'They even broke the tiles': Property agent warns against renting out flat to 'wrong tenants'
Thinking of renting out your HDB flat? Be sure to properly screen your prospective tenants – or you might be left with a mess once their term is up.
Property agent Benedict Lim shared a TikTok video featuring a flat in Punggol that had been rented out for three and a half years by “improperly-screened” tenants.
According to him, the tenant had already cleaned the place before the handover – but it was "still a disaster".
The kitchen, which he said originally had a white counter, was now a shade of yellow with oil stains marking the counter and sink.
A cabinet in the living room had orange smudges on it, apparently vandalised by children.
"They even broke the tiles!" Lim said, showing the cracks on the floor.
He also lamented the poor cleanliness of the windows and air conditioner.
Then there was the wardrobe, which had a completely broken door. Masking tape was used to hold the cracked glass panel together. "The wardrobe is gone," Lim said. "My god."
@benedictlimsg Would you go for a higher rent or a better profile tenant ? #sgtiktok #fypシ #singaporetiktok #sgpropertyagent #property #singapore #fypsg #hdb #hdbrental #sgrental ♬ original sound - Benedict Lim
According to him, he had always been careful with selecting tenants. However, the landlord had been desperate this time around and turned to a different agent, who rented out the place without properly screening the tenants.
Things could have been far worse, though. Last month, a TikTok user shared a video of her newly bought condo that had been rented out to students. In just a few months, the apartment had been turned into a “rubbish dump”.
It’s not always about bad tenants. In Yishun, a landlord allegedly evicted her tenants after harassing them for using the water and electricity – and refused to return their deposit when asked.
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