'He wasn't cooperating': Woodlands coffee shop dumps tenant's belongings on walkway over alleged rent dispute

With his zi char stall experiencing a post-pandemic recovery, things were looking up for this hawker.

But after an alleged rent dispute with the coffee shop management, Chen, 53, complained that everything inside his stall was cleared and left outside on the walkway of the coffee shop without prior notice. 

The incident happened on Feb 15 at a coffee shop along Woodlands Street 13, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Chen, the boss of Mari Mari Seafood, told the Chinese daily that he operated his stall there for four years.

Describing how he ran his business without facing any issues, the hawker said that cracks in the relationship with the coffee shop management appeared last month.

Accused of violating lease agreement

Chen shared he was told to move four refrigerators that were outside his stall, adding that he complied within a week.

"I received a letter from a lawyer representing the coffee shop management on Feb 6," the hawker said. "I was told to remove the items I placed outside or else my lease would be terminated.

"I thought I had already complied with that request, so I ignored it."

On Feb 12, the management contacted Chen to complain about a table that was left outside his stall.

He said: "While it wasn't mine, we agreed that I would discard it within 5 days.

"But two days later, I was accused of violating the lease agreement."

Ingredients went bad, $800 in cash missing

To Chen's bafflement, everything in his stall – kitchen equipment and fittings – were dumped outside on the walkway by the coffee shop management. 

The disappointed hawker said: "All the ingredients inside my fridge, worth thousands of dollars, had gone bad.

Chen added that he had lodged a police report after $800 went missing inside the cash register.

"I used to have a good relationship with the [coffee shop management], but I'm heartbroken with how everything has turned out," Chen said.

A disagreement over rent is also the reason behind the dispute, Chen claimed.

The hawker shared he met the coffee shop manager a day before his items were moved out, adding that the latter requested new terms to his lease agreement.

Describing how the monthly rent would be increased by $1,500, Chen said: "When we couldn't reach an agreement, we agreed that I would move out within seven days.

"But the manager changed his mind the next day and asked me to remove all my items on the same day."

While his lawyer and the coffee shop's legal team agreed to work things out, the hawker shared he was later notified that his stall was cleared out.

Coffee shop: We notified hawker before moving his items

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, the coffee shop said that Chen "refused to co-operate" after piling items outside his stall – posing a safety hazard.

"On our lawyer's advice, we terminated his lease and requested that he cleared his stall within a specified time," a spokesperson said, adding that they informed Chen through his lawyer before moving his items.

On Chen's allegations about increasing his rent, the coffee shop said that the former had taken the initiative to discuss a new agreement.

"Since the hawker's previous rent was the market rate during the pandemic, the new lease must be adjusted based on the current rate," they added.

The police told the Chinese daily that they are investigating the incident. 

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chingshijie@asiaone.com