'Only want you to work 9-to-5 job': Tenant complains about ridiculous demands from landlords

Procuring a house in Singapore is getting harder, especially with the increase in property and rental prices. 

So the last thing a home seeker wants to deal with is a fussy landlord with strict or weird rental rules. 

Pointing this out in a TikTok video on Dec 14, Felix Lim, 28, voiced out his confusion over several "weird rules" when he was looking for a place to rent. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Lim shared that he has been looking for a house to rent since last December and he needs to move out by this month.

This Singapore permanent resident, who is from Malaysia, shared that most of the "weird" rental rules mentioned in the video were either experienced by his friends or those he chanced upon in property listings. 

"Some places are like 'I only want you to work 9-to-5 jobs'," Lim cited as an example. 

In the video, he also complained that several landlords ask for personal details such as the potential tenant's race and occupation. 

"The prices are already so high and you want to impose all these weird rules," he lamented, adding that some of these included no cooking and specific times to do your laundry. 

Lim also shared an anecdote from a friend, who was asked to put a bucket when they shower to "save water". 

The water would then be used by the landlord to water plants. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@lixiedixiie/video/7176929508224666881?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7176929508224666881[/embed]

"Is it a thing in other countries as well?" Lim asked. 

"Are we all not humans? We just want to live together coherently." 

In the comments, multiple people agreed. 

Several said landlords tend to do so for selfish intentions while another called the rental situation in Singapore "complicated". 

One netizen also shared that Singapore isn't the only country with such landlords — Malaysia has them too. 

However, not everyone was on the same page as Lim. 

Several said Lim should put himself in the shoes of the landlords to understand where they're coming from. 

Others also pointed out that these rules are in place for the sake of the landlord's neighbours.

While Lim agreed that landlords need to put in place some rules, he feels that there are always two sides to a story. 

"I understand that these rules exist to make sure living habits align, and probably [because] the landlords have [come] across terrible tenants." 

"But the experience goes both ways. Some tenants have met intolerable landlords too," he said, adding that there should always be a discussion with the potential tenant. 

To cite an example, Lim brought up how landlords nitpick at the potential tenant's race, profession and working hours. 

"I don't think it is right to exclude people just for their race, profession or working hours. At the end of the day, I believe everyone just wants to live in a good environment." 

The woes of house hunting 

Recently, others have stepped forward to share house hunting journies. 

Last November, one 20-year-old, Dani, shared that her rental had increased from $800 to $1,000 and that she was looking for a new place then.

She also observed how housing prices have increased across the board. For instance, a HDB rental room that cost between $600 to $700 now is priced at $800. 

Additionally, Dani shared a recent house viewing. 

While it had its plus points, she too like Lim was unhappy with some of the landlord's rules, with one of them being no visitors allowed. 

ALSO READ: I tried renting out my own home in Singapore - here's why I would never do it again

melissateo@asiaone.com

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