Singapore Expats

Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Discuss about where to live, renting a property, tenancy issues, property trend and property investment in Singapore.
Post Reply
joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:53 am

Hi,

I need help. I have been following this forum for a while now and have found several helpful answers. In many cases, I have just referred to earlier discussions and got my answers but this time, I need some serious help.

I am a EP holder, employed in Singapore for the last 4 years. Had rented a 3 bedroom fully furnished HDB apartment and stayed with friends.We are the no-issues kind of tenants. Spent for petty stuff on our own, rarely had issues with the house. We also maintained good relations with the owner by taking efforts to pass his letters etc. Now, this apartment is quite pretty - well furnished with wooden interiors, excellent furniture, wooden floors. Also, it has a home proud owner. We initially rented in 2012 and have been renewing since. Rental was initially at $3,200 until 2013. Later, we negotiated with the owner and got it to $3000. The deposit remained at $3200. In this area, rentals have dropped considerably. The average is at $2700 for a 3BHK.

In Feb 2015, two of my friends relocated to AU and I planned to move out too.. Contract was until June 2015. So, we spoke to the owner and was given two options - either pay up until June or find a replacement tenant! Obviously, we did the latter. After crazy advertising ( yep, we did all that a agent does and even employed an agent on our end) we found a replacement tenant who was willing to take up only at $2900. Rental rates have fallen down in the area but my owner refuses to acknowledge it. Fearing any further issues, we compensated the rest to the new tenant so that the rental remains at 3K to the owner.

Now, all problems began during the handover. The owner came in and checked. He had SO many issues - some extremely insane. Here are some examples of the problems he had.

- A corner of the wooden skirting was chipped off. So, I need to replace the entire skirting.

- A small portion of the foyer's wood cupboard was chipped. So, I need to change the whole wall.

- The stainless steel backing behind the kitchen hob is scratched ( hell, its obvious stainless steel gets scratched). Note, this is not broken or chipped. It looks perfect but he wants to replace the whole thing.

- Two dining chairs were broken. We got it fixed but it was not to his satisfaction. He wants to replace the whole set!

- Only the main door, gate, letter box and gas meter keys were given to us. He is now asking for keys for every single draw and door in the house. These were kept in a corner box and remained there until we moved out. Obviously, we have no clue on it.

According to my contract, he has to refund the deposit in 14 days. We had the handover on March 1st. I called him last week to check on the status of the refund. Note, the new tenant has already moved in and has started using the apartment. He mentioned - he is yet to get a quote from his handyman and will keep me posted.

Yesterday, I received an email with a quote for a crazy amount. He not only plans to keep the deposit but wants to fork out more. Some of the stuff on his quote -

- New flooring - $1100
- New stainless steel backing - $1000
- New skirting - $450
- Plumbing - $600 ( we have no clue why! everything was working fine when we left!)
- New cupboards ( couple were stained, but he wants to replace all 4 cupboards) - $2200
- New dining table - $600 ( apparently, it's worth thrice this amount and he is being considerate).
- Cleaning the unit - stuff like windows are dirty - $1100

To add to our woes, the letter box key got misplaced and was shipped off to AU ( stupid, I know). Even more insane that the owner doensn't have a spare. We are of course willing to pay up for this. So, that's another $50 I guess.

He also says he will consider reduction but still wants us to fork out. He doesn't plan to get any of these really replaced and is just getting quotes to make us pay. This is something he told us on his own.

Before moving out, we spent to get the chairs fixed, all curtains and sofa covers dry cleaned, entire unit cleaned with two maids, all wooden furniture polished, bulbs changed, AC's serviced. We spent about $600 and have bills for it.

I need to know how to proceed on this. Everyone around me says he is simply being greedy and it's atrocious to ask the tenant money for his renovation. But, how do I deal with this?

- Can I just ignore his email, calls and accept that the deposit is gone?. I really don't want to take this route as this ignoring mania isn't easy. He will call from different numbers etc.

- Can I simply deny and ask for some other vendor to provide a quote?

- Am I eligible to take it to the small courts tribunal?

I really need help on this. Too stressed to think right on this issue.

