'Calculative and unreasonable': Man blasts Bukit Panjang landlord, accuses her of monitoring use of facilities

A man recently shared his girlfriend's unpleasant experience with a particularly unreasonable landlord at a rental in Bukit Panjang on social media, whom he has accused of being "calculative and unreasonable".

Taking to Facebook last night (April 7), Clement Yee outlined several reasons on the Blacklist Them group for his frustration, citing what he deemed as the landlord's "downright inconsiderate" behaviour.

He told AsiaOne that the room was advertised for rental in Feb 2022 on PropertyGuru.

And on the day of the viewing, when probed, the landlord Anne said that the ex-tenant terminated the tenancy after Anne entered her room in the latter's absence and without her permission.

According to Anne, a police report was made by the ex-tenant, said Yee.

However, Anne said that she only entered the room to ensure that the windows were closed as it was raining that day, added Yee.

"We did not think much about this and my girlfriend was satisfied with the room, so she proceeded to sign the tenancy," he said, showing AsiaOne a copy of the contract. 

Violation of tenancy contract

When Yee's girlfriend started living there, there were a couple of red flags that emerged, including Anne's violation of the tenancy contract.

According to Yee, the contract clearly stated that utilities were included in the rent of $700 per month. This was also included in the advertisement on Property Guru's listing page.

However, after his girlfriend moved in for a few months, Anne allegedly "encouraged" her to contribute additional funds towards the utility bill, citing higher electricity costs.

Adding insult to injury, Yee claims that in addition to being asked to contribute more towards the utility bill, Anne also monitored his girlfriend's use of shared facilities.  

Yee shared that whenever his girlfriend or fellow tenants use the kitchen or washing machine, Anne would appear from her living room to "poke her nose and scrutinise everything." 

Yee's last complaint against the landlord is perhaps the most concerning. 

On the final day of the tenancy, Anne allegedly threatened to withhold $50 from a tenant's deposit if the room was not cleaned to her satisfaction.

He adds: "After she inspected the room, she said she expected the room to be vacuumed and mopped. She also expected the same treatment for the living room where the luggage was temporarily placed."

Yee told AsiaOne that his girlfriend eventually moved out about a week ago. 

He said that by sharing their experience, he hopes that he can educate other tenants about "unreasonable landlords" like Anne, and for others to ask "probing questions to spot red flags early during the room viewing".

Demanding landlords, tired tenants

Tenants dealing with fussy landlords is not an uncommon occurrence here in Singapore. 

Last year, one tenant named Felix Lim took to TikTok to voice his frustration over several "weird rules" he encountered while searching for a rental property.

According to Lim, many of these rules were either experienced by his friends or seen in property listings, making the rental search process even more challenging. 

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With property and rental prices on the rise in Singapore, having demanding landlords with unnecessary demands can be a real headache for tenants. 

"The prices are already so high and you want to impose all these word rules," he lamented, citing that some of these rules included no cooking and specific times to do your laundry.

While Lim agreed that landlords need to put in place some rules, he feels that there are always two sides to a story. 

"I understand that these rules exist to make sure living habits align, and probably [because] the landlords have [come] across terrible tenants." 

"But the experience goes both ways. Some tenants have met intolerable landlords too," he said, adding that there should always be a discussion with the potential tenant.

aishahm@asiaone.com

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