Assignment 3: Lording Landlords

 Lording Landlords 

Stepping into the bathroom of my rental flat, I noticed something amiss. A fresh set of clothes in hand, I turned to face the shower area on my right, only to see Chinese spinach lying limply on the drainage cover just beneath the shower. There were four leaves in total, messily arranged. The huge green leaves obscured the drainage from view and glistened with droplets. Unfortunately, the human brain is highly integrative – I now associated the humid air and swooshing sounds of the water pipes with the crunch and juiciness of the “mouth-watering” vegetables.   

I began surveying the “crime scene”. Beside the toilet bowl was a large red pail, usually used to wash cars. A trail of soil led from the mouth of the pail to the shower area. Between the shower area and the pail was a garden hose. Water still dripped from it. Clearly, the hose was recently used, and the leaky faucet remained unfixed.  

An elementary deduction – the culprit used the garden hose, washed off soil from Chinese spinach in the red pail (beside a toilet bowl?), then drained excess water by flicking it towards the shower area, which explains the trail of soil. They later kicked the leaves to the drainage. 

Why wash vegetables in the toilet when the kitchen is right outside? In what culture is this normal? Taking a few steps back in shock, I found a spineless reptile on the couch scrolling her phone. My landlady frowned, annoyed, as I urged Her Highness to inspect the loo. 

“What? It’s just vegetables. Just pick it up lah,” she said matter-of-factly, overlooking the oddness of this behaviour, and that in fact, it was not my business to pick up after their family. I refused to move. The quinquagenarian bent down to remove the offensive leaves, but not without rolling her eyes. “Oh, it must be the father,” she said with a sigh, shifting the blame with ease and evidently thinking I was too dramatic.  

Living with a stranger is hard, whether it is accepting another’s hygiene standards or attitude. In my case, the landlords are inconsiderate and expect others to clean up after them. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Other friends who rent with live-in landlords also find them entitled and unreasonable. For example, some enter the tenants’ rooms when the tenants are out or compulsively monitor electricity and air-conditioning usage though it is included in the bills. A Chinese scholar even recounted that her aged landlady set up a string to trip another tenant at night for reasons unknown.  

Unreasonable landlords affect many, whether they are live-in landlords or not.1 There are currently 1.47 million non-residents in Singapore (National Population and Talent Division, 2021). Approximately half probably rent.2 Also, rental prices rose by up to 27% in 2022 (Jacob, 2023). Tenants who are on a budget have no choice but to put up with such problematic behaviour now. This leads us to the question, “Why do Singaporean landlords feel entitled to behave unreasonably?”  

In the Channel NewsAsia documentary, “Singapore’s Soaring HDB Rents: How Do They Affect You?”, documentary producer Chong (2023) investigates the reasons and impact of the recent HDB rent hikes. Rents have increased “non-stop for the last 30 months” at approximately 25-30% on average across estates locally. Chong (2023) notes various factors contributing to the tight rental market, which include a lack of supply of flats due to construction delays caused by the pandemic. 

The rising rents have great impact on the population. Firstly, some tenants were sent “scrambling for a roof over their heads” after being informed of the price hikes. An interviewee, Catherine, succumbed to the price increase of S$2,500 to S$4,000 in the span of nine months in 2022. She could not find a suitable alternative for her two sons, in terms of pricing and living conditions. Secondly, distressed tenants fall prey to a growing number of property scams. A whopping S$3.9 million was lost to property scams in 2022 (Chong, 2023). Finally, price hikes may increase property tax for homeowners.3  

Chong (2023) covers both the reasons and impact of soaring rental prices. However, the documentary is limited as it focuses mostly on financial pressures, overlooking other types of landlord-tenant conflicts. From Chong (2023), we may infer how ‘entitled’ landlords are when enacting major price hikes, such as in Catherine’s case. Current market trends help landlords justify their actions because tenants are not legally protected against major price hikes. Chong (2023) fails to mention that such legal protection existed previously. The Control of Rent Act, first introduced in 1947 and abolished in 2001, was deemed obsolete as more Singaporeans became homeowners instead of tenants (Ministry of National Development, 2001). Additionally, the tight rental market ensures landlords a tenant and pressures tenants to compromise. Landlords are hence not incentivised to change their behaviour. In sum, Chong (2023) makes us realise that tenants lack legal protection in the face of major price hikes and that the tight rental market may enable unreasonable landlords.  

In an online article published by journalism website RICE Media, “Renting Was a Small Price to Pay for Independence in Singapore. Until It Wasn’t.”, Danker (2022) notes renting is “more nuanced and complex than that of dollars and cents”. She details the reasons driving Sabby and Diana, two young Singaporean adults, to move out and the issues they faced. Both tenants faced problems as first-time renters, possibly because they moved out urgently due to family disagreements, resulting in poor research. This included failing to scout for a place which fit their needs (e.g., allows pets, good location, spacious room) and ignorance about renting procedures, i.e., the importance of a legally binding tenancy agreement4 versus a verbal agreement. Additionally, Sabby had a live-in landlady who burdened her with lengthy, emotional rants. 

