Seeking brothel operator: Property agent told to amend 'inappropriate' listing

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, just like how a brothel by any other name would still be, well, a brothel.

But it was because of the word "brothel" that property agent Marc Lee stumbled upon a couple of hurdles while listing a place on behalf of his client.

The listing on property portal CommercialGuru, which said it was "seeking [a] brothel operator" had tongues wagging after a screenshot of it was uploaded onto Facebook on Tuesday (Dec 15).

That same day, the listing was taken down, before a new one popped up on 99.co with a much more subdued title. Meanwhile, the call for a licensed brothel operator had been subtly included in the body of the listing instead.

Speaking with 99.co, Lee claimed he had received a call from the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) informing him that his listing was "not appropriate".

Lee explained that it had been the landlord's instructions to specifically look for a tenant who was a licensed brothel operator capable of maximising the use of the property.

"I mean, anyone can guess why it has 13 rooms and 13 toilets," he said.

Prior to uploading his original listing, he had already debated if he should use the word "brothel".

"The thing is, I don't know what other words I can use," he told the property site. "The specific word is 'brothel' and I think it's quite a professional word to use, so I just listed it accordingly.

"After all, a warehouse is called a warehouse, right? So I really don't know how else to put a brothel without being inaccurate or distorting what my client had instructed me to do."

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Under CEA's Professional Service Manual, real estate salespeople are required to "act in accordance with the lawful instruction of the client" and according to the Estate Agents Act, "must not advertise any property at a price or on other terms, or in any manner, different from those instructed by the client", which pretty much left Lee between a rock and a hard place.

It's not as though operating a brothel in Singapore is illegal either, as long as one has a license to do so.

But before he could make amends to his listing, it was removed by CommercialGuru.

"I'm not disappointed [by CEA's decision]. I will adhere to watch CEA asked me to do, but even before I could take any action with regards to my listing, it was taken down by the portal," he lamented. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, a CEA spokesperson clarified that they did not request for Lee to remove his listing. Instead, CommercialGuru had suspended the original listing due to the nature of the content. It was later relisted after the content was amended. 

The spokesperson added that while the CEA do not prescribe specific guidelines for those who place advertisements for different property types and uses, property agents must avoid and advise their clients against "placing advertisements with inappropriate content that could be potentially offensive to others."

Therefor, they had contacted Lee to advise him on the appropriateness of his listing. 

"The CEA has consistently reminded property agents that they are to conduct themselves professionally when advertising properties on both print and online platforms. These are often the first touchpoints that they have with potential clients, and also the general public, to form a positive impression." 

Considering the buzz the listing stirred online, many netizens have jokingly expressed their interest in applying as an operator, though Lee remains firm that only "really serious existing licensed holders" are allowed to apply.

"They can only view the property if they are a licensed operator," he said. "If not, they can't."

rainercheung@asiaone.com