Sample Letter/Letter to landlord when withholding rent/escrow account

April 23, 2019 

[Mr. or Ms. and your landlord’s name and address] 
Ms. Julie Johnson 
Pleasant View Apartments 
555 Roosevelt Street 
Anytown, PA 19999 

Dear Ms. Johnson: 

[Say who you are] We are your tenants at the Pleasant View Apartments at 555 Roosevelt Street, Apt. 22, under a lease agreement dated April 1, 2019.

[Tell what your problem is] This letter is to follow up on our April 16, 2019 letter to you asking for your immediate attention to the lack of hot water in our apartment. Since April 13, 2019 we have been unable to use the apartment because the broken hot water heater did not allow us to use the bath or wash our dishes, cooking utensils and clothing.

[Say that the problem has not been fixed and the apartment is uninhabitable] You have an obligation as the landlord to provide us an apartment with hot water. By not repairing the defective hot water heater you have broken the lease.

[Tell what you are going to do] Therefore, we are not going to pay the rent for the month of May, 2019 because of your failure to repair the hot water heater. We have the money for rent and request that you meet us at (name of bank) on (insert date) to sign the paperwork necessary to set up an escrow account as recommended by our lawyer.

Sincerely, 

[Your (tenant’s) name and address] 
Tammy and Joe Thompson 
555 Roosevelt Street, Apt 22 
​Anytown, PA 19999