Thanks a million!
KC

Search By



User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by JR8 » Tue, 17 Mar 2015 5:10 pm

Going through your post in steps...
joiedevivre22 wrote:I am a EP holder, employed in Singapore for the last 4 years. Had rented a 3 bedroom fully furnished HDB apartment and stayed with friends.We are the no-issues kind of tenants. Spent for petty stuff on our own, rarely had issues with the house. We also maintained good relations with the owner by taking efforts to pass his letters etc. Now, this apartment is quite pretty - well furnished with wooden interiors, excellent furniture, wooden floors. Also, it has a home proud owner. We initially rented in 2012 and have been renewing since. Rental was initially at $3,200 until 2013. Later, we negotiated with the owner and got it to $3000. The deposit remained at $3200. In this area, rentals have dropped considerably. The average is at $2700 for a 3BHK.

In Feb 2015, two of my friends relocated to AU and I planned to move out too.. Contract was until June 2015. So, we spoke to the owner and was given two options - either pay up until June or find a replacement tenant! Obviously, we did the latter. After crazy advertising ( yep, we did all that a agent does and even employed an agent on our end) we found a replacement tenant who was willing to take up only at $2900. Rental rates have fallen down in the area but my owner refuses to acknowledge it. Fearing any further issues, we compensated the rest to the new tenant so that the rental remains at 3K to the owner.
a) Be grateful that the LL was willing to accept any tenant that you found. You will see many stories here where the LL refuses absolutely every single proposed replacement tenant.

b) Your contracted rent is $3k to June 2015. It is a distraction what it might rent for now. If the replacement tenant is willing to pay only $2900 you are still contracted to pay S$3k. Offering to pay the increment of $100/pm is your legal obligation, so cannot be considered ‘helping’ the LL, going out of your way, or anything like that.

joiedevivre22 wrote: Now, all problems began during the handover. The owner came in and checked. He had SO many issues - some extremely insane. Here are some examples of the problems he had.
- A corner of the wooden skirting was chipped off. So, I need to replace the entire skirting.
- A small portion of the foyer's wood cupboard was chipped. So, I need to change the whole wall.
- The stainless steel backing behind the kitchen hob is scratched ( hell, its obvious stainless steel gets scratched). Note, this is not broken or chipped. It looks perfect but he wants to replace the whole thing.
- Two dining chairs were broken. We got it fixed but it was not to his satisfaction. He wants to replace the whole set!
- Only the main door, gate, letter box and gas meter keys were given to us. He is now asking for keys for every single draw and door in the house. These were kept in a corner box and remained there until we moved out. Obviously, we have no clue on it.
You found this place direct vs the owner? I.e. you did not have an agent of your own?
Did you receive proof that your let was registered with HDB? And did you receive proof that the TA had been stamped for Stamp Duty?
Did you have an ‘inventory and condition report’ carried out at your point of moving in?
[I can’t comment further re: these points until the above Q’s are answered. But note deductions must be proportionate to the cost of rectifying them, ‘allowing for fair wear and tear’ ==> Is there a clause in your TA regarding Fair Wear and Tear? It’s ‘law’ whether it’s in there or not, but is usually spelled out explicitly within a TA].
joiedevivre22 wrote:According to my contract, he has to refund the deposit in 14 days. We had the handover on March 1st. I called him last week to check on the status of the refund. Note, the new tenant has already moved in and has started using the apartment. He mentioned - he is yet to get a quote from his handyman and will keep me posted.
That is NOT a valid excuse! You can see how the LL expects to see this situation panning out => he keeps all your money.

joiedevivre22 wrote:Yesterday, I received an email with a quote for a crazy amount. He not only plans to keep the deposit but wants to fork out more. Some of the stuff on his quote -
- New flooring - $1100
- New stainless steel backing - $1000
- New skirting - $450
- Plumbing - $600 ( we have no clue why! everything was working fine when we left!)
- New cupboards ( couple were stained, but he wants to replace all 4 cupboards) - $2200
- New dining table - $600 ( apparently, it's worth thrice this amount and he is being considerate).
- Cleaning the unit - stuff like windows are dirty - $1100
Is this a copy of a formal quote, on the contractors headed company paper?
Again the above goes back to the inventory check-in/out question. So I can’t usefully comment further at this point in time.

