Couple gets a shock after seeing 18 'new faces' in Sengkang flat they rented out

One couple, who rented out their flat to five people in May, returned to the house six months later and found 18 "new faces" living there.

Property agent William Koh told AsiaOne on Monday (Oct 23) that the original tenants of the four-room flat in Sengkang West Avenue were foreign students studying in Singapore.

"They had delayed their rental payment for almost a month. So, I advised the landlords to take a look at the unit," Koh from PropNex Limited said.

Koh visited the flat with his clients on Sunday, and they were shocked by what they saw.

There were 18 people crammed in the messy unit, with mattresses covering every available space in the living room and bedrooms.

"The kitchen and floor were quite dirty. I didn't manage to go into the toilets to see what it was like," Koh said.

[[nid:617338]]

The property agent said the new occupants told him they were paying rent to the original tenants who had already left Singapore.

"They thought they were registered and allowed to stay in the unit," Koh said, adding that the landlords later lodged a police report.

"We were quite shocked, but I also kind of expected it as I suspected something fishy was going on."

When contacted by AsiaOne, the landlords declined to comment.

According to HDB, flat owners are responsible for ensuring that tenants are authorised to stay in the flat, and that the number of tenants does not exceed the maximum number allowed. 

Up to six people are allowed to live in a three-room, four-room and five-room flats.

HDB also conducts regular checks on flats that have sought approval to be rented out, and imposes financial penalties of up to $50,000 on errant homeowners.

Tenants found illegally subletting a flat may also be barred from renting another HDB flat.

Members of the public are also urged to report any suspected cases of unauthorised rental or misuse of flats to the housing board's hotline at 1800-555-6370.

ALSO READ: Subletting HDB flats? These 5 assumptions could land you in trouble

chingshijie@asiaone.com