CELPIP Vocabulary for Housing and Community

The Celpip Plus team

Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria

Updated October 4, 202613 min read

Housing & Community collocations for CELPIP

Housing and neighbourhood life run all through CELPIP. Writing Task 1 often asks for an email to a landlord about a repair, to a building manager about noise, or to a neighbour about a shared problem. Writing Task 2 surveys may ask how a city should use an empty lot or whether a building should allow pets. In Speaking, Task 5, Comparing and Persuading, often shows two homes or apartments; Task 2, Talking about a Personal Experience, may ask about moving to a new place; and Task 3, Describing a Scene, may show a busy street, a park or a community event. These collocations cover renting, buying, repairs and neighbours.

Verb + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
sign a lease	formally agree to rent a property	We signed a lease for a two-bedroom apartment downtown.
pay a deposit	give money upfront to secure a rental	We paid a damage deposit of half a month's rent when we signed the lease.
take out a mortgage	borrow money to buy a home	They took out a mortgage to buy their first house.
pay off a mortgage	finish repaying a home loan	It took my parents twenty-five years to pay off their mortgage.
rent a property	pay to live in a home you don't own	We decided to rent a property near the school before buying.
renovate a kitchen	make major improvements to a kitchen	We renovated the kitchen before putting the house up for sale.
host your neighbours	invite neighbours into your home (also: have them over)	We hosted our neighbours for a barbecue last weekend.
join a community group	become a member of a local group	We joined a community group that organizes park cleanups.
file a noise complaint	formally complain about noise to a manager or the city	She filed a noise complaint with the building manager after the third late party.
maintain a property	keep a building in good condition	The owner is responsible for maintaining the property.
evict a tenant	legally force a tenant to leave	The landlord applied to evict the tenant for unpaid rent.
furnish an apartment	fill a home with furniture	It took a month to furnish the apartment properly.

Adjective + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a spacious layout	a floor plan with plenty of room	The apartment has a spacious layout with an open kitchen.
a cramped apartment	a small, crowded living space	Living in a cramped apartment made storage difficult.
a tight-knit community	a neighbourhood where residents know each other well	We live in a tight-knit community where neighbours look out for each other.
an up-and-coming neighbourhood	an area that is improving and becoming popular	Rent is rising fast in this up-and-coming neighbourhood.
a run-down building	a poorly maintained, deteriorating building	The landlord refused to fix up the run-down building.
a gated community	a residential area with controlled, restricted access	They live in a gated community with a security guard at the entrance.
affordable housing	housing priced within reach of average incomes	The city needs more affordable housing for young families.
a bustling neighbourhood	a lively, busy area full of activity	We love the energy of a bustling neighbourhood near the market.
a quiet cul-de-sac	a peaceful dead-end street	Our house sits on a quiet cul-de-sac away from traffic.
a well-connected area	a location close to transit and services	We chose a well-connected area near a subway station.
a diverse population	a community made up of people from many backgrounds	The city is known for its diverse population.
a picturesque suburb	an attractive, scenic residential area	They retired to a picturesque suburb outside the city.

Phrasal verbs

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
move in	begin living in a new home	We moved in last weekend after weeks of packing.
move out	leave a home permanently	My roommate moved out at the end of the lease.
settle in	become comfortable in a new place	It took us about a month to settle in.
fix up	repair or improve a property	We spent the summer fixing up the old kitchen.
clear out	remove unwanted items from a space	We cleared out the garage before the move.
look after	take care of a property or a person	My neighbour looks after my plants when I'm away.
put up with	tolerate an unpleasant situation	We had to put up with construction noise for months.
break in	(of intruders) enter a building illegally by force	Someone broke in through the back window last week.
team up with	join forces with someone for a common goal	We teamed up with our neighbours to organize a cleanup.
take over	take responsibility for something from someone else	New owners took over the building last year.
set up	arrange or establish something	We set up a neighbourhood watch group.
get along with	have a friendly relationship with someone	We get along with all of our neighbours.

Formal and spoken phrases for housing and community

These phrases belong to renting, owning and neighbourhood life. Use the formal ones in Writing Task 1 emails to a landlord or the city, and the spoken ones when you talk about your own home in Speaking.

