The homeowner’s behavior raises concerns about inappropriate conduct. He intrusively questioned the tenant about her personal life, specifically her relationship status, and made unsettling comments about living together. This behavior left the tenant feeling uncomfortable and prompted her decision to move out.
Here is the story:
Block 372 Hougang street 31
Attention, ladies! Beware of this perverted, single, unmarried male homeowner, aged 36. I came across a room listing on the Property Guru app that showcased beautifully renovated room photos. However, when I visited the actual property, the rooms didn’t match the pictures. Many parts of the house were left unfinished, with exposed wires hanging in the air. The kitchen was in a shambles, and visible dust and debris from the renovation work were everywhere.
Due to an urgent need for a room, the agent assured us that the property had Wi-Fi, rooms, air conditioning, and functioning bathrooms. However, our initial encounter with the homeowner was far from pleasant. He appeared resistant to my boyfriend, who had accompanied me, and seemed quite melancholic, with his parents by his side.
My boyfriend, the agent, and I waited downstairs for approximately 15-20 minutes, but the homeowner failed to show basic courtesy by not coming downstairs to greet us. During the introduction phase:
- When discussing the washing machine, the homeowner insisted on using a fixed water level to save on utilities, but my boyfriend declined, opting to use an external laundry service.
- The homeowner highlighted good sunlight in the rooms and proximity to the corridor during the introduction, emphasizing the area’s quietness.
Later, when we decided to rent the room and initiated the contract signing process, the agent requested an upfront deposit payment before signing the contract. I insisted on receiving the contract first before making any payments. The agent quickly sent me a draft tenancy agreement.
However, during our second meeting with the homeowner to sign the tenancy agreement, he unexpectedly mentioned that he needed access to our room on Saturdays for cleaning, a detail that was not discussed during the contract negotiation. I firmly rejected his request, stating that he couldn’t enter when I was not at home.
Then, he inquired if he could enter from Monday to Friday, which left me feeling uncomfortable. I chose not to respond, and his mother did not intervene to prevent him from entering a female tenant’s room.
The air conditioning was only allowed to be used until 3 a.m., a restriction that seemed unreasonable. I typically used it until around midnight and turned it off at 8 a.m.
Upon moving in on September 1, 2023, the homeowner’s mother provided me with two sets of bedsheets, one pillow, a pair of old-fashioned indoor plastic slippers, and a kettle. The homeowner wanted to include the bedsheets in the tenancy inventory list, but his mother insisted otherwise.
When I received the room key, there were only two spare keys for the wooden door. The homeowner asked me to coordinate with the other female tenant, whose work hours differed from mine, for key distribution. Later, he decided that the last person to leave should use a security chain, which was inconvenient for everyone.
Initially, the homeowner hadn’t moved in, claiming that the property was still under renovation. However, another female tenant mentioned that he was planning to move in the next month, which surprised me as I was not informed. Privately, the female tenant disclosed that the homeowner had invited her for meals and hiking activities, all of which she had declined.
For unknown reasons, the homeowner seemed eager to move into his new home quickly. I began to feel uneasy, especially with his regular Saturday visits, during which he and his parents barely made a noticeable difference in cleaning.
I had a sense of being watched or monitored while at home, as I could predict their Saturday visits. To avoid them, I would leave the house early.
A few days later, the homeowner added me and another female tenant to a WhatsApp group to inform us that our rooms would be painted in a few days. We requested prior notice and assured him that we wouldn’t lock our doors.
However, during a private message, he revealed that his mother would install curtains in my room the next day and complained about ongoing renovations in his home. This raised questions about why I was not informed earlier.
On September 13, 2023, the homeowner messaged me in the evening, asking if we could talk on the phone. I initially didn’t answer, which seemed to agitate him. When I eventually called back, he expressed his dissatisfaction with what I had written in the WhatsApp group, feeling that I was unhappy with him.
He proceeded to ask intrusive questions about my personal life, inquiring whether my boyfriend was my husband. Frustrated, I confirmed that my boyfriend had helped me move in. The homeowner then suggested that he would move in, stating that we would be living under the same roof, to which I reminded him that I had only rented a room.
He persisted, asking if I wanted to continue living there and whether I felt comfortable. I remained silent, sensing that there was an ulterior motive behind his questions. I had run out of patience and decided to end the call.
Later, he called again, claiming that I was ignoring him and accusing me of being uncooperative. I reluctantly answered, and he continued to press about my relationship status, to which I replied that my boyfriend had assisted with the move.
At this point, the homeowner calmly asked if I still wanted to live there, to which I reiterated that I had only rented a room. He persisted with the question about my comfort, to which I remained silent. This line of questioning felt manipulative.
