Bedok landlord allegedly fixed 3 CCTV cams in flat, including outside toilet, tenant moved within a month

After a 48-year-old man in Singapore moved into a unit in Bedok North in May 2025, he was shocked to find that there were over 20 clauses in his tenancy agreement outlining house rules.

The rules included how tenants were forbidden from using mobile phones in the living room and were only allowed to use the washing machine on Fridays, amongst others restrictions, reported Shin Min Daily News.

While the man, surnamed Ye (transliteration), had tried to adapt to the rules, he complained to the Chinese daily that he could not accept that his landlord had allegedly installed three closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras inside the flat, including one facing the toilet.

After putting up with the rules and the feeling of "being constantly monitored" for a month, Ye became fed up and moved out of the flat on Jun. 4.

He hoped to publicise his ordeal so that other tenants could pay more attention to clauses in their tenancy agreements and stay vigilant against overbearing landlords.

Although Shin Min tried to contact the landlord multiple times and asked a property agent to help relay the messages, the landlord could not be reached as of Jun. 16.

Rented bedroom for S$1,050/month

Speaking to Shin Min, Ye shared that the flat in question was located in a public housing block at Bedok North Street 3.

He and his girlfriend decided to rent a bedroom for S$1,050 per month within the unit after coming across a listing on Facebook.

While Ye admitted that he had not read the tenancy agreement carefully before signing it, he accused the property agent of failing to make a special mention of the house rules listed.

According to the agreement, tenants are not allowed to make noise in the flat's living room or leave behind their shampoo or body wash within the bathroom, amongst others.

Landlord allegedly sent warnings during wee hours

Although Ye tried to get used to conditions, he said he could not bear the feeling of "being constantly monitored".

"The landlord would often send text messages at around 3am or 4am, warning us not to violate the tenancy agreement," alleged Ye.

To support his claims, Ye also showed some of the conversations he had with his landlord, who could be seen asking the tenant to remove a body wash of a particular colour from the bathroom.

The landlord was also seen sending "friendly reminders" occasionally, asking Ye's girlfriend not to make a sound when closing the door or putting personal belongings in the bathroom.

Ye added that his landlord also allegedly forbade tenants from using the living room or turning on the living room's light.

As this would mean he has to walk in the living room in the dark to get to the toilet, Ye lamented that he had to buy a flashlight so that he could see at night.

Tenant's wife had nightmares, suffered from insomnia

According to Shin Min, Ye's sentiments were echoed by another tenant of the flat, surnamed Lü (transliteration).

After the 33-year-old moved into the flat with his wife in March 2025, Lü also felt that they were "constantly being monitored".

For instance, the landlord had apparently texted him asking his wife to remove the towel or clothes she had hung in the toilet.

"He could even pinpoint exactly which minute you 'made the mistake' before warning you," lamented Lü.

As a result, Lü said his wife suffered from stress-induced insomnia and would wake up at night from nightmares about the landlord.

Eventually, the couple moved out on Jun. 6 and are now staying with their relatives temporarily.

Landlord allegedly deducted Ye's deposit

However, moving out of the flat apparently turned out to be another ordeal for Ye, reported Shin Min.

According to Ye, as a worker from the moving company wanted to use the toilet urgently on Jun. 4, he told the worker to use the toilet within the flat.

In response, the landlord allegedly forfeited half of Ye's rental deposit and only returned him around S$500.

"He said I violated the tenancy agreement by allowing outsiders to come into the flat and cited this as the reason to forfeit half of my deposit. He also told me that, by right, breaking the agreement would mean forfeiting the entire deposit," alleged Ye.

In a screenshot capturing the landlords' WhatsApp conversation with Ye, the landlord could be seen saying, "The house toilet is not a public toilet and breaking the TA is supposed to deduct full deposit."

Lü learnt from Ye's example, got full refund back

Upon learning about Ye's encounter on Jun. 4, Lü told Shin Min that he purposely asked his friends to wait outside the flat on Jun. 6 when they came over to help him move out.

On the day, Lü said he moved his belongings one by one by himself so that "the landlord had no excuse to deduct any amount from his rental deposit".

Lü's effort eventually paid off, as the landlord returned him the deposit in full, recounted Lü.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News