Is it mandatory to engange agent for renewal of HDB Rental?

[Scorpion_blr]

Hi,

Just wanted to know, is it mandatory to engage an agent at the time of HDB lease/rent renewal? If Yes, Do we need to engage the same agent.

My case is as below:

I found the house for rent through Internet advertisement by an agent. He was the agent of my owner. He, then brought another person and told, she would be my agent. I was not sure of the Singapore HDB rental rules, and I accepted that and paid agent commission. Eventually, she didn’t do anything except speaking to me rudely.

Now, it is time to renew the contract. I don’t want to engage my agent, because she is not supporting me for any issues. The question is, Can I discontinue this agent, stating I never invited her or reached out to her from Day-1. It was owner’s agent who introduced, and I will talk to him and ask my agent not to get involved in the renewal process. With this, I will save agent commission as well as get rid of this rude person.

Thanks for your answers.

[Wd40]

The thing is, you have no choice other than find a new house.
Unless you are somehow able to bypass the owner's agent and get it touch with the owner directly.

[Scorpion_blr]

Hi Wd40, Thanks for the quick response. But, what I heard is, if we catch hold of the Landlard's owner, we have a choice not to engage an owner on Tenant's behalf and still do the lease contract. And Landlard pay agent fees (as he/she is the one engaged by the Landlard). Is this True?

[Wd40]

Everything is possible provided your owner agrees as he is the one who calls the shots

[zzm9980]

Did you sign a contract with your agent that said she gets commission if you renew the lease? Read that carefully.

The other agent screwed you as there was never any reason or need to bring in a second agent except to increase their profit. Pretty sure a kick-back was probably involved. I would make a complaint about the owner's agent to CEA:
http://www.cea.gov.sg/cea/content/consu ... laint.html

Or better, threaten it if they won't let you renew or sign an all new lease without your agent.

[Wd40]

Did you sign a contract with your agent that said she gets commission if you renew the lease? Read that carefully.

The other agent screwed you as there was never any reason or need to bring in a second agent except to increase their profit. Pretty sure a kick-back was probably involved. I would make a complaint about the owner's agent to CEA:
http://www.cea.gov.sg/cea/content/consu ... laint.html

Or better, threaten it if they won't let you renew or sign an all new lease without your agent.

This is always practiced here. Although its unethical, I dont think it is illegal. You can complain to CEA but I doubt you will get anything out of it. Its the owner's agent's choice to deal the way he/she wants. I mean why will she deal with a tenant directly for free? Are you expecting her to represent the tenant for free?

The tenant has agreed to have the second agent involved, so there is nothing illegal about it. In case he had refused to agree with having the second agent involved, the owner's agent would have simply given the deal to someone else.

Its all about demand and supply mate and right now its still the landlord's market and not the tenants. Hence my 1st reply that everything depends on what the owner wants and agrees to.

[zzm9980]

The landlord's agent should "deal" with you because he is making money off the landlord. And I never said it was illegal, and it's not always practiced here. They may suggest it, but most will fall over if you refuse. OP should file the complaint anyway, because it is unethical. If CEA lets it stand, anyone with the iPhone app will be able to see this agent had a complaint.

[x9200]

Did you sign a contract with your agent that said she gets commission if you renew the lease? Read that carefully.

The other agent screwed you as there was never any reason or need to bring in a second agent except to increase their profit. Pretty sure a kick-back was probably involved. I would make a complaint about the owner's agent to CEA:
http://www.cea.gov.sg/cea/content/consu ... laint.html

Or better, threaten it if they won't let you renew or sign an all new lease without your agent.

This is always practiced here. Although its unethical, I dont think it is illegal.

Depends what OP was told at the beginning. If, that he needed an agent to sign a TA then it was fraud what is a criminal offense. Of course it is a different story whether this can be proven.

You can complain to CEA but I doubt you will get anything out of it. Its the owner's agent's choice to deal the way he/she wants.

No, it's not the LL's agent choice. It's the LL choice. If the agent do something like this it clearly works against the best interests of his/her client. This is at least violation of the CEA code and can be also subject to standard civil liabilities.

I mean why will she deal with a tenant directly for free? Are you expecting her to represent the tenant for free?

Because she is paid to get the potential tenants engaged? Why a shop assistant in an ordinary shop should deal directly with you?

[zzm9980]

I mean why will she deal with a tenant directly for free? Are you expecting her to represent the tenant for free?

Because she is paid to get the potential tenants engaged? Why a shop assistant in an ordinary shop should deal directly with you?

To add to this, my agent has not done a single thing for me (except spam me via Whatsapp on CNY and other holidays with trite singlish religious crap) after I signed the lease and past the 14 day warranty period. And he probably only helped during those 14 days because I hadn't paid his fee yet.

On the other hand, my landlord's agent bends over backwards to help us out and be pleasant. She gave my daughter a hong bao on CNY and has even offered to hold broken furniture in storage that my landlord wouldn't let me dispose of.