'The wardrobe is gone': Property agent warns against renting flat to 'wrong' tenants

We've all heard horror stories about landlords from hell but in this case, it was the tenants who gave trouble to the landlord.

Property agent Benedict Lim shared about how he felt when he received a flat in Punggol after three and a half years of occupancy by improperly-screened tenants.

Sharing footage of what had been done to the flat, Lim posted a video on TikTok on Sunday (Sept 3) showing damage to various parts of each room.

According to him, the tenant had already touched up the place prior to the handover, but it was "still a disaster".

Opening the video, Lim asked: "Do you know what your house will look like if you rent it to the wrong tenant?"

The kitchen, which he said originally had a white counter, was now a shade of yellow with oil stains marked where pots and pans were left.

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The sink was also similarly stained yellow.

A cabinet near the living room had red and orange smudges on it, apparently vandalised by children, Lim said.

"They even broke the tiles!" Lim said exasperatedly, showing visible cracks and chips on the floor.

The door to one of the rooms also had visible stain marks along its edges, possibly left by tape, while the window blinds of the room were furled haphazardly.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of the windows and air conditioner.

Most damning of all, however, was the wardrobe, which had a door lying flat on the floor, dislodged from the piece of furniture. Masking tape was also used to hold the cracked glass panel on the door together.

"The wardrobe is gone," Lim said in disbelief. "My god."

@benedictlimsg Would you go for a higher rent or a better profile tenant ? #sgtiktok #fypシ #singaporetiktok #sgpropertyagent #property #singapore #fypsg #hdb #hdbrental #sgrental ♬ original sound - Benedict Lim

According to him, he had always managed this Punggol flat in the past and has always been particular about his tenants' profiles.

However, the landlord was desperate and turned to a different agent, who rented out the place to tenants without screening them "properly".

"This is what happened after three and a half years," he said.

The 46-year-old property agent told AsiaOne: "I was baffled by the condition of the flat and felt really disappointed how someone could have lived this way," adding that he rarely receives flats in such poor condition.

He had wanted to meet up with the landlord after the latter realised his rent wasn't up to par with market rates.

When Lim went to assess the property, he found scribbles on the wall along with damaged carpentry after the tenants' family of four vacated the premises.

"The owner was furious and wanted me to get a quotation on the total cost of repair and renovation," he recalled.

Lim also shared: "There's no fool-proof way of knowing how tenants will take care of rental units, but asking some good questions on their lifestyles and emphasising how particular we are when taking over [the property] when the lease ends can probably filter out some unwanted behaviours."

The total cost of repairs was about $9,000, Lim said. However, they settled for about $6,000, or approximately two months' deposit.

'Rubbish' home

But things could have been far worse for Lim.

Last month, TikTok user Amanda shared a video of her new home that had been 'pre-loved' — rubbish was strewn everywhere in the apartment, throughout every room.

The living room had clothes, food waste, plastic bags and other trash covering the dining table, sofa and TV counter, as well as the floor.

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The washroom was likewise left in disarray and the corner of the sink counter was damaged, with solid shards left in the open beside damaged region.

"It wasn't just a problem with them not clearing up their mess," she had said. "They also failed to pay utility bills for a few months and even ran away before paying for their last month of rent."

Her solution to the mess in her home was simple — she decided to start from square one.

"The renovator even asked if there was anything I'd like to retain in the home," Amanda said. 

"I told them that I want the walls, floor and cabinets all removed without a single one left behind - I hate things that are dirty."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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