Feeling frustrated, I ended the call, and it was evident that he had no intention of renting the room to me when he asked these intrusive questions.
Every Saturday, the homeowner and his parents would visit the property to inspect and clean. Unfortunately, dust was still visible on the floor even after their cleaning efforts. I felt as if I were being watched and monitored at home, and I became increasingly anxious.
I decided to move out and informed the homeowner of my intention on September 30, 2023, at around 3:00 pm. My boyfriend accompanied me for the move-out process. To our surprise, we found that the homeowner had replaced the front door lock without notifying us. Fortunately, I had moved my belongings the day before, ensuring that I could access my things.
When I asked the homeowner for the return of my deposit, he initially refused, citing that the lease had not been fulfilled for 12 months. However, when we involved the police, he quickly agreed to return $500 of the deposit and suggested that we call the police if we disagreed. It was clear that he had breached trust and rules first.
We promptly reported the issue to the police. During their investigation, they discovered that the homeowner had a severe mental health issue, as indicated by the IMH (Institute of Mental Health) assessment, which classified his condition as “severe” three times.
This incident taught me a valuable lesson: it’s crucial to communicate and clarify all terms and conditions with a landlord before signing a lease. The homeowner’s behavior and actions were unsettling, and I felt constantly uneasy and watched in my own home.
Please share this cautionary tale to help others avoid similar experiences.
Original text:
Block 372 Hougang street 31
各位女生请注意！！
要小心这个变态单身未婚男屋主，年龄36岁.
我在property guru Apps, 看到posted的房间刚翻新过 “ 很漂亮 “ 的房子照片. 结果去看了真正的房子房间跟图片不一样. 很多房子部分都没装修好 然后电线吊在半空. 屋里厨房没装修好. 到处可以肉眼可见的粉 装修后的灰尘
因为当时很紧急需要找到房间，Agent 介绍的时候说过有Wifi、房间、冷气和厕所已经可以使用.
Agent带领了我们到家门外，他看起来像是很抗拒我的男朋友
当时男屋主有忧郁的表情 父母陪同在身边… 我就没多想.
我、男友和Agent 就在楼下已经等了一段时间15-20分钟，屋主并没有基本礼仪知道我们提早到了 并没去楼下迎接我们打算 也就罢了 还一副高高在上的姿态表情
介绍期：
• 介绍洗衣机的时候，只能开固定说好的water level，要我要帮他省下Pub 水电费 我的男友直接拒绝他，说我们自己可以拿去外面洗衣店洗.
• 介绍房间采光很好阳光可以看到树绿色化 位置又靠近走廊. 这一带都很安静
后来决定拿下这个房间，就通知Agent 可以签合约.
Agent要求先转账押金 等下再签合约
我说不行 一定要收到合约内容再转账.
Agent 马上立刻发我draft 的Tenancy agreement.
第二次跟Agent 屋主见面签Tenancy agreement. 签完了，屋主就开始通知我拜六礼拜不能锁门，他要进来帮我清理房间地板. 这个并没有在签合约前提出 心里很气. 我说我不在家他不可以进来清理.
然后他就问星期一到星期五就不可以进来？我心里都吓死了…… 我就不理不回答他. 当时他的妈妈并没有阻止他不能进女孩子的房间.
Air con 只能睡前开到凌晨三点. （心里面翻白眼：真无语，还钱了还不让开到睡醒关 抠死了）当然自己晚上都是大约11-12点开到睡醒8点才关～
入住时间：01.09.2023
因为当天签约当天就住进去，屋主的妈妈就给我准备了新的2套床单、1个枕头、一套塑料室内鞋（很老土) 还有kettle.
当时屋主要求Agent 提供床单要写进Tenancy inventory lists. 然后他的妈妈说不需要. 他就听他妈妈的.
等屋主走了，kettle和拖鞋我放在外面客厅地上都不用. 我自己准备矿泉水、买自己的拖鞋.
当给房门钥匙，木门只有2个spare keys. 他拿一个，剩一个给我们自己分配
拜托我跟另一个女生工作时间不一样 怎么分配. 后来屋主觉定最后一个出门就要锁铁链. 屋主说要换新的家门可是又答不出日期，真够了！又不舍得花钱做新的钥匙给我，还搞到每个人不方便！
屋主当时候还没住进去，他说等装修好了才住进来. 可以另一个女房客说：屋主下个月就住进来了！我就傻眼了，怎么屋主没通知我一下？！私底下，女tenant 说屋主有约过她去吃饭 爬山…被她拒绝了
不知道什么原因屋主似乎很着急搬进新家.