Formal phrases for Writing

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
submit a maintenance request	formally ask the landlord for a repair	I submitted a maintenance request for the broken heater on January 10.
the terms of the lease	the conditions in a rental agreement	Under the terms of the lease, the landlord is responsible for major repairs.
a rent increase	a raise in the monthly rent	I received notice of a rent increase starting in July.
the property manager	the person who runs a building for its owner	I have contacted the property manager three times about the leak.
the common areas	parts of a building that all residents share	The common areas, including the laundry room, have not been cleaned in weeks.
a noise bylaw	a city rule that limits noise at certain hours	Our city's noise bylaw does not allow construction before 7 a.m.
a community centre	a public building for local programs and events	The community centre offers free programs for seniors and newcomers.
green space	parks and natural areas in a city	The city should protect green space as new condos are built.

Spoken phrases for Speaking

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a basement suite	an apartment on the lowest floor of a house	My first place in Canada was a basement suite in Surrey.
feel at home	feel comfortable and accepted somewhere	It took a few months before I felt at home in the neighbourhood.
the rent is steep	the rent is very high	The rent is steep, but I can walk to work.
keep to ourselves	not interact much with neighbours	We mostly keep to ourselves, but we always wave hello.
look out for each other	watch out for and help each other	On our street, people really look out for each other.
close to everything	near shops, transit and services	I love that our place is close to everything.
a good fit for us	suitable for our needs	The townhouse was a good fit for us once the baby arrived.
downsize	move to a smaller home	My parents want to downsize now that we've moved out.

Connectors such as "with regard to" and chunks such as "all in all" fit any topic, so they are collected on two shared pages: Formal Phrases for CELPIP Writing and Natural Spoken Phrases for CELPIP Speaking.

Worked examples

Writing Task 2: Using an empty city lot

Prompt: Your city owns an empty lot in your neighbourhood and is asking residents how to use it. Choose the option you prefer and explain why.

Option A: Build a small apartment building with affordable rents.
Option B: Turn the lot into a park with a community garden.

I support Option A, a small apartment building, because the biggest problem in our neighbourhood is that people can no longer afford to live here.

First, over the past five years, our area has become an up-and-coming neighbourhood, and rents have risen sharply. Many of my neighbours are young families or seniors who now live in cramped apartments or have had to move out of the area altogether. New affordable housing on the lot would let these residents stay close to their jobs, schools and doctors.

Second, the lot is in a well-connected area, two blocks from a bus route and a grocery store. That is exactly where new homes should go, because residents would not need a car.

I understand why some people prefer a park, and green space matters. However, we already have a large park ten minutes away, and a community garden would serve only a small group of people. New homes would help us keep a diverse population and a tight-knit community, instead of becoming a neighbourhood where only wealthy people can afford to sign a lease.

For these reasons, Option A is the better choice.

The answer states its choice in the first sentence, supports it with two reasons, and then answers the strongest argument for Option B.

Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

Prompt: Your family is moving to Toronto. You chose a two-bedroom condo downtown, next to a subway station. Your brother prefers a different option: a detached house with a large yard in a quiet suburb, a 45-minute drive from both your jobs. Persuade him that your choice is better.

I know you love the idea of a big yard, Sam, but I really think the downtown condo is the better choice for us. The house is on a quiet cul-de-sac, which sounds nice, but it's forty-five minutes from both our jobs. The condo is in a well-connected area, right next to the subway, so we could sell one of the cars and save a lot of money. It's true that the house has a spacious layout and the condo is smaller. But it isn't a cramped apartment: it has two good bedrooms and plenty of storage. And think about the yard. It's a lot to look after every weekend, and the house is older, so we'd probably need to fix up the kitchen and the bathroom too. Downtown, we'd be in a bustling neighbourhood with cafés and parks around the corner, and I think we'd settle in much faster there.

The answer compares the two homes point by point, admits where the house is better, and answers that point, which is what persuasion in Task 5 needs.

