PUBLISHED ONOctober 15, 2024 9:08 AMByBhavya RawatA rental company has been accused of demanding videos of tenants holding their passports and withholding the deposits of those who decline to do so.
At least five tenants have lodged police reports against the company, which allegedly also charged tenants additional fees for amenities such as parking lots, reported Shin Min Daily News.
One such tenant, surnamed Han, told the Chinese evening daily that she saw an advertisement offering a bedroom in Balestier for a monthly rental at $1,885, on an international student service platform.
The 29-year-old, who works in the construction industry, took up the offer and paid three months' rental up front, as well as a month's worth of rent as security deposit.
She paid an additional $300 for utilities and $150 for room key card deposit, reported the Chinese evening daily.
After moving in, Han received a suspicious message from someone claiming to be an agent from the company.
"He sent me a sample video for reference and asked me to hold my passport while saying my name and address to the camera, just like the tenant in the video.
"I was suspicious, but he said that this was for verification by the immigration authorities," she said.
"I refused because I was worried that the video might be used for illegal purposes, but he said that if I didn't take the video, I'd have to move out."
Following this, Han made a police report and asked to terminate her lease.
However, the rental company allegedly refused to refund her money.
She continued staying in the room for three months before moving out, but said that the rental company did not return her security deposit.
Han said that the rental company also demanded she repair the room's floor, which she claims was already damaged when she moved in.
She had previously informed the rental company about the damaged floor.
The company claimed that the floor was more damaged than before, threatening to charge Han an extra $50 and withhold her security deposit if she did not repair it.
Han also told Shin Min that there were at least four instances where strangers entered her room without permission.
She recounted a man showing up at her door at around 6pm on June 22, saying he wanted to teach her how to open the main door.
Upon following him to the door, however, Han found another man recording a video with his mobile phone.
Han claimed that a stranger opened her door in the early hours of June 29 while she was sleeping.
Another tenant, 34-year-old Huang, faced similar issues with the rental company.
She rented a master bedroom at Upper Paya Lebar for $2,620 per month, and had to pay an additional $150 for a parking lot, $68 for air-conditioning insurance and nearly $180 in service fees.
Huang later discovered that parking was free, and the monthly $200 to $300 utility fees the agent had charged her was not requested by the rental company.
She later shared her unpleasant experience with the rental company on Xiaohongshu, and received comments from several netizens saying that they had similar experiences.
This prompted her to create a group chat, which currently has 69 members.
"80 per cent of the [group chat] members are students. Some of them paid a deposit after seeing photos of the room, but found the house was small and shabby upon arrival."
"Some said that strangers entered their room without permission, while others were charged rent at an exchange rate higher than the market price and received their deposit at a lower exchanged rate," she said.
There were also tenants who were charged extra fees for various reasons.
Huang added that such rental companies often post advertisements on platforms like Xiaohongshu and she hoped to warn fellow international students by sharing her experience.
In a statement on Xiaohongshu, the rental company said that both Han and Huang's deposits were not refunded because they breached their contracts, reported Shin Min.
The company said that it did not overcharge for water and electricity and had even provided tenants with a list of bills to refer to.
It also said that while the apartment rented by Huang allows one parking space per room, it owns the rights to its use.
They claimed that Huang's contract did not include the right to use the parking space, but the lot had been vacated for her use - which incurred a management fee.
Huang had reportedly agreed to pay the fee, said the company.
The company added that Huang had failed to pay the water and electricity bills during the contract period, hence breaching her contract. She will need to pay the outstanding fees before she can get her deposit back.
When contacted by Shin Min, a spokesperson for the rental company said that all their rooms were rented out after signing a contract with the owner.
They also clarified that they were not real estate agents.
The spokesperson explained that the practice of asking for videos with tenants' passports was out of concern that they might be involved in illegal activities during their stay.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