joiedevivre22 wrote:To add to our woes, the letter box key got misplaced and was shipped off to AU ( stupid, I know). Even more insane that the owner doensn't have a spare. We are of course willing to pay up for this. So, that's another $50 I guess.
Changing the lock-barrel is usually a simple DIY job. How is the new tenant retrieving their post in the meanwhile?

joiedevivre22 wrote:He also says he will consider reduction but still wants us to fork out. He doesn't plan to get any of these really replaced and is just getting quotes to make us pay. This is something he told us on his own.
A reduction doesn’t come into it. You should only be liable for what is reasonably due.
Your second point is interesting. ... If he doesn’t intend to replace, then presumably he doesn’t consider that they need replacing, so how does he justify that cost, over and above any consideration of Fair Wear and Tear?
I have charged tenants for damages that are beyond FW+T, and carried out replacements. But say if the carpet when new had an expected 10 year useful (asset/accounting) life, and the tenant moved in when it was 5 years old, then what ever the latest tenant has done to it they cannot be on the hook for more than 50% of the replacement cost. ---> Maybe look further into the matter of [tags] ‘landlords fixtures fittings useful asset life’s’ or similar, and see what you find. There are some pretty generic benchmarks, just roughly/approx, examples for a rental, i.e. that is expected to get well used: hardwood/ceramic floors 10-25 years, painted walls, about 3 years, sofas 5-10 years max. Look also for depreciation tables for LLs fixtures and fittings. That applies in tax jurisdictions where a LL can depreciate the contents year by year over their estimated useful life.

joiedevivre22 wrote:Before moving out, we spent to get the chairs fixed, all curtains and sofa covers dry cleaned, entire unit cleaned with two maids, all wooden furniture polished, bulbs changed, AC's serviced. We spent about $600 and have bills for it.
But that was what was contractually required anyway right?

joiedevivre22 wrote:I need to know how to proceed on this. Everyone around me says he is simply being greedy and it's atrocious to ask the tenant money for his renovation. But, how do I deal with this?
- Can I just ignore his email, calls and accept that the deposit is gone?. I really don't want to take this route as this ignoring mania isn't easy. He will call from different numbers etc.
- Can I simply deny and ask for some other vendor to provide a quote?
- Am I eligible to take it to the small courts tribunal?
Replying re: the above main Q’s will help fill in the overall picture.
- The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself.
- Certainly, at least while you are still legally resident in SG. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!
'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard

joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Tue, 17 Mar 2015 6:46 pm

Thank you, very helpful response. Here are my responses.

Be grateful that the LL was willing to accept any tenant that you found. You will see many stories here where the LL refuses absolutely every single proposed replacement tenant.

Ha, he did too. We went thro four others before fixing on this one. His key concern was any one willing to pay 3K. After the fourth rejection, we decided to pitch in the difference.

If the replacement tenant is willing to pay only $2900 you are still contracted to pay S$3k.

We are no longer under the contract. They have created a new contract with stamp duty et all at $2900.

Offering to pay the increment of $100/pm is your legal obligation, so cannot be considered ‘helping’ the LL, going out of your way, or anything like that.

Yes, agreed. I merely stated.

You found this place direct vs the owner? I.e. you did not have an agent of your own?

We had an agent. Owner had an agent as well. After the first renewal, we had direct contact with the owners. So, my agent is no longer in the picture.

Did you receive proof that your let was registered with HDB? And did you receive proof that the TA had been stamped for Stamp Duty?

I don't know if it was registered with HDB. Never received any document on that. And yes, it is a TA with stamp duty. I have the receipt.

Did you have an ‘inventory and condition report’ carried out at your point of moving in?

Yes. It was a list of items given. Not a 'condition' report. However, we took photos and emailed the owner on the condition of some items - like tubes, bulbs etc but those were tenant's expense anyway, so we paid for it.

Is there a clause in your TA regarding Fair Wear and Tear? It’s ‘law’ whether it’s in there or not, but is usually spelled out explicitly within a TA

No. There is no clause on it.

You can see how the LL expects to see this situation panning out => he keeps all your money

Precisely. We did expect it to pan out this way, but what we didn't expect is a mail with exorbitant quotes.

