writing about the one-bedroom flat on Park Road advertised on your website. Could you tell me how much the rent is per month and whether bills are included? I'd also like to arrange a viewing. I'm available on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards, Tom

Notice three things in this model. First, the message opens with a clear reason: 'I'm writing about the flat on Park Road.' Second, almost every request is phrased as a polite question. The writer does not write 'Tell me the rent' — instead, the writer writes 'Could you tell me how much the rent is?' This is much more polite and is exactly what British landlords expect. Third, the message ends with a thank-you and a sign-off. The phrase 'Kind regards' is a safe, professional closing in British English.

Using polite questions A useful strategy is to use 'Could you tell me…?' and 'I'd like to…' instead of direct questions and commands. Compare:

• Direct: 'How much is the rent?' → Polite: 'Could you tell me how much the rent is?'
• Direct: 'I want a viewing.' → Polite: 'I'd like to arrange a viewing.'

This small change in grammar makes your message sound much more professional and polite. It also gives the reader a chance to reply without feeling pressured.

When you write your own message, include: (1) which flat you are interested in, (2) one or two polite questions about the rent and bills, (3) a request to arrange a viewing, and (4) when you are available. Finish with 'Thank you' and 'Kind regards'. Read your message aloud when you have finished — this is a good way to check that the grammar flows naturally and that your pronunciation of the /æ/ sound is clear.

Strategy: Using polite questions. In a message to a landlord, use 'Could you tell me…?' and 'I'd like to…' instead of direct questions. Example: 'Could you tell me how much the rent is per month?' sounds much more polite than 'How much is the rent?'

Now write your own short message to a landlord about a flat you are interested in. Include the polite questions from this lesson. When you finish, read your message aloud so the model sentence above can guide your pronunciation.