A tenant was evicted from his rented room in a Yishun HDB unit by his landlady, and when he asked for his deposit back, the landlady brandished a knife in response, according to Shin Min Daily News.
The incident reportedly took place on 9 August at Block 506B, Yishun Avenue 4.
Landlady from your worst nightmares
The story begins with a tenant who rented a room in July through Facebook and moved into the flat on the 16th of that month. Little did they know that their peaceful stay was about to take a rather unusual turn.
Soon after moving in, the tenant started experiencing early morning disturbances. The landlady would bang on their door and scold them at 6 am every morning, complaining about parts of the house being dirty.
This unwelcome behavior led the tenant to do some research, where they discovered that this particular landlady had already earned a reputation as someone to be cautious about, and that she had apparently been “blacklisted”.
The surprises didn’t end there. By the end of July, the landlady insisted that the tenant move out, even allowing two other tenants to move in before their departure.
The tenant, expecting their deposit back, requested the return of their $550 deposit. However, the landlady reportedly refused to return him his money.
In an attempt to resolve the matter, the tenant brought in relatives from Indonesia to negotiate with the landlady. Unfortunately, things took a rather dramatic turn.
The former tenant recalled the incident, saying that he didn’t expect the landlady to suddenly become emotional and pull out a knife from the kitchen, asking him to kill her.
Fearing that someone might get injured, the tenant decided to take action and lodged a police report the following day. Ultimately, the landlady did return $530 to the tenant.
Landlady called tenant’s workplace to complain
This wasn’t the end of the tenant’s ordeal. In their rental agreement, tenants were required to provide personal details, including their workplace information.
After moving out, the former tenant shared that the landlady had contacted his company and raised concerns about his character, even going so far as to request his termination.
Fortunately, the tenant’s boss was understanding, sparing him from the potential consequences of the landlady’s actions.
Other tenants also kena the same thing
Another former tenant, surnamed Yang, 21, corroborated these claims, revealing that he was also swiftly evicted and that the landlady had also contacted his company to complain.
Yang’s experience was equally troubling. After moving in on August 20th and paying a booking fee, he found himself in a rather challenging living situation.
The landlady, initially friendly during the tour, suddenly became demanding. Yang was instructed to clean up the room and toilet, buy groceries without receiving money to do so, and even had his access to water and electricity restricted.
The situation escalated when the landlady demanded Yang to pay the full rent upfront, which he couldn’t afford. As a result, he was evicted.
A Troubling Pattern
When questioned about these incidents, the landlady remained agitated and refused to respond. It seems that the unsettling behavior and questionable practices weren’t limited to just one tenant.
Other former tenants have also reportedly complained about similar issues, revealing that they were banned from locking their room doors or staying home during their off days, as well as not being allowed to bring food home to consume.