Landlord finds Joo Chiat shophouse turned into 'dorm'; tenant admits occupancy limit exceeded by 5 people

A man rented out his three-storey shophouse to an eatery owner who was looking for accommodation for their workers. 

But when the landlord later paid a visit to the home, he was stunned to find the place in disarray with more than 10 new mattresses.  

The landlord, Lin, 35, told Shin Min Daily News that he suspects about 18 people were staying in his five-bedroom property along Marshall Road, in the Joo Chiat area. 

According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, private homes smaller than 90sqm have an occupancy cap of six unrelated persons. Homes larger than 90sqm can have up to eight tenants if the owner registers with the authority. 

Lin explained to the Chinese daily that he had purchased the house in October 2025 and engaged a property agent to put it up for rent as he was overseas. 

"A restaurant owner expressed interest and said he wanted to arrange for about seven of his employees to move in, but the final number had not been determined," Lin recalled. 

Through the agent, the tenant signed the rental agreement on Oct 31, 2025, and paid two months' rent as deposit. 

When Lin visited the shophouse two weeks later, he walked into an unfamiliar living room occupied by three bed frames. 

A bedroom on the second floor had four single beds and one bunk bed, while another room on the same storey had two bunk beds. 

On the third floor, Lim found two mattresses folded in one room, a person sleeping in another bedroom, and three mattresses in the last room, with a row of clothes hanging near the window. 

When the property agent contacted the tenant, the latter refused to move out and reportedly surmised that the workers "could have brought their friends to live here". 

Lin then reported the matter to the authorities and served the eatery owner with an eviction notice for the home to be vacated before Jan 5. 

Documents he showed to Shin Min reportedly stated that the authorities found nine occupants in the property, with a 10th person believed to be away, when they conducted an inspection on Nov 27. 

"[The workers] came to live here following their company's arrangement. They had no say, and their living conditions were terrible," the man said sympathetically. 

An eatery spokesperson told Shin Min that they had exceeded the occupancy cap by five people. 

He also said that the property has since been vacated and restored to its original condition, and that other living arrangements have been made for the workers. 

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com