CLB 7 vs CLB 9: one sentence, two ways

CLB 7 version: Our building is old and not in good condition, and the landlord doesn't repair it.

CLB 9 version: Our building is run-down, and the landlord has ignored every maintenance request we've submitted.

What changed: "old and not in good condition" became the collocation "run-down", and "doesn't repair it" became a specific detail with a housing phrase.

Common mistakes

"We did a lease" → We signed a lease. Leases are signed, renewed or broken, not done.
"I gave a deposit" → I paid a deposit or put down a deposit. These are the usual verbs for money that secures a rental.
"They made a mortgage" → They took out a mortgage or got a mortgage. You borrow the money, so the verb is "take out".
"I did a complaint about the noise" → I filed a noise complaint or made a noise complaint. Complaints are filed or made.
"The landlord kicked out the tenant" (in formal writing) → The landlord evicted the tenant. "Kick out" is informal and does not suggest the legal process.
"A tight community" → a tight-knit community. The fixed phrase includes "knit", from the image of threads woven closely together.
"Cheap housing" (in a survey response) → affordable housing. "Cheap" can suggest poor quality; "affordable" means people can pay for it.
"A broken-down building" → a run-down building. "Broken-down" is mostly used for cars and machines that have stopped working; "run-down" is the usual word for a building in poor condition.
"We moved in a new apartment" → We moved into a new apartment or We moved in last week. Use "into" before the place and "in" when no place follows.
"I can't tolerate with the noise" → I can't put up with the noise or I can't tolerate the noise. "Tolerate" takes a direct object; "put up with" needs its two particles.
"Someone broke into last night" → Someone broke in last night or Someone broke into our garage last night. "Break into" needs the place; "break in" stands alone.
"We set a neighbourhood watch" → We set up a neighbourhood watch. Without "up", the verb does not mean "establish".
"I wanted to tell you the sink is broken" (in an email to a landlord) → I am writing to report a leak under the kitchen sink. A formal email states its purpose directly and describes the problem precisely.
"A two bedrooms apartment" → a two-bedroom apartment. A number + noun used before another noun stays singular and takes a hyphen.
"I live in the fifth floor" → I live on the fifth floor. Floors take "on"; buildings and apartments take "in".
"The house owner fixed the heater" → The landlord fixed the heater (if you rent) or the homeowner (if they live there). "House owner" is not a common phrase in English.

Practise

Vocabulary flashcards and quizzes: review these collocations until they come to mind without effort.
Writing Task 2 practice: answer a neighbourhood survey and use at least five collocations from this page.
Speaking Task 5 practice: compare two homes using "a spacious layout", "a well-connected area" and "settle in".

vocabulary

CELPIP Vocabulary for Housing and Community

The Celpip Plus team

Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria

Updated October 4, 202613 min read

Housing & Community collocations for CELPIP

Verb + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
sign a lease	formally agree to rent a property	We signed a lease for a two-bedroom apartment downtown.
pay a deposit	give money upfront to secure a rental	We paid a damage deposit of half a month's rent when we signed the lease.
take out a mortgage	borrow money to buy a home	They took out a mortgage to buy their first house.
pay off a mortgage	finish repaying a home loan	It took my parents twenty-five years to pay off their mortgage.
rent a property	pay to live in a home you don't own	We decided to rent a property near the school before buying.
renovate a kitchen	make major improvements to a kitchen	We renovated the kitchen before putting the house up for sale.
host your neighbours	invite neighbours into your home (also: have them over)	We hosted our neighbours for a barbecue last weekend.
join a community group	become a member of a local group	We joined a community group that organizes park cleanups.
file a noise complaint	formally complain about noise to a manager or the city	She filed a noise complaint with the building manager after the third late party.
maintain a property	keep a building in good condition	The owner is responsible for maintaining the property.
evict a tenant	legally force a tenant to leave	The landlord applied to evict the tenant for unpaid rent.
furnish an apartment	fill a home with furniture	It took a month to furnish the apartment properly.