Is this a copy of a formal quote, on the contractors headed company paper?

It is a formal quote, but has no letter head. It does have the contractor's initial and a bit of googling later, I found the name and he is a registered HDB contractor. I have my own doubts if it is indeed a original quotation as it was not on letter head.

Changing the lock-barrel is usually a simple DIY job.

Well, I don't want to comment on this as it is our mistake to lose it. However, the manner this was treated was sick. He called during work and screamed at me. I explained that it was lost and asked him if we can replace. He disagreed. Anyway, that's just one more of his crazy calls.

Your second point is interesting. ... If he doesn’t intend to replace, then presumably he doesn’t consider that they need replacing, so how does he justify that cost, over and above any consideration of Fair Wear and Tear

Of course, they don't need replacing! The walls, floors, fixtures are all perfectly in working condition. He is simply asking because he can. I don't see any reason ( and neither will anyone else) to replace a perfectly fine wooden floor because a corner is chipped. His explanation - to repair this, the only option is to pull it down and replace. I don't plan to do it but I may have to some day, so pay up. Is that really how things work here? I am not too sure. I don't know of any place where the only way to fix a broken chip is to install a new one.

Maybe look further into the matter of [tags] ‘landlords fixtures fittings useful asset life’s’ or similar, and see what you find. There are some pretty generic benchmarks, just roughly/approx, examples for a rental, i.e. that is expected to get well used: hardwood/ceramic floors 10-25 years, painted walls, about 3 years, sofas 5-10 years max. Look also for depreciation tables for LLs fixtures and fittings. That applies in tax jurisdictions where a LL can depreciate the contents year by year over their estimated useful life

Very useful info. I'll look into this. But then, the flat is reasonably new. We were the first tenants and he literally 'cried' to me saying how he has never used the kitchen and we were the first to use it etc. So, I don't know how much of this will make sense in this scenario.

But that was what was contractually required anyway right?

Well, it wasn't spelt out. But we were asked to on emails. And it made sense to do so, as we have indeed used for 2.5 years. Just saying we did fulfill what we had to.

The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself


Your point no 1 is my fear. He might simply say I am ignoring his email and take it legal. That's the last thing I want to face. And yes, he won't accept another quote so easily. also, on the legal bit - I am not on the contract. I am an occupant only. The main contract holder is no longer in Singapore.

Thanks a ton for taking time to write on this.

User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by JR8 » Tue, 17 Mar 2015 6:55 pm

'There is a font/colour issue going on for me in your reply, the reply sections are invisible, so just to 'decode it' :) I am posting this.'
------------------------------------------------------

//Edit - repost removed, since the original now appears ok.
Last edited by JR8 on Wed, 18 Mar 2015 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10075
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by x9200 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 7:07 am

joiedevivre22 wrote:The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself


Your point no 1 is my fear. He might simply say I am ignoring his email and take it legal. That's the last thing I want to face. And yes, he won't accept another quote so easily. also, on the legal bit - I am not on the contract. I am an occupant only. The main contract holder is no longer in Singapore.
I generally agree with what JR8 wrote so far except for the legalities. Unless I misunderstood something tragically or you start threatening the LL there is no way there could be any criminal record out of this mess. All what you may face is to be required to pay, what would need to be executed by a bailiff etc etc. It's not an easy and cost-free process so, with the characteristic of the LL and other details you provided, personally I doubt he would do anything about it if he keeps the deposit.

joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 9:51 am

x9200 wrote:
joiedevivre22 wrote:The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself


Your point no 1 is my fear. He might simply say I am ignoring his email and take it legal. That's the last thing I want to face. And yes, he won't accept another quote so easily. also, on the legal bit - I am not on the contract. I am an occupant only. The main contract holder is no longer in Singapore.
I generally agree with what JR8 wrote so far except for the legalities. Unless I misunderstood something tragically or you start threatening the LL there is no way there could be any criminal record out of this mess. All what you may face is to be required to pay, what would need to be executed by a bailiff etc etc. It's not an easy and cost-free process so, with the characteristic of the LL and other details you provided, personally I doubt he would do anything about it if he keeps the deposit.
Ha, there is nothing on my end to threaten him. I wouldn't as well. In fact, if at all - he can keep asking me for money. I highly doubt if they will have the interest to take it legal and pay the costs, but there is a mild doubt in how he reacts to certain situations, so I have to keep guard. In the past, he has openly stated that we are foreigners and should keep guard of our status, I usually ignore such statements as these are mere threats used here to get stuff done ( sorry, folks - but it is true). Doesn't bother much, but does happen.

