Skip to main content

Uniquely Singapore Enbloc Fever

Just when I was talking about unethical agents and enbloc issues in Singapore, I got a text message from my agent yesterday, confirming that our flat in Le Chateau has been enbloc, and that all tenants will have to move out by the end of this month!

Less than 1 month notice, and not even a written notice! And she had the nerve to ask me to pay up the full rent for the month of July! In other countries that I have resided in before, including Malaysia and England, I have never experienced this kind of real estate moments. Whether it was a lapse of a contract, or in the event of my old landlord wanting to sell the place, I was always informed formally, given ample time for necessary planning with full refund of my deposit.

But the law here seems to be working in the owner's or the agent's favour. In most contracts you will only find rule after rule for the tenant to obey, and nothing for their benefit, for example: what would happen to them when the property is sold, or enbloc in this case?

Nothing is mentioned.

Now I have only 3 more months to serve in this God-forbidden country, but I have to move out of my room in less than a month's time. So I will have to look for another short term place to stay in for the remaining 2 months, which is extremely difficult, unless I am extremely rich with lots of disposable cash to spare.

If you are in the same boat, or if you are planning to come to Singapore to live or work, be prepared before you do so. Check out the forum on Tenant's Right, and Enblocing Singapore. They maybe useful to you. Me? It's too late. Damage's done. You may find me sleeping on the street next month.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Don't pay and demand compensation, threaten legal action. Do as Singaporeans do COMPLAIN!
Anonymous said…
I understand the plight you are in. But to be fair, one month's notice is typical for a standard rental contract in Singapore. So are the other terms you have mentioned. Unless the contract you have signed states otherwise, you'd only be wasting money and will most likely lose, if you choose to sue.

Apart from paying for expensive short term accomodation, you could check with your colleagues who may have a spare room to rent out. If not, they may have friends who do. Perhaps they could help.

It would be wise for prospective tenants to scrutinise and be comfortable with the terms of their proposed contracts before signing on the dotted line.

Popular posts from this blog

Sit Back, Relax, And Please Put Your Feet On the Seat

I absolutely hate buses with those facing seats: they are narrow, you get dizzy when you're facing the back of the bus, not to mention that you also have to be staring at other passengers doing the same thing to you; what's worse, THIS:   This person here thinks he owns the bus and had his feet up the whole journey! I was tempted to tell him off but would I dare risk my life dealing with someone this rude and inconsiderate so openly? No, I won't - especially when this is a Seri Kembangan bus route in Malaysia. No offense to the residents there, my family lives there too so trust me - I KNOW. And yes I'm just a coward who only knows how to take a picture and rant about it online, and wished that the bus driver could've done something about it. But then again, this is Malaysia, and this was a Rapid KL bus No.540. You get what I mean, if you're one of the locals.  Such a disgrace to the local people!

Change Of Driving Direction On Just 1 Road In Petaling Jaya - Left To Right, Then Back To Left Within A Month!

Just when I'm about getting used to this 1 road in Petaling Jaya being changed to right side driving last month, walking across this road this morning, it has just been changed back to left side driving!!! Picture taken on 3 Feb 2018 Picture taken this morning Not that I would complain about it being reverted back to normal, but is this really a matter can be taken so lightly that some "authority" can just decide to change twice in such a short period of time? What exactly is the standard of healthy & safety of this country? Or should I just be thankful that no one got killed because of that? Mind you, that's only my hopeful assumption.

The Over Developed Bangsar South Losing its Greenery Permanently

Bangsar South -  one of the upcoming and most rapidly developed township on the hill, complete with a new shopping mall, hotels, offices, condominiums and even a few medical centres and clinics within the neighbourhood. Sounds great. Is it really? Once upon a time, this area was called Kampung Kerinchi (Kerinchi Village), which had a good mix of different residential buildings, local shops and food stalls, and a big farmers' market that opened twice a week. Most importantly, residents used to be surrounded by lots of greenery but not short of necessary modern conveniences. BUT, ever since the renaming of the area from the not-very-cool-sounding one to Bangsar South several years ago, there hasn't been a pause in development. This of course, involved the sacrifice of many many trees and bushes and destroying the landscape with the leveling of the hilly lands.    We can foresee what the residents downhill would be experiencing on stormy days: mud flooding dow