'I'm so traumatised': Woman moves back in with parents after falling victim to Tampines rental scam

Leaving the nest is a major milestone for millennials in Singapore.

But after experiencing the joys of independence, Naseera has moved back in with her parents after falling victim to a "traumatising" rental scam.

In an interview with AsiaOne on Friday (July 28), the 28-year-old media planner shared that she had lived with two other housemates for four years.

When the previous landlord decided to increase the monthly rent by a whopping 44 per cent – from $2,700 to $3,900 – Naseera decided to move elsewhere.

"My friend found a place through an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace," said Naseera, referring to a four-bedroom unit at Block 370 Tampines Street 34 was available to rent.

"The landlord said that her daughter is in the same secondary school as my housemate's friend. So I thought there was some relatability to her," she added.

"She told us that if all was good, she could give a discounted rate." 

Apart from the vacant flat being "quite run down", Naseera and her housemates did not notice anything amiss during the house viewing.

Then came the contract negotiations, in which the woman felt the warning signs were there.

"We initially signed a one-year rental lease for $3,300 a month on April 28," Naseera said. "But after we paid the deposit, the [landlord] said that she can reduce the monthly rent by $200 if we signed a two-year lease instead.

"We were hesitant at first, but later told her we would give her a partial amount first and the rest when we moved in. She agreed."

But two months later, the landlord allegedly told Naseera that "it would be better to pay the full deposit as soon as possible".

"She [claimed] that she had checked with other residential properties in the area and realised that she was charging us lower rent," the woman said.

"I believed her. And I had less than a month on my current lease. I was scared that I won't have a place [to live] by then."

Naseera forked out $1,500 in deposit, while her two friends paid $1,550 and $3,100 respectively.

When the woman moved in on June 30, she had a rude shock.

Naseera said: "I saw the door slightly ajar and went inside the place, only to find a man standing there with his food.

"I told him that I'm moving in, but he said that he's a tenant of that flat. I realised I was screwed".

After lodging a police report on that night, Naseera shared that she has since only received a $2,000 refund from the landlord.

"It's been very stressful [to get the rest of the deposit back]," the woman said. "I've been going to the [Small Claims Tribunals] and the police. It's not been an easy time.

"There was another guy who paid $7,000 for the same flat and was also scammed. So the landlord knows what she's doing.

"I've [moved back in] with my parents for the time being. I'm so traumatised by this [incident]."

Responding to AsiaOne's query on why the remaining deposit was not refunded to Naseera, the landlord said the latter "can go to the tribunal court" to settle the dispute.

The police confirmed that a report was lodged, and investigations are ongoing. 

ALSO READ: Woman pays $10k deposit to rent Woodlands flat, finds out it's already leased out to another tenant

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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