Landlord in Jurong East allegedly pressures tenant to move out
The landlord of a Jurong East HDB flat allegedly gave their tenant a notice to move out before the six-month minimum rental period, as stated in their contract.
As the tenant refused, the landlord purportedly began making unreasonable demands and using pressure tactics to make them leave.
The tenant, Mr Lee, an engineer in his late 30s, is now in a situation where he may be forced to move at short notice.
Tenant had only been renting for over a month
Mr Lee told MS News that he moved into the landlord’s flat on 12 April.
However, on 28 May, he received a notice from the landlord telling him to move out within a month.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
This is despite both landlord and tenant signing a tenancy agreement stating that either party may only issue a notice after a minimum stay of six months, following the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) regulations.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
According to Mr Lee, the notice came after renovations at a neighbouring unit had ended.
“Based on the timing and circumstances, it appears that the landlord may not have intended to rent the room for the full minimum period,” he surmised.
Mr Lee added that this incident “may reflect a broader problem in the HDB room-rental market”.
He raises the concern that many tenants may leave their rentals prematurely due to lack of legal knowledge, fear of conflict, or lack of confidence to uphold the agreement.
Source: HDB
Landlord allegedly makes “unreasonable demands and pressure tactics”
Even when the agreement protects tenants, Mr Lee believes “they may still feel forced to move out because the landlord controls the living environment and can make daily life uncomfortable”.
In his case, his landlord has allegedly resorted to “unreasonable demands and pressure tactics” after he refused to move out.
For instance, the landlord demanded that he report his work-from-home days.
Mr Lee views this as an invasion of privacy and his employment arrangements.
Additionally, the landlord purportedly said Mr Lee would be responsible for any internet service interruption if he uses the unit’s internet connection for work.
He also told the tenant that his hair should not fall into the common room, demanding for him to clean any fallen strands.
Agent allegedly also pressures tenant to move out
Mr Lee also highlighted the “concerning” conduct of the landlord’s agent.
“The agent repeatedly misrepresented or misinterpreted tenancy clauses, cited reasons and requirements not found in the contract,” he expressed.
Additionally, the agent allegedly threatened Mr Lee that his rent would be increased due to electricity usage if he worked from home.
However, when Mr Lee calculated the cost of using his laptop for eight hours during work days, it would only be an additional S$3 per month.
A screenshot shared with MS News also showed that the agent said they were evicting him “based on personal and hygiene reasons”.
Hence, they claimed that the six-month minimum rental period will not apply.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
In an attempt to negotiate, Mr Lee repeatedly tried to ask for his deposit to be returned first.
However, the agent insisted it would be given after he had provided them with a date for his move.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
Tenant suspects landlord wants to rent out room at higher rate
Mr Lee told MS News that he has been renting in Singapore since 2008 and briefly returned to China last October.
He came back to Singapore in April after recently securing a job here.
“This is the first time that I met a landlord that has so many unreasonable demands,” said Mr Lee.
He speculates that the real reason why the landlord wants him to move out is because his room was listed below market rate, at S$800.
“At the time of moving in, I was never told that the neighbour would soon undergo renovation with daily drilling,” Mr Lee claimed.
He pointed out that the landlord gave him the notice when the renovation was almost finished.
Mr Lee now suspects that the landlord wants to rent out his current room at a higher rate.
Tenant reaches out to relevant agencies for mediation
Mr Lee said he has contacted relevant agencies such as HDB, Community Mediation Centre (CMC), and the Jurong East Town Council for assistance regarding the tenancy agreement issue.
The CMC had sent his landlord an email asking for mediation, but his landlord allegedly declined after 20 working days.
The CMC then told him they could not advise on the legal matter of the rental contract, but are willing to mediate on the living arrangements.
Mr Lee claims his landlord is also retaliating after he made a report to CMC and HDB.
Every Friday evening, they allegedly burn “huge amounts of incense” to the point that it affects the air quality in his room.
Landlord allegedly refuses mediation
Mr Lee later told MS News that on Saturday (6 June), the landlord called a private meeting to “coerce” him to agree to move out on 6 July, to which he disagreed.
However, the landlord allegedly continued a termination notice on the same day.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
The tenant refused again and suggested that the landlord go through mediation via CMC.
However, on Monday (8 June), the landlord rejected the CMC’s invitation for mediation, claiming that he and the tenant had reached an agreement.
Image courtesy of Mr Lee.
Mr Lee expressed his frustration regarding the situation, which appears to remain unresolved despite the back-and-forth.
HDB allows termination of tenancy before minimum rental period
MS News understands that disagreements, including payment or forfeiture of deposits, termination of tenancy, and rental periods, are private matters between the tenant and the flat owner.
The authorities encourage flat owners and tenants to try to resolve the dispute amicably and reach a mutual agreement.
Otherwise, the parties can reach out to CMC for mediation.
It is also understood that HDB allows early termination of tenancy before the six-month minimum rental period, should unforeseen circumstances arise between the flat owner and the tenant.
Also read: Tenant sprays landlady with insecticide after she threatens him with knife at Geylang condo
Tenant sprays landlady with insecticide after she threatens him with knife at Geylang condo
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Featured image adapted from Shurong Lo on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
