Hi good folks,
I recently moved to Singapore for work, and after a tough house search, I finally found a 1 bedroom unit at a reasonable location and put in a letter of intent with the good faith deposit.
20 days later, it’s time to sign the tenancy agreement and I’m 3 days away from my move-in date. I just received the draft of the agreement and it has a clause that says “No overnight or overstaying of any visitors in the premises after 1am at all times”.
Now I find this kind of ridiculous – they never mentioned this before, I’m renting an entire unit and I do not intend to throw any parties or gatherings (it’s too tiny for that anyway). My agent told me that they’re trying to be extra careful to avoid issues with the neighbors in case I have visitors over who drink and play loud music or make noise.
Is this standard practice in Singapore? Any advice on what I can do at this point?
- Rented few places whole unit. From my experience it’s a common clause, but there is no enforcement. The clause is just there in case s–t hits the fan and they can pull it out as defense. I think common sense will suffice.
- (OP) That’s reassuring, thanks. I’m a grown man and I feel like I’m a teenager at my parents’ house lol.
- I’ve been both a tenant and a landlord (not for the same unit or at the same time obviously).
No it is not reasonable.
That said, the landlord has a duty by law to ensure that no illegal immigrants are being harboured in the premises. As a tenant, I periodically submitted copies of mine and the other occupants’ (my family members’) identification and valid immigration documents to my landlord at the tenancy signing and at every renewal thereafter. As a landlord, I requested the same from the tenant. If immigration documents expired during the tenancy, I made sure I asked for updated versions because the burden of proof in law is on the owner/landlord.
It was also worded into the tenancy agreement that the tenant undertakes not to conduct any illegal activities on the premises or to allow persons without valid and current immigration status to stay, but the tenancy agreement is just between the landlord and tenant. If any laws are breached, the owner/landlord is the first to be held accountable.
Aside from that, the tenancy agreements state that the tenant has a “right to quiet enjoyment” of the premises, i.e. it would be wrongful for the landlord to deprive him of such.