As a rather fresh homeowner, I’d heard plenty of rental horror stories in my life…but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d encounter a nightmare tenant the very first time I decided to rent out my HDB flat. In 2022, my husband and I decided to uproot our family and move overseas to start a new chapter in our lives. Eager to have the place rented out quickly, we announced to friends and family that our 3-room HDB resale flat in the East was on the market.
Here’s how our rental nightmare unfolded after 2 years of tenancy, and the painful—and costly—lessons we learned from the ordeal.
Not interviewing more than one interested candidate
Hoping to save on agent fees, we chose to handle the process ourselves, publicising the vacancy on Facebook groups and other online platforms. It wasn’t long before we found an interested candidate: a colleague of a good friend who shared that he and his family were struggling to find a rental place. Feeling a sense of connection and urgency, we decided to proceed with him as our first tenant.
We moved quickly to conduct an initial screening. Being first-time landlords, we weren’t entirely sure what to look for beyond verifying that the main tenant was gainfully employed—a detail we assumed would ensure reliable payments throughout the rental period.
At the time, we felt fortunate not to have to waste months searching for a tenant, allowing us to start receiving rent almost immediately. He had a wife and young daughter, and somehow, we were convinced that a family would be more conscientious about maintaining their living space. It was only after 2 years that we realised that our assumptions were all wrong.
Biggest lesson learnt: Take your time searching for ideal candidates that you think will be able to respect your home. In addition to that, something we learnt was that shared demographics doesn’t guarantee shared behaviour.
Here’s a tenant checklist to keep you on track:
- Right to rent (IDs and valid work passes if they’re not citizens or PRs)
- Proof of steady income – ideally 2 times the monthly rental
- Proof of current employment
- Rental history along with reasons for moving
- Whether or not they have kids or pets
You could also play things extra safe by requesting for positive references from their previous landlords. These referrals can often be fake, so always ask for a working phone number to double check.
Not setting enough ground rules
Before embarking on our rental journey, my husband and I were determined to break the horrible landlord stereotype and prove that kind and understanding landlords exist in this world. Which is why when it came to setting some house rules, we didn’t have much on the list.
The tenant would be allowed to do heavy cooking, invite friends over, set up whatever religious altars they wanted—so long as they took good care of the flat. We even felt pretty good about how easygoing and considerate we were.
The badly stained furniture pieces around the house that had to be disposed of and replaced.
Image credit: Team Uchify
The repercussions of being overly trusting came in the form of $4,000 of damages including a destroyed sofa, mattress, vandalised door and cabinet, and a broken induction stove. In the kitchen, our once white solid stone countertop was stained in more ways than one, with yellow and grey blotches across the entire surface—a result of heavy cooking with coloured spices.
Polishing managed to restore most of the countertop with the exception of some stubborn stains, but this $900 was a cost our tenants refused to pay.
Biggest lesson learnt: Rules are important. You don’t have to be tyrannical about it, but you do need to protect your property.
Here are some rules to lay down in your contract:
- Due dates for rent and utilities
- Outline grace periods and late fees
- Tenant obligations and what they should be responsible for
- Landlord’s obligations (repairs, and when tenants can request for repairs)
- Visitor policy and quiet hours if needed to prevent neighbours from complaining
- Whether or not heavy cooking is allowed
- Regular aircon servicing to be the responsibility of the tenants
Being lenient with delayed utility and rent payments
One positive aspect of our tenant during his stay was his consistent punctuality with rent payments. Like clockwork, the rental was paid on time every month. However, when it came to utilities, we made the mistake of not canceling our SP account and allowing the tenant to register for one under their name.
As a result, we ended up fronting the utility bills first, with the tenant reimbursing us later. For the first 1.5 years, this arrangement worked, but eventually, utility payments started to get delayed, with the tenant transferring payments for 2-3 months at a time. Given their reliability with the rent, we didn’t think much of it.
The issue arose when the tenant informed us of their plans to move out and left without paying 3 months’ worth of utilities. They insisted that the owed amount be deducted from the deposit. However, considering the poor state of the flat upon return, we wanted the rent and utilities to be settled separately.
This disagreement led to a breakdown in communication, and what was initially an amicable situation quickly turned sour.
Biggest lesson learnt: Protect yourself by cancelling your utilities account and have the tenant apply for a new one under their own name. Keep black and white records of all payments received.
Not scheduling regular inspections to check for maintenance issues
As landlords residing overseas with no help from an agent, we didn’t have many opportunities to conduct inspections on our flat. In fact, we were so gullible and easygoing about the whole rental situation that the thought of our tenants trashing the flat didn’t even cross our minds. It wasn’t until a month before our tenants’ intended move-out date, when we arranged for a visit to inspect the flat, that we got the biggest shock.
Image credit: Team Uchify
It is recommended that you inspect your flat every 6 months, or at the very minimum, yearly. This isn’t just to ensure that your tenant isn’t destroying your precious property, but also to address any maintenance issues that need fixing.
Image credit: Team Uchify
In our case, our tenants had neglected to mention that the sink had been leaking into the cabinetry for the entirety of the 2 years they lived there. This led to the under-sink support rotting. A few contractors we consulted for repairs suggested ripping out the entire kitchen and replacing it—but we didn’t have any budget for extensive repairs. Thankfully, a very experienced handyman company was able to turn our undermount sink into a top-mounted one for a couple of hundred dollars.
Be very careful about the wording in your tenancy agreement
When it came to discussing the damages and how much excess the tenants would have to fork out, we were only met with resistance. Our tenants found loopholes in the way the tenancy agreement was worded and refused to pay more than $500 in total for repairs, even though the contract stipulated that they would not have to pay more than $500 per damaged “item.”
In the end, we ended up swallowing the damages, which set us back $4,000. We didn’t have the mental or emotional capacity to follow through with legal action that would cost us more, so we left the situation as it was.
Pro tip: Have an experienced landlord friend or lawyer read through your tenancy agreement to make sure that it is watertight. Thereafter, sit down with your tenants to lay out the terms so they know exactly where their responsibilities lie. It’s good to outline when repairs for the home need to be handled, and this should be done well before the keys are handed back over to you.
Renting out my HDB flat as a first time landlord
As a non-confrontational person, dealing with my tenant and trying to force him to pay for the damages was a very stressful experience that I never want to relive. At the very least, this time, I’m going into the rental process with much more experience.
I also now understand why horrible landlords exist—they’ve probably been burned somewhere along the way and now know better. With all that said, I’m still going to try to go forth and be the kind landlord I set out to be, just with some important house rules and a better-drafted tenancy contract.
Read more of our articles here:
- Is it safe to rent homes on Carousell & Facebook?
- Is paying $3k for HDB rent worth it?
- Guide to renting in Singapore
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