Since the pandemic began in 2020, the renting market has seen a boom in business for various reasons. Some tenants are renting as they await their much-delayed new HDB flats or condominium apartments, while others are renting as a step towards self-sufficiency and independence.
Needless to say, prices have gone up due to the high demand, but high prices may not always guarantee a smooth-sailing rental experience. Guides on how to handle nightmare tenants are dime a dozen on the Internet, but what happens when the tables turn and the problems stem from the landlords?
To help you deal with problematic rental situations – from shoddy safety requirements to unannounced visits – here are some of the more common renting problems tenants might face, and how you can manage each one of them well.
Wear and tear happens, especially when renting an older apartment. But what happens when the fridge tray gives way a week into your tenancy?
If you’re renting the whole apartment, then it’s not uncommon for renters to receive a 30-day warranty policy from the landlord, which covers unforeseen issues in the first month of you moving into the unit. During these 30 days, anything that is broken due to poor maintenance from past tenants or general wear and tear can give you a case to request a replacement or repairing without any cost from you.
Prior to moving in, you are required to attend a handover with the landlord’s representing agent. If you’re using a housing agent, they should be present as well. Firstly, pre-empt all parties that you would like a longer handover session (you’ll see why in a bit).
Always make sure you’re present for the handover, and inspect the entire apartment with a fine-tooth comb. Document any and every little flaw – from scratches on the wood flooring, holes in any curtains, chips off any walls – and ensure you store this evidence securely. You’ll also want to test all ovens, air-conditioning units and let them run for a while (hence why you should ask for a longer handover session), so you check if they were properly serviced prior to your taking over. The last thing you want is to have a moldy smell greet you in bed, or an oven that hasn’t been used in years that it causes the whole house to trip due to old wiring.
Now, let’s say you find minor damages after your warranty has ended. In most cases, the landlord-tenant contract would have stipulated a threshold amount that the landlord is liable to cover. Any cost outside of that would be out of your own pocket.
The amount covered by the landlord usually ranges from $150 to $250, though the exact amount varies from case to case.
For example, if your agreement states that the liability on the landlord’s end is up to $200 and it costs $250 for a replacement fan, then you should expect to fork out the extra $50 for the cost.
In instances where the item requires a bigger purchase – say a fridge or a new oven – then you may need to have a chat with your landlord to see if a cost-splitting arrangement can be made, so you’re not stuck with the majority of the bill.
This really comes down to two things: Firstly, are you renting a room, or the whole unit? If it’s just a room, and you’re looking to bring in a coffee table in the common area, then you have no case here. It’s understandable that if the landlord is living in the unit with you, they will want to make sure anything seen in the common areas are items that they and their family like.
If you’re renting the whole place, then the second question is this: is your landlord keeping your furniture after you leave the tenancy?
If you’ve agreed to give the furniture to the landlord at the end of the tenancy, and if they have offered to pay for some or all of the new furniture, then it’s also understandable why they’d want pre-approval of furniture that you plan to buy. The last thing they want is to take over a couch that you got for free off a shady website, and they have to buy another couch again.
Conversely, if you’re renting a whole unit and not planning on leaving any furniture behind, then you have complete autonomy over your furniture choice and you may reject this request.
Picture this: you’re lounging in your rental bedroom quietly, and suddenly your landlord comes in for a surprise check. Sounds incredulous? It has happened to this writer.
What’s important to remember is that landlords do have the right to enter a space that they own, whether or not you’re renting the whole place or just a room. However, they need to obtain prior approval in writing from the tenant before doing so.
This means that unannounced and unplanned surprise visits are completely illegal and you have the right to refuse entry until an agreement in writing is created.
No one likes the idea of surveillance cameras, least of all renters who just want a space to relax. But what happens when you come home one day to find cameras set up?
By law, CCTV cameras can only be installed in common areas. Areas where there is an expectation for personal privacy – such as bathrooms or bedrooms – are off-limits and protected by legal jurisdiction.
For renters of rooms, common areas may have surveillance and there’s not much you can do about it.
Yet, if you’re renting the whole unit, then look for a clause called “Quiet Enjoyment” in your tenancy agreement. This means that the landlord cannot interrupt your time in the apartment unless they have proof that you’ve breached other parts of the agreement, including installing said cameras in common areas. Any time they want to do so, it must stem from a written agreement between yourself and your landlord.
Peruse any rental site and you’ll find that several listings often state that tenants are allowed “light cooking”. In some cases, no cooking is allowed.
Make sure you consider your lifestyle habits before committing to these requirements. Are you someone who eats out often anyway, and if so, are there places around the apartment that serve food at your usual dinner time? Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, there’s little you can do to change this.
Now, say you would like to contest this later in the tenancy. You can try talking to your agent to see if they can help negotiate with the landlord on your behalf. Alternatively, show the landlord that you are a tenant who keeps the space impeccably clean, and ask for a reconsideration of this rule in three or six months’ time. There’s no better proof of your reputation as a star tenant than demonstrating to your landlord how responsible you are with the cleanliness of their property, and it may help you win them over to allow you more cooking liberties.
Most of the time, these rules often arise due to landlords having bad experiences with past tenants that leave the kitchen looking like a grease bomb just went off, so they’re also trying to do away with hassle on their end.
This happens more often than you think.
When things are advertised as being provided in working condition, and you find out at the handover that these things don’t work or simply don’t exist at all, you have the option of accepting it or finding a new place.
However, let’s say things worked in the 30 seconds they were turned on during the handover, only to break down after you’ve moved in and turned it back on for 15 minutes. Here’s what to do:
First, it serves you in the best interest to give everything a go during your tenancy warranty period, so find a day within your warranty period to properly use the oven, the dishwasher and any other appliance you may not normally use.
Once a fault occurs, make a video of it and send it to your agent or directly to your landlord. You may be given a list of workarounds, to which you should try. Did one of the workarounds solve the problem? Great!
If not, here begins your discussion with the landlord on replacements. If it’s an appliance you’re going to use regularly – say an oven or washing machine – then try to get a replacement from the landlord. If they refuse to budge, you may approach the Community Mediation Centre for mediation help, or do some homework to see if you may have a case with the Small Claims Tribunal.
Remember the handover that we stressed was so important earlier on? This is why: you want to protect your security deposit as much as possible.
When checking out of your rental, most landlords will survey the unit and check off the faults that were already present before you moved in. Anything new – a crack on the marble counter, a broken table leg or even something as small as a missing screw – will need repair, and that cost comes out of your security deposit.
When this happens, you should always ask for an invoice from the landlord stating the repairs done, the cost and (most importantly) the company repairing it. This allows you to call the company to do a simple cross-check, and to verify the repair costs.
However, if you’ve gotten a request for $2,000 to replace a broken window pane, and there proof cannot be produced, you can raise this as a small claims case. In the eyes of the court, landlords are required to provide reasonable proof that these costs were fairly equated from the damages you caused. This ensures that you’re only paying for what is fair.
With lesser newly-built apartments available, you may find yourself having to consider older apartments instead. This often comes with the problem that certain aspects of the place may not look as presentable.
Landlords should be renting out property that is fit for residence. This means that faulty wiring provides you grounds for reimbursement, but a scuffed-up wall isn’t exactly a problem by legal definition.
With that being stated, you should always try to negotiate something with the landlord. For example, if the walls just need a fresh coat of paint, then how much would that cost and would they be willing to bear a smaller fraction of the cost?
A good tip to bear in mind is that you benefit more by having a good relationship with your landlord, so we recommend trying to approach every situation with a measured temperament.