Rental renewal for Black and White

[anb28646]

Fellow black and white dwellers, would appreciate if you can share us your experience. We live in one of the black and whites managed by DTZ and are currently paying a lower five digit rent in the $1x,000 region (its a fairly big place). We're facing our first lease renewal and am wondering what kind of new rent we will be proposed by DTZ. With the new bidding system in place for newly available units and observing the 5 Hyderabad Rd property bidded up to $20,258 (and its a smaller property than ours!), and the suggestion that "rents will be renewed in consideration of then current market rates", we're feeling a bit anxious of what to expect... I think a 10% rent increase is acceptable (5% per year, that's inflation...), but if we're suggested something like 25%-50% up, hmm...

If anyone of you have renewed your lease within the last year, it would be great comfort if you can share us your experience. Thanks in advance.

[road.not.taken]

Hey anb,

We're in a B&W as well. We renewed in February '07 with Premas, just before the bidding policy was put in place. Our rent stayed completely flat and they painted the entire place inside and out.

I would wait and see what they come up with and not tip your hand in the least (lease! ) I too have heard of other properties going for sky high amounts and of course, because they are black & whites -- they come with nothing at all. A small place on Stevens recently went for around S$18K I believe.

Let us know how it turns out, OK?

[anb28646]

RNT, thanks for your reply. I found out from our neighbours that have just / will be soon renewing their lease and as it turns out they both were suggested an around 10% increase, which they happily accepted given the pretty good renovation suggestions made at the same time (paint job etc.). The agent is DTZ. So I guess for now things are handled pretty reasonably so let's just cross our fingers and hope things stay this way. Best regards,

[road.not.taken]

B&Ws are really a little real estate niche unto themselves. None of the usual rules apply it seems. Ours is lovely, but its so very 'rustic'. I like to call it a well appointed tree house.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I lived in B&W's for 15 years. Had it not been for the rental starting to climb after the financial meltdown of '97-98 I would probably still be in them. My wife lived in them for 50 years. They have character. (my wife's grandfather helped the British to build the ones in Seletar Camp back in the '30's).

[road.not.taken]

Character, yes. And snakes, and termites, and rotted floors, and crumbling walls, and faulty wiring and mould and...


I love ours too.

[Paul_W]

Sounds interesting. What's a black and white?

[Superglide]

white house with black beams.

[road.not.taken]

white house with black beams.

That's like saying O Mio Babbino Caro is a song...

A B&W is a colonial home, built between about 1910 - 1940 to house British high ranking officers generally, and are protected here in Singapore. There are fewer than 200 of them left, sadly. They tend to be clustered in groups and are generally prized by those who like antique homes with big gardens. Some sit on a two or three acres or more and they can be quite gracious and lovely. They are impossible to maintain.

[Superglide]

Well, they aren't called mango 'n chutney or colonial 'n antique or alike, are they?

I'd say my definition is more precise.

[durain]

no durians?

[sundaymorningstaple]

And well endowed with chit-chats, bats & other assorted flora & fauna, some with wings, some with legs and some without either. I had mango, jackfruit, bittergourd, drumsticks, guava, 3 different types of Rambutans, 2 types of bananas, 1 type of plantain, limes & one coconut palm, a small crop of Pineapples & tapioca as well as a resident 6' monitor lizard (which eventually found it's way to the Singapore Zoo).

Everything you always wanted to know about Black & Whites or at least the ones in Seletar Airbase anyway (where I lived).

Oops! was editing to paste link and double posted but ...but.... anyway..

[sundaymorningstaple]

Nor durains either!

The jackfruit tree I planted as a 3 foot sapling that I brought back from Thailand back in '84. It's huge today and the fruit is dark orange and of excellent flavour. The Thai Jackfruit is much much better than the local variety.