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Email templates · Property manager

Email template to ask your landlord for a repair

Something in your rental is broken, leaking, not heating, or not safe, and you need the landlord to fix it. A written request matters more here than almost anywhere else. In every US state, a landlord has a duty to keep the home livable, and most states only let you use your remedies, such as repair-and-deduct or withholding rent, after you have given written notice and a reasonable time to fix it. An email with the date, a clear description, and photos is that notice. It also stops the "you never told me" reply later. Keep the tone practical. Most repairs get done faster when the landlord is treated as someone with a schedule, not an opponent.

Before you send

  • The exact problem, where it is, and when it started. "The bathroom sink has been dripping under the cabinet since about the 3rd and the cabinet floor is now soft" beats "the sink is broken."
  • Photos or a short video with today's date, attached to the email. Take them before you send and again if it gets worse.
  • Your lease, so you can check how it says to request repairs and whether it names a maintenance email or portal. If it does, use that as well and mention it in your email.
  • A sense of urgency level. No heat in winter, no hot water, a gas smell, or a lock that does not work are emergencies that in most states must be addressed within a day or two. A dripping faucet is not.
  • The times you can let someone in, so the landlord cannot say access was the delay.
Subject Repair request, [unit or address], [short description of the problem] 
Hi [landlord or property manager name],

I'm writing to request a repair at [address and unit number].

The problem: [what it is, where it is, and when it started, for example the kitchen ceiling has a water stain that is growing and dripped twice yesterday, first noticed on a date]. I've attached photos taken today. [It's affecting the apartment in this way, for example we can't use the second bedroom or the stove doesn't light.]

Could you arrange for it to be looked at by [a reasonable date, sooner for anything urgent]? I'm available to let someone in [days and times], or you can use the key if I'm not home, just let me know when to expect them.

Please reply to confirm you've received this and when to expect the repair. If there's a maintenance portal or form you'd prefer I use, tell me and I'll submit it there as well.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Unit number]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A normal reply confirms receipt and gives a date or says a contractor will call. Save it. If the repair is done, reply with a short thank-you so the thread shows it was resolved.
  • No reply within a few days, or a date that comes and goes, means it is time for the follow-up template. Keep everything in the same email thread so the history is in one place.
  • Do not stop paying rent or hire your own repair person without first checking your state's rules. Most states allow repair-and-deduct only for certain problems, up to a set amount, and only after written notice and a waiting period.
  • If it is a health or safety issue and the landlord ignores written notice, your city or county code enforcement office can inspect and order the repair. That is the step after the follow-up, not before.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get my landlord to fix something 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get a repair done at my rental by dealing with my landlord for me.

The place: [address and unit number].
The landlord or manager: [name and email, or the management company].
The problem: [what's wrong, where, since when, and how it affects me].
Photos: [attached].
How urgent: [emergency / needs fixing this week / whenever reasonable].
When someone can come in: [days and times, or use the key].

Send the written request, get them to confirm a repair date, follow up if they go quiet or miss the date, keep the whole record in one thread, and tell me if it reaches the point where I should look at other options like code enforcement.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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