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Email templates · Property manager

Email template to follow up with a landlord when a repair still isn't done

You already told your landlord or property manager about a problem in your rental, they said they would take care of it, and nothing has happened. Maybe someone came out once and didn't finish, or maybe nobody came at all. This second email is different from the first one. Its job is to build a dated paper trail: when you reported it, what you were told, and when you expect it fixed. Landlords in every state have to keep a rental livable (heat, water, working plumbing and electrical, a roof that keeps the rain out), and if this ever turns into a rent dispute or a call to the local housing office, the written record is what counts. A phone call leaves nothing behind.

Before you send

  • The date you first reported the problem and how you did it (email, text, a maintenance portal, a phone call). If it was a call, write down who you spoke to.
  • What you were told and by whom. "Mike said a plumber would come Tuesday" is more useful than "they said they'd handle it."
  • Photos or a short video of the problem, dated. Take a new one today so the ongoing damage is documented.
  • A realistic deadline. Seven days is reasonable for most repairs. Something that affects health or safety, like no heat in winter or a sewage backup, calls for 24 to 72 hours.
  • Your lease's maintenance clause, if it has one. Some leases name a repair timeline or a specific way to submit requests.
Subject Second request: [problem, e.g. leaking kitchen faucet] at [your address, unit number] still not repaired 
Hi [landlord or property manager name],

I'm following up on the [problem, e.g. leaking kitchen faucet] at [your address, unit number], which I first reported on [date of first report] by [email / text / phone / maintenance portal]. On [date], [name of person you spoke to] told me [what they said would happen, e.g. a plumber would come out that week]. As of today, [what has actually happened, e.g. no one has come and the leak has gotten worse].

I'd appreciate it if the repair could be completed by [deadline date]. If a contractor needs access, I'm available [days and times], and you can reach me at [your phone number] to confirm.

I've attached photos from today so you can see the current condition. Could you reply to let me know when someone is scheduled? I'd like to get this resolved without it becoming a bigger problem for either of us.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your address, unit 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

  • Most landlords reply with a date once they see it in writing. Save that reply. If the date passes, send one more short email quoting it.
  • A bad answer is a vague one: "we're working on it" with no date. Reply once asking for a specific day, and note that the problem has been open since your first report.
  • If the deadline passes with no action, your options depend on your state. Many states let a tenant pay for the repair and deduct it from rent, or withhold rent, but each has its own notice rules and limits, so check your state or city housing agency before doing either.
  • Keep every message, photo, and receipt in one folder. If the problem damages your belongings or you end up leaving early, that folder is your case.

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 finish a repair 
Hi StandIn,

I need my landlord to finish a repair they've been promising and haven't done.

The problem: [what is broken and how it affects you].
My address: [street address and unit number].
Landlord or property manager: [name and email address].
When I first reported it: [date and how you reported it].
What they said: [what they promised and when].
My availability for access: [days and times].

Please write to them, ask for a firm repair date, and keep following up until it's actually scheduled and done. If they go quiet, remind them in writing, and let me know if it gets to a point where I need to consider other steps.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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