Text conversation
Texting a French landlord about a broken boiler
A phone-style text conversation with a landlord: report the problem, give details and agree a time for the plumber. Choose the right reply at each step.
- A2
- 3 replies to choose
- Phone-style thread
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Keep it polite and factual: greet with Bonjour Monsieur / Madame, say what's wrong (la chaudière ne marche plus), since when, and what you need (Pourriez-vous envoyer quelqu'un ?). Use vous even in a text.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- Bonjour Monsieur Garnier, c'est Sophie, du 3e étage.Hello Mr Garnier, it's Sophie from the 3rd floor.
- La chaudière ne marche plus depuis hier soir : plus d'eau chaude ni de chauffage.The boiler stopped working last night: no hot water or heating.
- Bonjour Sophie. Ah, mince. Il y a un code d'erreur sur l'écran ?Hello Sophie. Oh no. Is there an error code on the screen?
Answer his question
- D'accord, F28, c'est souvent l'allumage. J'appelle le plombier. Vous êtes là demain matin ?OK, F28 is often the ignition. I'll call the plumber. Will you be in tomorrow morning?
You work tomorrow until 2 pm
- Pas de souci, je lui dis 14 h 30. Je vous confirme dans la matinée.No problem, I'll tell him 2.30. I'll confirm during the morning.
Close the conversation
How do you report a broken boiler to a French landlord?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| … ne marche plus / ne fonctionne plus | … has stopped working |
| depuis hier soir | since last night |
| Il y a une fuite. | There's a leak. |
| Pourriez-vous envoyer quelqu'un ? | Could you send someone? |
| Je suis disponible à partir de… | I'm available from… |
| Merci pour votre réactivité. | Thanks for responding so quickly. |
In France, the landlord (le propriétaire or the agency, l'agence) is usually responsible for the boiler's major repairs, while the tenant pays for the yearly service (l'entretien annuel). Texting is normal, but keep vous and a greeting: it makes the repair happen faster.