Responding to a claim and adjustment request

Responding to a claim and adjustment request

Providing good news and approving a claim, even when the client is at fault

You are the owner of Applegate Property Management. The following letter was drafted by one of your employees in response to a deposit refund claim from a prior tenant. It is a poorly written letter and does not include the proper letter format.

We read your letter, requesting your deposit refund. We couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t received it, so we

talked to our maintenance engineer, as you suggested. He said you had left one of the doors off the hinges in

your apartment in order to get a large sofa through the door. He also confirmed that you had paid him $20.00

to replace the door since you had to turn in the U-haul trailer and were in a big hurry.

This entire situation really was caused by a lack of communication between our housekeeping inspector and the

maintenance engineer. All we knew was that the door was off the hinges when it was inspected by Janet

Thompson. You know that our policy states that if anything is wrong with the apartment, we keep the deposit.

We had no way of knowing that Howard just hadn’t gotten around to replacing the door.

But, we have good news. We approved the deposit refund, which will be mailed to you from our home office in

San Francisco, Calif. I’m not sure how long that will take, however. If you don’t receive the check by the end of

next month, give me a call.

Next time, it’s really a good idea to stay with your apartment until it’s inspected, as stipulated in your lease

agreement. That way, you’ll be sure to receive your refund when you expect it. Hope you have a good summer.

Your task

The letter is not written well; you need to rewrite the letter to Sarah Bridges (1495 N. Front Street,

McMinnville, OR 97128) before it can be sent out. Make sure you use correct letter format, including a letterhead and inside address.

Letter Format Requirements

1. Use Microsoft Word – this is to practice what you have completed in SIMNet. 2. Use Times New Roman 11 point font for the letter. 3. SINGLE SPACE the letter (this means either set Word to single space or use the “No Spacing” Style in

the Word dashboard). Do not use the default spacing.

1. Use a 1” margin for the letter. 5. Use Block format for the letter (see Appendix B pages 534-537 for this format). 6. Create a letterhead for Applegate Property Management (you can be as creative or basic as you want

with the letterhead). Make sure to include all the necessary company information (company name,

complete address, and phone number are minimum requirements for the letterhead). 7. Don’t forget to include the inside address (Sarah’s address). 8. Sign the letter with your actual name (and then use the title from the assignment). 9. Think about first impressions with the letter – how does the layout look from the reader’s point of view. 10. Turn the letter in as a WORD document – not as a PDF or from Google Docs. This needs to be a

Word file. You will be graded on your use of Word in creating this document.

Hints to rewrite a strong letter

• What is your overall goal of the letter? What do you want the reader to know and what does the reader already know? Remember, this letter is in RESPONSE to a letter from the reader.

• What should your first paragraph be? Untangle the information presented and figure out what is necessary and what can be left out.

• Is this a good news or bad news letter? Based on your answer, what should be in the first paragraph?

• Will you rewrite the letter using direct or indirect format? This will also help you decide what should go in to the first paragraph.

• If you were receiving this letter, how would you want it to be worded and what information would be required to satisfy you? (Write for the reader – not yourself!)

• A comma after the salutation is informal punctuation – use a colon after the salutation unless you know the audience well.

• Important: Don’t just change a few words and rewrite the letter. It is important to reorganize the information, leave some information out and add some information as necessary, and then present it to the reader in the best way possible. You will be graded on the overall letter – first impression, layout,

and information. Remember, be as specific as possible (identify when the check will arrive) and create information to strengthen the message. Can you “create” information to complete the letter? Yes – as

necessary to provide the reader with as much information as necessary.

• Remember, ALL letters must be at least 3 paragraphs in length.

• Proofread and revise this letter; let it sit for a time and then review it. Look at the flow of information to the reader.

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