He is probably just expecting us to bail out and allow him to keep the money without any hassle. Going by the stress we are facing on this, we are leaning towards letting it go without a hassle.

User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by JR8 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 11:48 am

x9200 wrote:
joiedevivre22 wrote:The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself


Your point no 1 is my fear. He might simply say I am ignoring his email and take it legal. That's the last thing I want to face. And yes, he won't accept another quote so easily. also, on the legal bit - I am not on the contract. I am an occupant only. The main contract holder is no longer in Singapore.
I generally agree with what JR8 wrote so far except for the legalities. Unless I misunderstood something tragically or you start threatening the LL there is no way there could be any criminal record out of this mess. All what you may face is to be required to pay, what would need to be executed by a bailiff etc etc. It's not an easy and cost-free process so, with the characteristic of the LL and other details you provided, personally I doubt he would do anything about it if he keeps the deposit.
I disagree that there is 'no way' a criminal record could result from this. Maybe the nuance between criminal and civil crime is causing confusion? In the UK any person's police record is referred to as your 'criminal record', and indeed you have a right to get a copy of it on demand from the Criminal Records Bureau. It records both criminal and civil crimes.

So a landlord can file action against a tenant, and the risk (as I consciously worded it) is that in the tenant's absence, summary judgement will be 'found' against them. Hence such an individual would have a SGn 'criminal record'. And if they have left the country, they might never know.

Anyway, hopefully I will have time to go back to the substantive issues in the OPs original and follow-up posts.
'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10075
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by x9200 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 2:13 pm

Criminal refers mostly to the penal code based offenses (convictions). There is no such a thing as civil crime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_%28common_law%29
Civil law is a branch of the law.[1] In common law countries such as England, Wales, and the United States, the term refers to non-criminal law

Not sure what you mean by civil criminal records from the police... maybe you just refer to court ruling records? This of course is available but there is a huge difference of being convicted as a criminal and just "lose" the civil case.

joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 2:27 pm

JR8 wrote:
x9200 wrote:
joiedevivre22 wrote:The risk re: 2 is you leave, he files a case against you, it is ‘found’ against you in/due to your absence and then you have a SGn criminal record.
- You need to determine what would be reasonable first. Also one suspects that there is a danger that he won’t accept any other quote that he has not arranged himself


Your point no 1 is my fear. He might simply say I am ignoring his email and take it legal. That's the last thing I want to face. And yes, he won't accept another quote so easily. also, on the legal bit - I am not on the contract. I am an occupant only. The main contract holder is no longer in Singapore.
I generally agree with what JR8 wrote so far except for the legalities. Unless I misunderstood something tragically or you start threatening the LL there is no way there could be any criminal record out of this mess. All what you may face is to be required to pay, what would need to be executed by a bailiff etc etc. It's not an easy and cost-free process so, with the characteristic of the LL and other details you provided, personally I doubt he would do anything about it if he keeps the deposit.
I disagree that there is 'no way' a criminal record could result from this. Maybe the nuance between criminal and civil crime is causing confusion? In the UK any person's police record is referred to as your 'criminal record', and indeed you have a right to get a copy of it on demand from the Criminal Records Bureau. It records both criminal and civil crimes.

So a landlord can file action against a tenant, and the risk (as I consciously worded it) is that in the tenant's absence, summary judgement will be 'found' against them. Hence such an individual would have a SGn 'criminal record'. And if they have left the country, they might never know.

Anyway, hopefully I will have time to go back to the substantive issues in the OPs original and follow-up posts.
Just asking to learn - on what grounds can be file a case?

User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by JR8 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 7:11 pm

@X9
Perhaps you would like to go through the OPs posts and give her the benefit of your knowledge. Since it appears everything I say is wrong, and hence there is no point me participating in this discussion.

