B2 · Message
Following how a formal complaint builds a case and makes a request
Read for meaning first. Then return to the text for vocabulary, language choices, and evidence.
Before you read
Build the context out loud.
- What makes a complaint sound firm without sounding rude?
- What evidence should you collect before you complain to a landlord or company?
- When is it reasonable to set a deadline in a formal email?
First pass: keep moving when one word is unfamiliar. Dotted words open optional help; every word also appears in the vocabulary bank below.
Dear Mr. Patel,
I am writing to make a formal complaint about the roof above Suite 4B, which Northgate Physical Therapy has leasedRented a building or space under a formal contract for a fixed period.Useful chunks: lease a space · under the lease from Halvorsen Property Group since 2021, and to request a permanent repair by a specific date.
As you know, water first came through the ceiling of Treatment Room 2 on March 3. I reported the leak by phone the same day and in writing on March 4. A maintenance worker visited on March 11 and sealed one section of the roof. He advised us at the time that this was a temporary measure and that the roof membraneA thin waterproof layer that covers and protects a flat roof.Useful chunks: roof membrane · replace the membrane would need to be replaced.
Since then, the leak has returned after every heavy rainfall. On April 18, water damaged two ceiling panels and soaked a treatment table. Because the room could not be used safely, we had to cancel or reschedule fourteen patient appointments over three days. Several of these patients are recovering from surgery, and a delay in their treatment is not a minor inconvenienceA problem or difficulty that causes trouble or annoyance.Useful chunks: a minor inconvenience · cause inconvenience.
To protect our patients and equipment, we have taken several steps at our own expensePaid for by us, not by the person or company that should normally pay.Useful chunks: at our own expense · at your expense. We had the damaged panels replaced. We had the treatment table professionally cleaned and inspected, and we had an independent contractor, Ridgeline Roofing, assessTo examine something carefully in order to judge its condition or value.Useful chunks: assess the damage · assess the roof the roof on April 22. Their report, which I have attached, confirms that the membrane is worn through in several places and that further patching is unlikely to solve the problem. Copies of all receipts are also attached. These costs total $2,860.
I would like to note that we have been patient. I have contacted your office on six occasions, and each time I was told that the repair was “being scheduled.” If the roof had been replaced when the problem was first identified, we would not have lost three days of appointments, and we would not now be paying for repairs that are the landlord’s responsibility under Section 9 of our lease. We need to get the roof replaced before the summer storm season.
I am therefore requesting the following:
- written confirmation, by May 10, of the date on which the roof will be replaced;
- completion of the work by June 15; and
- full reimbursementMoney paid back to someone who has spent their own money on another person’s behalf.Useful chunks: request reimbursement · full reimbursement of the $2,860 listed above.
If the replacement can be scheduled on a weekend, we will gladly arrange access to the suite so that our patients are not affected. I am also happy to meet on site at any time that is convenient for your team.
However, if I have not received a written schedule by May 10, I will have no choice but to refer the matterTo send a problem to another person or authority so that they can deal with it.Useful chunks: refer the matter to · refer a complaint to our attorney and to explore our options under the lease, including a reduction in rent for the period in which Treatment Room 2 cannot be used.
I would much prefer to resolve this cooperativelyBy working together in a helpful way to reach a shared result.Useful chunks: resolve cooperatively · work cooperatively. We have valued our relationship with Halvorsen Property Group, and we would like to continue it. I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Dana Whitfield
Original text written for Thomas’s Classroom Reading Lab.
Words in context
Useful vocabulary and chunks
Learn the word with the partners it naturally keeps.
leased
Rented a building or space under a formal contract for a fixed period.
lease a space · under the leasemembrane
A thin waterproof layer that covers and protects a flat roof.
roof membrane · replace the membraneinconvenience
A problem or difficulty that causes trouble or annoyance.
a minor inconvenience · cause inconvenienceat our own expense
Paid for by us, not by the person or company that should normally pay.
at our own expense · at your expenseassess
To examine something carefully in order to judge its condition or value.
assess the damage · assess the roofreimbursement
Money paid back to someone who has spent their own money on another person’s behalf.
request reimbursement · full reimbursementrefer the matter
To send a problem to another person or authority so that they can deal with it.
refer the matter to · refer a complaintcooperatively
By working together in a helpful way to reach a shared result.
resolve cooperatively · work cooperativelyCheck your reading
Comprehension check
Choose the answer best supported by the text. Check your choices when you finish the whole set.
01What is the main purpose of Dana’s email?
02Why does Dana mention that several patients are recovering from surgery?
03What did Ridgeline Roofing’s report conclude?
04Why does Dana refer to Section 9 of the lease?
05What will Dana do if she does not receive a written schedule by May 10?
Language in the text
Explain what you arranged and what will follow
Causative have and get show that the clinic arranged for someone else to do the work. Conditionals connect events and consequences, so Dana can show the cost of past delay, make a reasonable offer, and state the result if her request is ignored.
Have + object + past participle shows that the clinic arranged the work and someone else did it.
Have + person + base verb names the person who did the job.
Get + object + past participle is slightly less formal and often suggests effort or urgency.
The third conditional describes an unreal past and its different past result.
This mixed result shows how the past delay still affects the clinic now.
A first conditional makes a real, cooperative offer.
Check your reading
Language focus check
Use the surrounding meaning, not only the shape of one sentence.
01The clinic paid a company to clean the table. Which sentence says this?
02Which sentence correctly names the person who did the work?
03Which sentence describes an unreal past and its past result?
04Which request suits the register of Dana’s email?
Read like a writer
How a formal complaint stays firm and fair
Dana states her purpose at once, gives a dated record of events, shows what the clinic has already done and paid, makes numbered requests, and balances a clear consequence with a real offer to cooperate.
Purpose first
The reader knows immediately what kind of message this is and what it will ask for.
I am writing to make a formal complaint about the roof above Suite 4B
Dated evidence
Exact dates turn the complaint into a record that is difficult to dispute.
I reported the leak by phone the same day and in writing on March 4.
Numbered requests
A numbered list makes each request specific, measurable, and easy to answer.
written confirmation, by May 10, of the date on which the roof will be replaced
Consequence with an open door
After stating what will happen if nothing changes, Dana ends by inviting cooperation, which makes her firmness sound reasonable.
I would much prefer to resolve this cooperatively.
From reading to speaking
Build your response
Work through the stages in order. Answer before opening the model.
01GistWhat is the problem, and what does Dana want?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
The roof above the clinic has leaked repeatedly since March. Dana wants a written date for a full roof replacement by May 10, completion by June 15, and repayment of $2,860.
02Main pointsWhat has happened since March, and what has the clinic done about it?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
After the first leak, the landlord only patched the roof. Since then, the leak has returned, and the clinic has had to cancel fourteen appointments. The clinic has already had panels replaced, equipment cleaned, and the roof assessed by a contractor.
03AnalyzeWhy does Dana offer weekend access and a site meeting just before stating the consequence?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
The offer shows that Dana is trying to make the repair easy, not only complaining. This makes the warning about the attorney sound fair rather than aggressive, and a landlord would probably find it harder to ignore.
04ReactIf you were the property manager, how would you reply, and what would you agree to?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
I would start by apologizing for the delay and confirming a date for the replacement. I would agree to repay the costs, but I would ask to see the original receipts first.
Speak
Take a position
Role-play a phone call in which you, as Dana, explain the problem to the property manager. Use one causative, one third or mixed conditional, and one polite but firm request.
Write
Make the reading useful
Write a 200-word formal complaint about a repeated problem with a service or building. Include dates, one causative sentence, one conditional, and a numbered list of requests.