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A woman in Singapore took to Facebook to appeal for a new rental flat after she found hers in a state of disrepair.

According to her Facebook post on April 15, Felicia Ong explained that she had been waiting for a rental flat for 18 months, before she finally got the keys to the flat in Marsiling.

According to Ong, the rental flat that had been allocated to her "looked like a haunted house".

Background

A single mother with a 16-month-old baby, Ong wrote that she had lost her job in January 2021.

She has not experienced much luck in her subsequent job search.

She added, "Every single cent to me counts as I am currently unemployed and trying to make ends meet."

What happened

According to Ong, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) had collected S$438.30 from her on April 15, after which she had received the keys to the rental unit.

However, the flat was in dire condition – wires were falling from the ceiling, and electrical points were blacked out and not working.

Tiles were also popping up.

The toilet was also in a grim state – the door was broken and peeling, the toilet bowl cracked, and the basin mouldy.

Ong wrote that there was no lightbulb, and there was little space for her to even install a heater or manoeuvre to shower her baby.

She questioned:

"I am with a 16-months-old baby my God. Isn’t it HDB job to make sure that it's a live-in condition before you rent it out to us?

I already emptied out all my money to pay the rent and deposit of S$438.30, not knowing how should I even pay for my surgery next month, not knowing how to survive the rest of the month, but all my baby and I get is a horror home that isn’t functioning!"

Having written to HDB via email to request for a new rental flat, she added that she needed a flat that was more suitable for her baby and her.

HDB apologises for "distress caused"

In a Facebook post on April 16, HDB wrote that they were aware of the situation and have since addressed it.

According to HDB, they had immediately contacted Ong, and apologised for the "distress caused".

HDB clarified that while arrangements are typically made to "spruce up the flat" before a tenant moves in, the keys for this rental flat in question had been issued before said repairs could be arranged.

HDB also updated that a replacement flat has been allocated to Ong, and that she would reportedly be collecting the keys for the new flat today, April 16.

Here is the full Facebook post: