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Screwed by agent due to naivity

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AngMoh
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Screwed by agent due to naivity

Post by AngMoh » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 2:18 pm

Hi everybody,

I need your help - when I moved into my HDB I was promised by my agent that I could move out anytime as long as I give long enough notice to her and she would find a replacement so I get back my deposit.

Now, after I gave her 2.5months notice she didn't manage to organize anything so I am moving out without a replacement one month before the end of the lease. Therefore, I either don't pay the last months rent and lose the deposit or pay the last months rent and get back the deposit but pay for a unit I am not living in!

I even tried to help the agent by posting on craigslist and generated in 2 days more leads (7) than she in 2.5 months (2) but nobody who signed anything yet.

Unfortunately I do not have anything explicit in writing (I know - very naive, erm, stupid of me) - what can I do?

Thank you very much in advance!

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econoMIC
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Post by econoMIC » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 4:15 pm

If you have nothing in writing I think there is nothing much you can do. Many agents in Singapore tell you what you want to hear in order to make you rent the flat but never give it to you in writing. Thus rule of thumb: if you don't have it in writing you don't have it at all.
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ksl
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Re: Screwed by agent due to naivity...

Post by ksl » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 4:59 pm

AngMoh wrote:Hi everybody,

I need your help - when I moved into my HDB I was promised by my agent that I could move out anytime as long as I give long enough notice to her and she would find a replacement so I get back my deposit.

Now, after I gave her 2.5months notice she didn't manage to organize anything so I am moving out without a replacement one month before the end of the lease. Therefore, I either don't pay the last months rent and lose the deposit or pay the last months rent and get back the deposit but pay for a unit I am not living in!

I even tried to help the agent by posting on craigslist and generated in 2 days more leads (7) than she in 2.5 months (2) but nobody who signed anything yet.

Unfortunately I do not have anything explicit in writing (I know - very naive, erm, stupid of me) - what can I do?

Thank you very much in advance!
You actually mean you have no contract at all, and you paid money up front? Any reciept of payment for the deposit?

AngMoh
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Post by AngMoh » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 5:07 pm

I have a regular renting contract which has 1 month left (October) so either I don't pay the rent now and lose the deposit for sure, or I pay the last months rent and get back the deposit afterwards but don't use the unit for one month (deposit is 1 month).

I have a receipt for the deposit but I think the landlord doesn't have anything to do with the situation because it is my side's agent who promised to find the replacement, the landlord just says he doesn't care as long as he gets the rent

What I do not have is this agreement in writing where she says that I can move out any time as long as I give her enough notice to find a replacement.

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Post by mrlily » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 5:41 pm

this regular renting contract you have, what does it say about moving out and breaking your lease?

if there is nothing specifically written about it, I would ask the agent what they are planning on doing. if they give you the run-around, personally i'd not pay the last months rent.

if there is something written about it, you must abide by it.

aswell... don't let the 3rd party confuse the situation meaning; if your contract is with the agent only deal with the agent.
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ksl
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Post by ksl » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 6:19 pm

AngMoh wrote:I have a regular renting contract which has 1 month left (October) so either I don't pay the rent now and lose the deposit for sure, or I pay the last months rent and get back the deposit afterwards but don't use the unit for one month (deposit is 1 month).

I have a receipt for the deposit but I think the landlord doesn't have anything to do with the situation because it is my side's agent who promised to find the replacement, the landlord just says he doesn't care as long as he gets the rent

What I do not have is this agreement in writing where she says that I can move out any time as long as I give her enough notice to find a replacement.
Your contract should tell you what the requirement is for giving up the contract early, 1 month notice maybe, so you have given the agent plenty of time to find a replacement.

I can only advise to not pay the last months rent, because you have given more than sufficient notice for them to find a replacement, and if their is no damage, to claim back your deposit or take it to small claims court. Either way it needs to be reported to the agents authority for action to be taken against him/her

There was only 1500 complaints about bad housing agents, and the authorities are starting to clamp down on them, over 500 complaints on rental properties. You are in Singapore, you will learn something here about property agents :wink:

No agent in their right mind is going to run around looking for a replacement, while they have you under contract, that's like asking them to be helpful, to do you a favour, what you need to have done was offer them something in return an incentive to get you a replacement. in the end, you lose everything and the agent shrugs it off, not their problem.

Agents have to cover their own expenses to find replacements and new tenants, and while he's got you on contract, he has no reason to help you!

He can and will almost screw you for the deposit too, if you do not know how to deal with them.

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Post by AngMoh » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 1:38 pm

Thanks for the replies, what is the correct authority to report this behavior to?

Definitely learned my lesson concerning property agents...

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ksl
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Post by ksl » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 5:33 pm

AngMoh wrote:Thanks for the replies, what is the correct authority to report this behavior to?

Definitely learned my lesson concerning property agents...
Yes it's unfortunate. there are over 30,000 agents and only 6000 are registered, so the next time make sure they are registered with the association, even then it will be difficult until regulations are put in place to protect the tenant.

You may save a little if you chat with your agent, though he will not do anything free, becuase they take the cost burden, not the estate agent licence holder!

Those 6000 registered agents work for a handful 11 that i know of that hold the licences, it's a closed shop


http://www.iea.org.sg/

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