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[UPDATED on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 9:08pm: According to a WhatsApp screen shot sent by Wang’s fiancé that was viewed by Mothership, the agent had confirmed with the couple that the owner will "come back once in a while" and the room "will be left unrented" before the lease was signed.]

In May 2021, a couple in Singapore paid a lump sum of S$48,000 to rent a bedroom in a two-bedroom unit at The Sail @ Marina Bay for two years.

The good deal turned sour quite quickly.

This was after they realised that they would have to deal with regular visits by the property agent, who is the landlord, and potential tenants to view the other vacant bedroom in the unit.

Strangers brought in without informing tenants

Speaking to Lianhe Wanbao, a 27-year-old woman surnamed Wang, who works in the tech industry, said the property agent had quoted her and her boyfriend a monthly rent of over S$3,000, which can be reduced to S$2,000 if they could pay for two years of rent upfront.

She added that the agent-landlord also told her that the other vacant bedroom would not be rented out.

Instead, the room will be vacant for the landlord to stay when he comes back to Singapore from overseas.

Believing she would have the entire apartment to herself and her partner, the couple agreed to paid for two years of rent, which amounted to S$48,000, and moved into the unit in early July.

Landlord wants to rent out other room

By October, the landlord started to bring people in to look at the other bedroom, leaving the couple stunned.

Wang disclosed that sometimes she and her partner were not informed of the appointment beforehand and the property agent would enter the unit with people to view the bedroom, causing the couple to feel that their privacy has been violated.

The couple had repeatedly approached the agent to discuss this issue, causing a rift between both parties, Wanbao reported.

Tenants told to store kitchen items in bedroom

Besides bringing people in to view the bedroom, the "usage rights" of the kitchen became a topic of contention.

Wang said that before moving in, the agent had told her that the kitchen space would be theirs.

However, upon occupancy, the couple discovered that the kitchen cabinets were cluttered.

They were reprimanded when they tried to clear them as they had only rented "half the kitchen" and can only clear half the clutter.

The couple also shared that the agent had even asked them to clear their cutlery and ingredients in the kitchen before bringing people in to view the bedroom, claiming that it is to make the kitchen look clean and tidy.

He even threatened to throw away the items if they did not do as they were told, Wang said.

This left the couple with no choice but to store the items in the kitchen in their bedroom and only bring them out when they need to use them.

Property agent is also landlord

The couple also told Wanbao that the agent only revealed that he was the landlord after they had signed the lease but the agent claimed that the advertisement had stated that he was a party with vested interests.

Wang said, upon meeting the agent to sign the lease, he had told the couple to transfer the rental payment directly to him as the landlord is his relative.

She had found it bizarre and probed the agent about it, which was when he admitted that he was the property owner and showed the property title deed as proof.

Wang has lodged a complaint with both the Council of Estate Agencies (CEA) and the property agent's company.

CEA has confirmed the receipt of the complaint, Wanbao reported.

In response to Wang's allegations, the agent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he had declared the conflict of interest in the rental advertisement and have also declared his identity as the property owner before the lease was signed.

He said the S$2 million condominium unit has a monthly mortgage of close to S$6,000 and he's already renting it out at a loss, hence he needed to look for another tenant.

He added that he never said he would not be renting the other bedroom.

According to CEA, property agents who are property owners have to declare any conflict of interest upfront to potential buyers or tenants.

Collecting two years of rent upfront is not common practice

In response to Wanbao's enquiries, PropNex's key executive officer Lim Yong Hock said accepting two years of rent upfront is not common practice and Lim does not recommend tenants pay for years of rent in advance.

Lim added that paying for two years of rent would not benefit the tenant at all as the landlord has the final say on everything.

According to Lim, if the tenant wishes to break the lease prematurely, the landlord might not refund the rental payment.

He added that if the landlord becomes bankrupt or the unit is repossessed, it can be very difficult for the tenant to recover their rental amount without legal intervention.

He revealed that landlords who are willing to rent at a lower price and collect years of rent tend to have a motive.

Tenants should be mentally prepared as the agreement typically comes with hidden conditions and higher risks, he warned.

He also advised tenants to clearly understand the contents of the tenancy agreement before signing, especially when they encounter "good deals".

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Top images by The Sail at Marina Bay's Facebook page and Wikipedia.