Spanish · Home & repairs · Elementary

How to tell your landlord the boiler is broken in Spanish

Call, say who you are (“Hola, soy el inquilino del tercero”) and what’s wrong: “No hay agua caliente desde ayer” or “Los radiadores no se calientan”. Expect “¿Desde cuándo pasa esto?” and maybe a request for a photo, then agree a time for the technician to come.

Try it · about two minutes

There’s no hot water or heating, so you call your landlord to explain and get someone sent round.

Sound on: the landlord speaks Spanish. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

Landlord
¿Con quién hablo, por favor?
Who am I speaking to, please?
You
Hola, soy el inquilino del tercero.
Hi, I’m the tenant on the third floor.
Landlord
Ah, hola. Dime.
Oh, hello. Go ahead.
You
Te llamo por un problema con la caldera.
I’m calling about a problem with the boiler.
Landlord
¿Desde cuándo pasa esto?
How long has this been happening?
You
No hay agua caliente desde ayer.
There’s been no hot water since yesterday.
Landlord
¿Has comprobado la presión de la caldera?
Have you checked the boiler pressure?
You
Sí, y está bien. Pero no arranca.
Yes, and it’s fine. But it won’t start.
Landlord
Mándame una foto y lo miro.
Send me a photo and I’ll take a look.
You
Vale, ahora mismo te la mando.
OK, I’ll send it right now.
Landlord
¿Vas a estar en casa el jueves por la mañana?
Will you be at home on Thursday morning?
You
Sí, toda la mañana.
Yes, all morning.

Key phrases

Hola, soy el inquilino del tercero.
Hi, I’m the tenant on the third floor.
¿Desde cuándo pasa esto?
How long has this been happening?
No hay agua caliente desde ayer.
There’s been no hot water since yesterday.
Los radiadores no se calientan.
The radiators aren’t heating up.
Llevo una semana sin calefacción.
I’ve had no heating for a week.
El calentador se apaga solo.
The water heater keeps switching itself off.
La caldera es muy vieja y hay que cambiarla.
The boiler is very old and needs replacing.
¿Has comprobado la presión de la caldera?
Have you checked the boiler pressure?
Mándame una foto y lo miro.
Send me a photo and I’ll take a look.
El técnico pasará entre las nueve y las dos.
The technician will come by between nine and two.

Good to know in Spain

When you call

1
Say who you are and what’s wrong.
Hi, I’m the tenant on the third floor.
2
Say since when.
There’s been no hot water since yesterday.
3
Send a photo of the boiler and any code on its screen.
4
Agree a time for the technician.
I’m at home all morning.

Follow your landlord’s lead

If they use tú

¿Llamo yo al técnico o lo llamas tú?

Shall I call the technician, or will you?

If they use usted

¿Llamo yo al técnico o lo llama usted?

Shall I call the technician, or will you? (formal)

Many landlords speak to tenants as tú, and you can answer the same way. If yours uses usted, switch to usted.

Caldera or calentador

A caldera heats your water and usually the radiators too. A calentador only heats water. Use the right word so your landlord knows what’s broken.

El calentador se apaga solo.

The water heater keeps switching itself off.

More situations in Spanish

All situations in Spanish

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

Download on the App Store (opens the App Store in a new tab)

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.