Payment of Rent Listening Practice Test with Answers

Transcript for Payment of Rent

Paul: Richard, as we discussed before, with this extra bedroom in the house, we should advertise for another tenant, but I think we've got to establish rules this time.

Richard: We already have two rules about the rent money. Remember, we pay on the fifth and expect full payment with no excuses.

Paul: Sure, but I mean additional rules apart from those two.

Richard: Okay, there's certainly no harm in that.

Paul: Remember the problems we've had with people in the past. I think we should learn from those bad experiences.

Richard: You may have a point there, for example, you know that I like cooking, so I can propose a kitchen rule straight away. Every tenant must clean after use, where you shouldn't allow what happened last time.

Paul: You mean that guy who left all his dirty dishes piling up and food on the floor, clean after use? We should write that down. I'm happy with that.

Richard: Not only clean, but they also have to tidy up. We can't have them cluttering up our very small kitchen counter.

Paul: And with you there, that will make life far more manageable. So tidy up is our second cooking rule, let's say. And now, can I tell you what really annoys me?

Richard: Sure.

Paul: Dirty tenants. Those who just allow dirt and dust to build up around the house and don't care less. We've got to have a strict rule prohibiting that.

Richard: What about a cleaning roster? We can make a list of everything that we expect to be done. The carpet's vacuumed, furniture dusted, toilet cleaned, and so on.

Paul: And everyone is required to take turns. First, my turn, then your turn, then the third tenant's turn. This spreads the load so we can keep the apartment very clean.

Richard: I'm happy with that. Otherwise, one person will be working harder than the others. But how often do we do it? Every day, twice a week, or once a week, or what?

Paul: Every day. What do you think?

Richard: Too often, I would say.

Paul: Well, every three days, then.

Richard: I don't know, we're all busy with part-time jobs and study. I'd say that once a week is good enough, it's probably what most households do, anyway.

Paul: All right, all right, let's run with that, then. As long as we do clean regularly and well. OK, are there any other rules? What about music? Loud TV? That sort of thing.

Richard: I want absolute quiet at night because I go to bed early in order to get up early for my job.

Paul: So, why don't we say no noise after, say, 11 at night?

Richard: Earlier than that. 10 p.m. That's consistent with most rental properties, and no overnight visitors either.

Paul: All right, that caused a lot of problems when the last tenant brought his drinking buddies in for the night. So, we prohibit late night noise and overnight visitors as well.

Richard: That sounds good to me.

Paul: OK, Richard, if we want to advertise for an extra tenant for the third bedroom, there's a website with an online form here that we can fill out, that will speed things up.

Richard: Good idea. In fact, let's do it now and get it over and done with.

Paul: Sure, the first category here is gender. I guess that means we write male or female.

Richard: I think I'd prefer a male. He'd fit in with us, one of the boys, something like that.

Paul: Sure, but that might limit things, and I'd say a female might be just what this household needs.

Richard: Why don't we say any and let fate decide? See who turns up and judge them as they come.

Paul: OK, I'll type any, so now we move on to job. What sort of job do you want them to have?

Richard: To me, it doesn't matter. Doctor, lawyer, cleaner. As long as they have a job, of course, unemployed tenants can be a problem. Just type in must have.

Paul: You mean a job?

Richard: Yes.

Paul: Must. OK, that's done. Now, how much should we ask them to pay? $180 would be about one-third of the total rent.

Richard: I'm doing the maths now with a calculator. The figure would be closer to $173.50.

Paul: Well, let's round that up to the nearest five. I'll type in $175, and we can share the extra $1.50.

Richard: Done. Now, finally, when can we let the new tenant move in?

Paul: Immediately, I'd say. The sooner the better. Type in immediately.

Richard: But I'm busy this week with my job, so I'm not in the mood to interview tenants right now. And anyway, we've had just you and me for so long. What does another couple of weeks matter?

Paul: So, when would you like the tenant to move in then?

Richard: One week from now, beginning of the month, March 1st, later, give it another four days at least. March the fifth is better for me.

Paul: OK, I'll type that in. This should be fine. Any later than March the eighth, and I'll be too busy with my exams. And that's about it.

Questions for Payment of Rent Listening Test

Questions 1-6

Complete the table.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.

Questions 7-10

Complete the form.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.