Letter Sample #2 – Ask your landlord if you can pay your rent late

GT Writing Task 1 (Letter Writing) Sample # 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You are experiencing financial problems and want to ask your landlord if you can pay your rent late.

Write a letter to your landlord. In your letter explain:

• why you are writing to him/her
• why you cannot pay the rent
• when you will pay the rent

Write at least 150 words.

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear………,

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Model Answer 1:

Dear Mr Johnson,

I am John Smith, a tenant of your house for quite a long period of time and have always paid my rent on time. However, this time I am requesting you to kindly allow me to pay the rent late for the month of November.

My prolonged illness has caused some financial hardship for me. I have been hospitalized with an undisclosed illness and missed eighteen consecutive days from work. The time away from my office has reduced my monthly income substantially. Moreover, the hospital bill has drained my savings. In consequence, I am a bit short of readies. I am afraid I can not pay the rent for November in time and I want to know if an extension is possible.

Because of my previous good rental record, I hope you will allow this first-time extension for me. I can assure you that I will be able to pay the rent by November 20th, plus any late fees associated with this delinquent rent.

I appreciate your prompt response. You can reach me at +02-87490837 if there is a problem.

Yours sincerely,

John Smith.

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Model Answer 2:

Dear Mr Oscar,

I am Hudson Mar, a tenant in your apartment D5-A, writing to inform you that I might be late paying my rent this month due to the monetary predicament I am going through.

I have been living in your apartment for the last eight months and have always paid my rent on time. However, my contact with my current employer expired on 1st March 2018 and I need a couple of weeks to manage a new job. I have already spent my savings and this has put me in a difficult position to manage my finance including my house rent.

I am quite positive that I can pay your rent before the 28th of this month. I would, therefore, request you to allow me to pay the rent before the 28th instead of the 7th, as I usually do every month.

I would be highly grateful for your kind consideration and wait for your reply in this regard.

Yours sincerely,

Hudson Mar

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Tips:

Since you are writing to your landlord, it is assumed that you personally know him/her. This is why the question instruction says that –

Begin your letter as follows:
Dear………,

Fill the “………..” with a name [your landlord’s first name in this case with a title (i.e. Mr/ Mrs)]

This is a semi-formal letter. So do Not to use contractions (e.g. ain’t, doesn’t, aren’t etc) and any informal word/expression in it.

You should end a semi-formal letter with the signature line –

Sincerely / Yours sincerely / Sincerely yours,
   +
Your full name.

Note: It is important to identify the type of letter you are asked to write. An IELTS Letter could be a formal, semi-formal or informal letter. The entire tone and expressions you use in your letter depend on the type of letter you are writing.