How many tenants can fit inside a four-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat?

Well, 21 persons, it seems.

That was what a property agent recently found out when a unit he rented out to five tenants was discovered to have been housing 16 extra persons inside.

The property agent then took to TikTok to highlight the issue.

@askkentay #eviction #aftermath #askkentay #tenantsfromhell #HDB #singapore #tiktoksg #landlord ♬ original sound - 🇸🇬 Ask Ken Tay 🇸🇬

What video showed

According to the property agent, Tay, 38, the HDB flat was rented out to five foreign students, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The location of the unit was not disclosed.

Authorities contacted him

The property agent said he received a notice from the authorities on Jun. 12 that there was an overoccupancy issue in the unit, so he contacted the tenant who signed the lease contract, Shin Min reported.

Tay showed up at the unit on Wednesday evening and informed all the tenants that they had to move out by 5pm on Friday, Jun. 14.

According to Tay, the five original tenants appeared normal initially and underwent the proper procedure of securing the unit with the relevant documents and signing the lease contract.

Had to evict tenants personally

When Tay showed up at the unit on Friday, there were still several people inside who had not yet vacated the premises.

Despite engaging the remaining tenants to get them to move immediately, they were uncooperative.

Tay then called the police.

Tay said to the camera in the TikTok: "When I arrived they were not ready, I called the police, and drama here and there, they all left."

Some details not disclosed

He said in the video that this group of tenants were the worst he had ever encountered.

He added that in addition to performing his duties, he also wanted to try his best to help the landlord deal with the aftermath of such a situation.

He did not disclose the monthly rent for the unit or how much deposit the tenants forfeited for breaking the contract.

He also did not specifically mention in the video if the five original tenants were engaging in illegal subletting.

In the comments section of another TikTok, Tay wrote: "The contract is voided, thus the deposit is forfeited."

Damages galore

Tay said the mattresses have to be discarded along with all the furniture in the house.

"The furniture all must throw," Tay said, while pointing to the furniture that laid haphazardly arranged in the room, and which appeared soiled.

The mattresses, without bedsheets, were laid out on the floor of two bedrooms.

Tay pointed out that the tenants smoked and drank in the bedroom.

The floor was covered with an assortment of rubbish and clothing.

Fixtures such as doorknobs, lights, curtains, and kitchen cabinets were damaged, according to Tay in the TikTok.

He told Shin Min separately that the air conditioner was also damaged.

He also highlighted that all the bedframes were missing.

The kitchen was left in a mess with leftover food visible.

Tay declined to disclose the nationalities of the tenants when asked about it in the comments section.

However, he did reply to some commenters that viewers can closely watch the video for clues.

Tay said cleaners would "deep chemical clean" the house to restore it and he would take things from there on behalf of the landlord.

Tay also told Shin Min that the landlord was upset that their home had fallen into such a state of disarray, but felt that there was nothing they could do about it and would not pursue the matter with the tenants.

Top photos via @askkentay TikTok