Over to you.
'Do it or do not do it: You will regret both' - Kierkegaard

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10075
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by x9200 » Wed, 18 Mar 2015 8:50 pm

JR8 wrote:@X9
Perhaps you would like to go through the OPs posts and give her the benefit of your knowledge. Since it appears everything I say is wrong, and hence there is no point me participating in this discussion.

Over to you.
Sure, here it goes.
Is your professional LL's pride so touched by my comments and at the same time you could not prove your point (for whatever reason) that you had to resort to some whining childish rhetorics? If the case, maybe you should not respond at all?

You are wrong on the legalities as I stated earlier also mentioning, that besides them, I generally agreed what you said.

Frankly, It is a bit shocking, that you, expressing your opinion in so many law related topics don't know what is a criminal offense and criminal record related to it.

Back to the topic: regardless the nature of the record, could you please point to any reliable source stating that anything like this regarding the tenants or even broader, contracts, exists in Singapore?

joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Thu, 19 Mar 2015 2:36 pm

Hi - not so much on the legal side, but I still invite suggestions and need help on how to negotiate on this. I am expecting more bills from him the coming week :o

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10075
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by x9200 » Thu, 19 Mar 2015 3:08 pm

joiedevivre22 wrote:Hi - not so much on the legal side, but I still invite suggestions and need help on how to negotiate on this. I am expecting more bills from him the coming week :o
I am not sure if there is much you could do. After you receive all the demands I would just write a formal paper letter sent to both him and your agent (info about cc included in both) via registered mail where you should address one by one all his demands, propose something different or reject the demand always giving reasons.

For some of your issues, you may consider the following: if the damage is small it is unreasonable to demand the repair (de facto replacement) of the whole item. E.g., a small dent in the parquet should not be a reason for sanding off the whole place. But such defects may require some compensation (propose some adequate amount of money).
If you think some total repairs/replacement may be justified, find out some SG based contractors and ask them for quotations. If much cheaper, include them to the letter as some evidence supporting your stand points.

joiedevivre22
Member
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:29 am

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by joiedevivre22 » Thu, 19 Mar 2015 4:32 pm

x9200 wrote:
joiedevivre22 wrote:Hi - not so much on the legal side, but I still invite suggestions and need help on how to negotiate on this. I am expecting more bills from him the coming week :o
I am not sure if there is much you could do. After you receive all the demands I would just write a formal paper letter sent to both him and your agent (info about cc included in both) via registered mail where you should address one by one all his demands, propose something different or reject the demand always giving reasons.

For some of your issues, you may consider the following: if the damage is small it is unreasonable to demand the repair (de facto replacement) of the whole item. E.g., a small dent in the parquet should not be a reason for sanding off the whole place. But such defects may require some compensation (propose some adequate amount of money).
If you think some total repairs/replacement may be justified, find out some SG based contractors and ask them for quotations. If much cheaper, include them to the letter as some evidence supporting your stand points.
Thank you. Any specific reason why registered mail is better than email?

User avatar
the lynx
Governor
Governor
Posts: 5281
Joined: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:29 pm
Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:

Re: Tenancy agreements/leases and your rights as a tenant

Post by the lynx » Thu, 19 Mar 2015 4:41 pm

joiedevivre22 wrote:
x9200 wrote:
joiedevivre22 wrote:Hi - not so much on the legal side, but I still invite suggestions and need help on how to negotiate on this. I am expecting more bills from him the coming week :o
I am not sure if there is much you could do. After you receive all the demands I would just write a formal paper letter sent to both him and your agent (info about cc included in both) via registered mail where you should address one by one all his demands, propose something different or reject the demand always giving reasons.

For some of your issues, you may consider the following: if the damage is small it is unreasonable to demand the repair (de facto replacement) of the whole item. E.g., a small dent in the parquet should not be a reason for sanding off the whole place. But such defects may require some compensation (propose some adequate amount of money).
If you think some total repairs/replacement may be justified, find out some SG based contractors and ask them for quotations. If much cheaper, include them to the letter as some evidence supporting your stand points.
Thank you. Any specific reason why registered mail is better than email?
Because it can show proof of receipt.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Property Talk, Housing & Rental”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests