711260 - tips for expatriates & landlords

Replies in red.
December 15, 1997
Lim wrote:
Hi, I have a few questions, can you please help me? Since I have never rent out my apartment, I would like to know:

who typically pay for the electric bill? water bill? telephone bill?
Tenant

maintainance fee?
Landlord

for the bill that I am not paying, how does the one who rent the apartment pay it? (currently

all the bill is using my GIRO account) Should I pay it as usual and ask the money from him/her, or...?
No, because some Tenants do not reimburse you promptly if at all.

what happenes if the one who rent the apartment breaks my equipment or furniture? Or lost them?
If you have a lease contract, the Tenant will have agreed to pay for items damaged due to negligence of the Tenant but not due to fair wear and tear. Lost items will be replaced or Tenant will compensate Landlord at a reasonable replacement value.

The quality of the Tenant is important and this is why all Singaporean Landlords love corporate lease rather than personal leases. Corporations are believed to be more responsible while private individuals may just disappear and you cannot recover the damages or need to engage a lawyer or go to the Small Claims Tribunal Court (which costs money and time). With the budget range of <$3,000, leases are usually personal nowadays.

if the one who rent the apartment dirty the place (say to a very extreme), what action can I take?
If you have a lease contract, the Tenant will have agreed to return the apartment to you in a tenantable condition and in the same clean condition as you had given him/her. However, most Tenants do not do so. This is where the security deposit of one or two months’ rent is used to deduct for expenses in doing what the Tenant should have done.

There are one more question unrelated, but I hope you can help me:how much is the typically rental fee for a 2 or 3 room flat (fully furnish) which is near MRT?

By nearness to MRT, I presume it is <10-minute walk.

2-bedroom rentals: As at December 15, 1997, I can get one at S$2,000 - $2,500 fully furnished with full-condo facilities, near Simei MRT and another one at S$3,000 fully furnished near Kembangan MRT. These are the cheapest rates for condo apartments.

3-bedroom rentals: As at December 15, 1997, I can get one at S$3,000 - $3,500 fully furnished with full-condo facilities, near Simei MRT and another one at S$3,500 fully furnished near Chinese Garden MRT. These are the cheapest rates for condo apartments.

2-bedroom & 3 bedroom approved HDB apartment rentals: As at December 15, 1997, I can get one at S$1,350 renovated, near Ang Mo Kio MRT and another one at S$2,200 fully furnished near Redhill MRT.

As yours is an apartment with no facilities, is above a shopping mall, rentals have dropped considerably in view of competition from newer condos and apartments as Tenants, given the choice, will always take the new ones. However, there will be takers if you are flexible. .

Thanks.T C