我感觉噩梦就要开始了……
每个星期六礼拜，屋主和他的父母风雨不改的来新家看看打扫. 可以肉眼可以看见地上的灰尘是还在的.
我感觉在家就像是被窥视、监视～
我大概知道他们下午的时间就会来. 就会提早出门，等于你来我不在家.
11.09.2023
几天后屋主加WhatsApp 群，加我和另一个女tenant.
目的通知我们几天后就要油漆我们的房间.
女tenant：okay，请提早让我们知道，我们不会锁门.
我：
1）需要多少天的时间油漆
2）晚上我的房间很亮，因为走廊的灯光对着我的窗口.
屋主私底下回复我：
1）我的妈妈明天会在你的房间夹窗帘布
2）我的家还在装修，我很头疼. 希望你会明白. （听说因为屋主请的装修公司交钱了后，装修一半就倒闭了）
13.09.2023
屋主晚上私聊我9.04pm：
我们需要谈一下，你可以回复电话吗.
我没接听电话
屋主：你是在无视我吗？
屋主：我不认为我可以提供租客拒绝沟通的人
我要发言一下：这屋主有病是吧…… 这么晚了聊什么？！人家忙工作都累死了 还一直夺命追魂 call
不接听电话 就被刺激到
没办法就硬着头皮回电话.
屋主语气很不爽：可以谈一下吗. 我很不高兴你在群里写的东西. 你是对我不满吗？
你这样让我很没面子.
我不知道有加进另外一个女房客.
我从头到尾一直在敷衍 保持沉默的路上.
我觉得你们很不老实，为什么之前Agent 没跟我说你有男朋友或是已经结婚了.
我只租给单身没有结婚或有男朋友的女人. I only want rent to “ Single Professional Female “
所以你跟你的朋友是什么关系？
我说： 这是我个人私人问题.
屋主：我想知道到底是你的男朋友还是老公.
我被他气死了，就说：帮我搬家的人是我男朋友 ！！
屋主很温柔的说：那你还想要住吗…… 我会住进来了以后就会一个屋檐下
我说 ： 我只是租一个房间而已……
屋主：那你还想要继续住吗？
屋主：那你跟我住舒服吗？
屋主不死心再问：那你跟我住舒服吗？我不想在一个屋子里住不开心
我： 沉默… 这个问题很狡猾 绝对是背后有另一层意思
我已经没耐心了…… 我累了改天再说
就挂了. 当你问这些问题的时候，你根本就没心要继续租房间给我
还骚扰我！ 真是吓死宝宝了
我每天回家都紧张兮兮 像做贼似的
感觉无家可归
怕屋主在家
结果决定搬走，已通知屋主30.09.2023 约3.00pm 交房检查和要求退还押金
我的男朋友和我一起过去.
好家伙 幸好我提早到1.50pm 左右
当天就看到不明人士在家门外有人换掉家里的大门. 屋主并不老实没有通知会换家门.幸好我前一天就把自己的东西转移了 不然拿不回自己的时候 连家门都进不了.
屋主的父母并不在
我看见屋主就直接要求 现在要退房.
太突然了 他说还没准备好
我就要现在！
屋主说：我妈妈的衣架6pcs呢？我蒙了，我说那是我自己买的.
屋主直接要我退还钥匙，我说要退还押金才可以还钥匙.
屋主直接说合约没住满12个月，不可以退还押金.
然后屋主被男朋友骂. 屋主说只能退还$500 如果不可以你就报警咯！
这是明明屋主自己先违反规则和信任.
我们就立刻报警.
然后屋主直接被我的男朋友讲到哑口无言 退还押金. 屋主的附近邻居都纷纷出来看屋主
为什么屋主会知道我的新衣架有6个.
这就证明我不在家的时候，屋主和他的父母有进过我的房间检查没有我的应许.
我也注意到桌上的香薰被人动过的痕迹…
屋主和他的父母都有我们房间的钥匙备份！
警察不检查不知道，检查了屋主吓了一跳！屋主的检查报告显示 IMH :严重级
精神状态评估 ： 严重级！
精神状态评估 ： 严重级！
精神状态评估 ： 严重级！
重要的事情说三遍！
不是一家人 不进一家门
有怎样的父母 就有怎么样的儿子❕
为什么要找单身女生 签合约前不说清楚？
注意:女生千万不要租他们的房子，一家人一家蛇鼠 一直要找我们麻烦.
一直认为自己是对的
“ 我们进你们的房间没有错 “
注意:女生千万不要租他们的房子！避坑指南 避免被骗 请大家帮忙转发出去谢谢！