{"id":43259,"date":"2021-09-16T12:20:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T04:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/?p=43259"},"modified":"2023-01-18T11:07:41","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T03:07:41","slug":"how-to-avoid-expensive-tenancy-nightmares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/how-to-avoid-expensive-tenancy-nightmares\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Expensive Tenancy Nightmares"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Most of us have heard horror stories from friends who\u2019ve lost some or all of their tenancy security deposit to unscrupulous landlords. American entrepreneur Jeremy certainly had. So when he and his wife moved from the United States to Singapore and rented a condominium, they were careful to photograph the property and record its state at the start of their tenancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople had forewarned us that landlords could be tough with deposits here in Singapore,\u201d Jeremy says. \u201cSo we were actually pretty cautious and I thought I did a great job of documenting the condition of the apartment. I took photos of any existing damage before we moved in, took video of the general conditions of the condo and had all that documented \u2014 we put all of that on the record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"keys<\/a>
Before moving into a new rental home, tenants must take care to document the condition and contents of the property.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nevertheless, Jeremy explains, \u201cWhen we moved out two years later, the landlord claimed we were responsible for all sorts of damage to the apartment that was already there when we moved in, and they refused to give us back our deposit.\u201d The condominium in question was more than 20 years old and had undergone significant wear and tear over those two decades. But the landlord demanded that Jeremy and his wife return everything to \u201cas-new\u201d condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was clear that almost all the damage and wear he was highlighting pre-existed our tenancy,\u201d Jeremy says. \u201cFor example, there were scratches on the wooden floor that were beneath multiple layers of varnish. Unbelievably, he complained about broken tiles \u2014 and sent us pictures as \u2018evidence\u2019 showing tiles that weren\u2019t even in the apartment we\u2019d rented. It was absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Damaged<\/a>
Unless damage and wear are properly documented, tenants can be held financially responsible and lose some or all of their deposit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The landlord asserted that the total cost to repair the damage to the condo would exceed the two months\u2019 deposit Jeremy and his wife had provided. He said he would not be refunding any of the money, which amounted to nearly $10,000.<\/p>\n

When Jeremy informed him he\u2019d be taking the matter to small claims court, the landlord expressed surprise. \u201cA lot of landlords think if you\u2019re an expat, the company you work for is paying the rent and the deposit. They think the company won\u2019t make a fuss and will simply forfeit the deposit rather than get involved in a legal dispute. I\u2019m sure that happens a lot,\u201d Jeremy says. \u201cBut I\u2019m not on an expat package, very few of us are these days, and that money came out of our savings \u2014 it really meant something to us. So we took legal action.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Camera<\/a>
Despite taking numerous photos of the condition of his condo at the start of his tenancy, Jeremy says, \u201cWhen we moved out, the landlord claimed we were responsible for all sorts of damage \u2026 they refused to give us back our deposit.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The landlord maintained their stance in small claims court, which handles disputes over sums below $20,000 and as such, is where many matters of this nature are addressed. \u201cThe judge just decided to split the costs 50\/50 between us and the landlord,\u201d Jeremy says. \u201cI guess that was an easy resolution, but not one we were terribly happy about, obviously. We lost half our deposit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unfavourable result, Jeremy believes, came down to not being able to sufficiently refute a number of the landlord\u2019s claims. \u201cWe thought we\u2019d been pretty cautious, but we hadn\u2019t taken nearly enough photos \u2014 there was certain stuff I couldn\u2019t prove, categorically, that we were not responsible for,\u201d Jeremy says. \u201cIn hindsight, we should have been way more thorough. We thought capturing the general condition of the apartment and the major faults would be sufficient. It wasn\u2019t. We should\u2019ve photographed and fully documented every single little thing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Trendy<\/a>
It’s important to record not only the condition of a property but also, the fittings and furnishings present at the start of a tenancy and their state of repair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Kenneth, a Singaporean businessman, moved into a two-storey space in a shophouse, he was pleased to find that the previous tenant had installed vinyl flooring. \u201cBut when we moved out after our lease was up, three years later, the landlord insisted we had installed the flooring and demanded we pay to have it removed, the floors stripped back to the raw cement beneath,\u201d Kenneth says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe landlord also said the repainting I\u2019d had done before we moved out wasn\u2019t good enough \u2014 actually, it looked much better than when we moved in! Foolishly, though, I hadn\u2019t taken photos of my own at the start of the tenancy. I couldn\u2019t prove that we were returning the property in as good a condition as we\u2019d found it. I couldn\u2019t prove that the flooring was there already,\u201d Kenneth says.<\/p>\n

\"Empty<\/a>
Landlords and tenants often get into arguments over whether a property has been returned sufficiently clean, in its original condition \u2014 and may be misaligned on exactly what constitutes “fair wear and tear”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The landlord got three quotes to commission the work he wanted done. \u201cMiraculously, the lowest of the quotes was for exactly $12,000 \u2014 exactly three months\u2019 rent, exactly the deposit I\u2019d paid,\u201d Kenneth says. \u201cAmazing, right? There goes my deposit. The incredible thing was, I later found out that the property got re-tenanted with the flooring intact. Whether the painting was done again, who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n

With the benefit of bitter experience, the advice both Jeremy and Kenneth would give to anyone about to sign a lease: painstakingly document the condition of the property before moving in. For greater peace of mind, commissioning a professional home condition survey can help tenants avoid messy disputes when a lease comes to an end.<\/p>\n

Charles Taylor, an international loss-adjusting company specialising in complex property damage adjudication and insurance contracts disputes resolution, offers just such a service via its subsidiary, CTRentAssure<\/a>. At a cost of around S$320 to survey an average 1,000-square-foot three-bedroom home, and even less for smaller apartments, CTRentAssure\u2019s representatives will visit a property before a new tenancy commences, and generate a highly detailed photographic report, subsequently endorsed by a surveyor, documenting the condition of a rental home.<\/p>\n

\"Apartment<\/a>
Nice place, but… is that a scratch on the floor next to the dining table? A professional survey can help document pre-existing damage beyond a shadow of a doubt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taking between 60 to 90 minutes to complete, the report includes photographic, video and written evidence scrutinising the minutiae of a property\u2019s condition, listing all its fixtures and fittings, and making note of any pre-existing wear or damage. Once certified by a surveyor, the report is presented to the client within 24 hours. It can then be retained for future reference and utilised as evidence in the event that a dispute arises.<\/p>\n

In conjunction with a \u2018check out\u2019 end-of-tenancy report, a professional survey of this type could mean the difference between a smooth and easy handover of a property \u2014 or \u2018your word against mine\u2019 disagreements, legal stoushes and potentially, the loss of thousands of dollars. We all know the saying, \u201cBuyer beware.\u201d In this case, it\u2019s more apt to say, \u201cRenter: Be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

To enquire about a professional home condition survey, visit CTRentAssure<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of us have heard horror stories from friends who\u2019ve lost some or all of their tenancy security deposit to unscrupulous landlords. American entrepreneur Jeremy certainly had. So when he and his wife moved from the United States to Singapore and rented a condominium, they were careful to photograph the property and record its state…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":43260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53982,53589,57131,53590],"tags":[53718,54445,53705,53889,53706],"persona":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post","16":"entry","17":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Avoid Expensive Tenancy Nightmares - 99.co<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most of us have heard horror stories from friends who\u2019ve lost some or all of their tenancy security deposit to unscrupulous landlords. 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