Adjective + noun collocations

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a spacious layout	a floor plan with plenty of room	The apartment has a spacious layout with an open kitchen.
a cramped apartment	a small, crowded living space	Living in a cramped apartment made storage difficult.
a tight-knit community	a neighbourhood where residents know each other well	We live in a tight-knit community where neighbours look out for each other.
an up-and-coming neighbourhood	an area that is improving and becoming popular	Rent is rising fast in this up-and-coming neighbourhood.
a run-down building	a poorly maintained, deteriorating building	The landlord refused to fix up the run-down building.
a gated community	a residential area with controlled, restricted access	They live in a gated community with a security guard at the entrance.
affordable housing	housing priced within reach of average incomes	The city needs more affordable housing for young families.
a bustling neighbourhood	a lively, busy area full of activity	We love the energy of a bustling neighbourhood near the market.
a quiet cul-de-sac	a peaceful dead-end street	Our house sits on a quiet cul-de-sac away from traffic.
a well-connected area	a location close to transit and services	We chose a well-connected area near a subway station.
a diverse population	a community made up of people from many backgrounds	The city is known for its diverse population.
a picturesque suburb	an attractive, scenic residential area	They retired to a picturesque suburb outside the city.

Phrasal verbs

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
move in	begin living in a new home	We moved in last weekend after weeks of packing.
move out	leave a home permanently	My roommate moved out at the end of the lease.
settle in	become comfortable in a new place	It took us about a month to settle in.
fix up	repair or improve a property	We spent the summer fixing up the old kitchen.
clear out	remove unwanted items from a space	We cleared out the garage before the move.
look after	take care of a property or a person	My neighbour looks after my plants when I'm away.
put up with	tolerate an unpleasant situation	We had to put up with construction noise for months.
break in	(of intruders) enter a building illegally by force	Someone broke in through the back window last week.
team up with	join forces with someone for a common goal	We teamed up with our neighbours to organize a cleanup.
take over	take responsibility for something from someone else	New owners took over the building last year.
set up	arrange or establish something	We set up a neighbourhood watch group.
get along with	have a friendly relationship with someone	We get along with all of our neighbours.

Formal and spoken phrases for housing and community

Formal phrases for Writing

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
submit a maintenance request	formally ask the landlord for a repair	I submitted a maintenance request for the broken heater on January 10.
the terms of the lease	the conditions in a rental agreement	Under the terms of the lease, the landlord is responsible for major repairs.
a rent increase	a raise in the monthly rent	I received notice of a rent increase starting in July.
the property manager	the person who runs a building for its owner	I have contacted the property manager three times about the leak.
the common areas	parts of a building that all residents share	The common areas, including the laundry room, have not been cleaned in weeks.
a noise bylaw	a city rule that limits noise at certain hours	Our city's noise bylaw does not allow construction before 7 a.m.
a community centre	a public building for local programs and events	The community centre offers free programs for seniors and newcomers.
green space	parks and natural areas in a city	The city should protect green space as new condos are built.

Spoken phrases for Speaking

Collocation	Meaning	Example sentence
a basement suite	an apartment on the lowest floor of a house	My first place in Canada was a basement suite in Surrey.
feel at home	feel comfortable and accepted somewhere	It took a few months before I felt at home in the neighbourhood.
the rent is steep	the rent is very high	The rent is steep, but I can walk to work.
keep to ourselves	not interact much with neighbours	We mostly keep to ourselves, but we always wave hello.
look out for each other	watch out for and help each other	On our street, people really look out for each other.
close to everything	near shops, transit and services	I love that our place is close to everything.
a good fit for us	suitable for our needs	The townhouse was a good fit for us once the baby arrived.
downsize	move to a smaller home	My parents want to downsize now that we've moved out.

Worked examples

Writing Task 2: Using an empty city lot

Prompt: Your city owns an empty lot in your neighbourhood and is asking residents how to use it. Choose the option you prefer and explain why.

Option A: Build a small apartment building with affordable rents.
Option B: Turn the lot into a park with a community garden.

I support Option A, a small apartment building, because the biggest problem in our neighbourhood is that people can no longer afford to live here.