Diana’s second landlord, a co-living company called The Assembly Place (TAP), took three days to call the pest control to eradicate a maggot infestation and informed her of sudden price hikes though they needed to provide 30 days’ notice. When Diana cited the tenancy agreement, TAP reversed their decision, but still increased the prices the following month. 

From Danker’s (2022) writings, we may infer that first-time tenants or those who move out hurriedly may research inadequately regarding a suitable place or rental procedures. Secondly, they may not draw emotional boundaries with a live-in landlord. Unreasonable landlords may exploit the lack of research and emotional boundaries. In addition, Danker (2022) shows the troubles of dealing with a landlord who does not live in. While there is more freedom, the landlord may delay dealing with problems as they are not affected (e.g., the maggot infestation).  

Landlords may also violate the tenancy agreement, as TAP did, and it is up to the tenant to defend their rights (Danker, 2022). Similarly, Co (2022) found that even with a tenancy agreement, tenants and landlords get into disputes over what constitutes ‘fair wear and tear’, e.g., an acceptable damage from usage versus sheer negligence. In 2022, a landlord in Jurong West reportedly used the tenancy agreement to write a ridiculous list of Don’ts (e.g., “No work should be done in the room”) and requested $10 more for the tenant to charge her laptop (Lay, 2022). Thus, landlords (live-in or not) may exploit the tenancy agreement, and problems exist whether it is the tenant’s first time renting. 

While Chong (2023) shows us that tenants lack legal protection when faced with rent hikes and the tight rental market may enable unreasonable landlords, Danker (2022) demonstrates that whether or not it is a live-in landlord, they may exploit the lack of research, experience, or emotional boundaries on the part of the tenant, and even ignore or use the tenancy agreement to their advantage. Both Chong (2023) and Danker (2022) concede that tenants who are anxious to move may make bad decisions, such as falling prey to property scams or finding an unsuitable apartment.  

However, both fail to mention the obvious power disparity between landlord and tenant. Firstly, the landlord’s property is protected by tenancy agreements. Furthermore, it is far more stressful for the tenant to find a new flat in a tight rental market, than the landlord a new tenant. Shelter, as one of the primary necessities in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, understandably causes palpable distress for the tenant.  

So, why are Singaporean landlords entitled or unreasonable? Firstly, the tight rental market gives landlords the upper hand as demand is guaranteed (Chong, 2023), and secondly, Singapore lacks policies protecting tenants from rent hikes. Thirdly, landlords – live-in or not – may exploit tenants who have inadequate knowledge about rental options or processes. Finally, as with any contract, the tenancy agreement is open to interpretation and hence, the landlord may utilise it to their advantage. 

Beyond knowing why landlords are entitled, tenants need a voice, preferably on official mediums like Singapore Mediation Centre or Small Claims Tribunal, and not Facebook pages like “Singapore Room Blacklisted”. Future research on unreasonable behaviour could include landlords discriminating tenants based on race or country. Unreasonable landlords affect a sizeable population locally. Hopefully, with more awareness and coverage on landlord-tenant disputes, landlords may reflect, and spinaches will not enter toilets again.    

1485 words  

(+/- 10%. Minus parenthetical in-text citations (21 words) and article titles (21 words)) 

Alternative conclusion: Ultimately, Singaporean landlords are entitled because of the power disparity inherent in the relationship between landlord and tenant. Does this imply that anyone, when given a certain degree of power, may turn corrupt? Reasonable landlords (and people) can and do exist. Whether the landlord decides to take advantage of the power disparity is entirely up to them, and this may vary from individual to individual. One can only hope that more kindness exists in this world. 

References  

Chong, C. F. (Producer). (2023).  Singapore's Soaring HDB Rents: How Do They Affect You? | Talking Point | Full Episode [Online video]. Channel NewsAsia. 

Co, C. (2021, July 1). 'Fair wear and tear' disputes over rental property: What can tenants and landlords do? Channel NewsAsia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/fair-wear-and-tear-disputes-rental-property-tenants-landlords-1993706 

Danker, K. (2022, November 29). Renting Was a Small Price to Pay for Independence in Singapore. Until It Wasn’t. RICE Media. https://www.ricemedia.co/rent-was-a-small-price-to-pay-for-independence-until-it-wasnt/ 

Jacob, C. (2023, April 12). Singapore rent prices are still sky-high. Long-time expats are having to consider drastic changes. Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC). https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/13/singapore-rent-prices-are-soaring-what-this-means-for-expats.html 

Lay, B. (2022, May 31). Jurong West landlord wants S$10 more for tenant to charge laptop, imposes list of don'ts for renting S$750 room. Mothership. https://mothership.sg/2022/05/singapore-landlord-list-of-demands/ 

Ministry of National Development. (2001, February 23). PRESS STATEMENT: THE CONTROL OF RENT (ABOLITION) BILL 2001 [Press Release]. https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/2001022303.htm  

National Population and Talent Division. (2021). Population in brief 2021.