Singaporean perspective of a rookie renter
It's been over a year since I landed in this beautiful country. In this time, I had a baby, moved house once and another impending move is coming up. I'm been wanting to write a post about my life here for a long time and since I just came back from a month long holiday to my homeland, Singapore, it's a good time to pen down my thoughts. After visiting home for a month and experiencing terrible haze, I'm glade to be back to fresh air and wide open spaces. Auckland is a bonafide city with plenty of good food, wine and expensive property. Rent here is not cheap... but not as expensive as Singapore. I live in West Auckland by chance and found it to be very convenient with highways leading to the airport and the city. The people in West Auckland are very nice and kind, something that is sorely missing from Singapore. My quality of life definitely went up. After saying all this, I find that I still miss home, my family and friends. Family or quality of life? This question haunts me sometimes.
I would like to write about renting and help newcomers from tropical countries especially Singapore settle in the right house.
In my first rental, it was a nice PRC landlord whom I signed a 8 month lease with. The old house with old windows was insulated in the ceiling and floor BUT the fireplace was not sealed properly(most likely DIY). Imagine a northerly wind howling against the house and the cold wind gushing into the heart of the house freezing the occupants instantly. The rent is cheap because it's small 2 bedroom house with shared utilities. Frankly speaking, shared utilities is not advisable. If you can help it, don't do it. Because I had a baby and my water bill went up significantly, my landlord was constantly on my back to save water. Better to have your own meter to avoid awkwardness. Overall it's a positive experience, because the landlord is someone who's easy going and open for negotiation.
In my second rental, present house. I made too many mistakes. The house is carpeted with only ceiling insulation and a working fireplace with old windows. Winter was punishing especially for someone who was born and bred in a tropical country. When I moved in, I did not snap a photo of the electricity meter so I ended paying alot more than my share... my bill was $600++ to be exact. Second, I did not check if there's a phone socket, it was taken for granted that it was there. It was not. So I had no internet and phone line until the cable guy came to my rescue. In the course of six months living in the house I had water heater problems(slow response from property manager), ant invasion, bad window hinges(painted hinges) that cause me to accidentally break a window. Basically, I paid good money for a bad rental because I was in a hurry. The water pipe burst outside my house on the day I was leaving for Singapore as well. Insane. The property manager was a Samoan guy who's looking after the house for an overseas investor. Not a very nice guy. Always on the offensive. So my husband took over all dealings with him. The last straw was when he terminated my one year lease prematurely and said it's ending in three days time and he's raising the rent. The letter of termination came on a Friday. So we immediately went to look for a new accommodation and found it. We told him we are honouring his letter to terminate our rental and we're moving. The next day, he said the email was a mistake and it's an automated email. He said he was sorry. How can a company's automated email be signed in ink? I had it really. Tenancy Services said I have a strong case. The property manager attempt to bully my husband over the phone, but of course to no avail. Luckily everything is in black and white! This is still ongoing. Not sure what will happen, we'll see.
Let this be a cautionary tale for future immigrants. Read your contract, check the house thoroughly, beware of bad property managers and landlords. I had one good landlord and one bad one, hopefully the next one will be a good one.
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Originally Posted by Singapura Cat