First, over the past five years, our area has become an up-and-coming neighbourhood, and rents have risen sharply. Many of my neighbours are young families or seniors who now live in cramped apartments or have had to move out of the area altogether. New affordable housing on the lot would let these residents stay close to their jobs, schools and doctors.

Second, the lot is in a well-connected area, two blocks from a bus route and a grocery store. That is exactly where new homes should go, because residents would not need a car.

I understand why some people prefer a park, and green space matters. However, we already have a large park ten minutes away, and a community garden would serve only a small group of people. New homes would help us keep a diverse population and a tight-knit community, instead of becoming a neighbourhood where only wealthy people can afford to sign a lease.

For these reasons, Option A is the better choice.

The answer states its choice in the first sentence, supports it with two reasons, and then answers the strongest argument for Option B.

Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

I know you love the idea of a big yard, Sam, but I really think the downtown condo is the better choice for us. The house is on a quiet cul-de-sac, which sounds nice, but it's forty-five minutes from both our jobs. The condo is in a well-connected area, right next to the subway, so we could sell one of the cars and save a lot of money. It's true that the house has a spacious layout and the condo is smaller. But it isn't a cramped apartment: it has two good bedrooms and plenty of storage. And think about the yard. It's a lot to look after every weekend, and the house is older, so we'd probably need to fix up the kitchen and the bathroom too. Downtown, we'd be in a bustling neighbourhood with cafés and parks around the corner, and I think we'd settle in much faster there.

The answer compares the two homes point by point, admits where the house is better, and answers that point, which is what persuasion in Task 5 needs.

CLB 7 vs CLB 9: one sentence, two ways

CLB 7 version: Our building is old and not in good condition, and the landlord doesn't repair it.

CLB 9 version: Our building is run-down, and the landlord has ignored every maintenance request we've submitted.

What changed: "old and not in good condition" became the collocation "run-down", and "doesn't repair it" became a specific detail with a housing phrase.

Common mistakes

"We did a lease" → We signed a lease. Leases are signed, renewed or broken, not done.
"I gave a deposit" → I paid a deposit or put down a deposit. These are the usual verbs for money that secures a rental.
"They made a mortgage" → They took out a mortgage or got a mortgage. You borrow the money, so the verb is "take out".
"I did a complaint about the noise" → I filed a noise complaint or made a noise complaint. Complaints are filed or made.
"The landlord kicked out the tenant" (in formal writing) → The landlord evicted the tenant. "Kick out" is informal and does not suggest the legal process.
"A tight community" → a tight-knit community. The fixed phrase includes "knit", from the image of threads woven closely together.
"Cheap housing" (in a survey response) → affordable housing. "Cheap" can suggest poor quality; "affordable" means people can pay for it.
"A broken-down building" → a run-down building. "Broken-down" is mostly used for cars and machines that have stopped working; "run-down" is the usual word for a building in poor condition.
"We moved in a new apartment" → We moved into a new apartment or We moved in last week. Use "into" before the place and "in" when no place follows.
"I can't tolerate with the noise" → I can't put up with the noise or I can't tolerate the noise. "Tolerate" takes a direct object; "put up with" needs its two particles.
"Someone broke into last night" → Someone broke in last night or Someone broke into our garage last night. "Break into" needs the place; "break in" stands alone.
"We set a neighbourhood watch" → We set up a neighbourhood watch. Without "up", the verb does not mean "establish".
"I wanted to tell you the sink is broken" (in an email to a landlord) → I am writing to report a leak under the kitchen sink. A formal email states its purpose directly and describes the problem precisely.
"A two bedrooms apartment" → a two-bedroom apartment. A number + noun used before another noun stays singular and takes a hyphen.
"I live in the fifth floor" → I live on the fifth floor. Floors take "on"; buildings and apartments take "in".
"The house owner fixed the heater" → The landlord fixed the heater (if you rent) or the homeowner (if they live there). "House owner" is not a common phrase in English.

Practise

Vocabulary flashcards and quizzes: review these collocations until they come to mind without effort.
Writing Task 2 practice: answer a neighbourhood survey and use at least five collocations from this page.
Speaking Task 5 practice: compare two homes using "a spacious layout", "a well-connected area" and "settle in".