30/12/2018 Renting out your home?

The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

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Renting out your home? The most common scams

Singapore landlords fall for
BY 99.CO 28 DEC 2018

(Photo: Unsplash / Grant)

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

M
ention rental scams, and you could be forgiven for thinking that tenants are usually the
victims, for example by giving a deposit to a fake landlord.

But did you know that landlords in Singapore are more commonly the targets of scammers posing
as legit tenants?

Here is a list of rental scams that landlords of residential properties need to watch out for.

► READ: Moving out on your own? 7 important rental clauses you never knew
existed

1. THE PHISHING SCAM

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

(Photo: Unsplash / Tomas Yates)

This is fairly recent in Singapore, and is a phishing attack in the guise of a rental request. With this
rental scam, the tenant insists on paying you rst. They will claim they want to transfer their
security deposit, or the rst month’s rent, but can only do so via services like PayPal.

Later, they will ask for your account details, as well as your name, NRIC number and address. This is
su cient information for them to hack your account. Not all of them are just after the funds in your
wallet either; some of them will use your hijacked account to launder money.

This year, several Singaporean landlords have reported being targeted for such a scam on anti-scam
site scamalert.sg, citing the name of the scammer as Tan Mui Joo.

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

As a rule, never trust a tenant who’s eager to pay before even viewing the property.

► READ: Viewing property? 5 things to inspect to save yourself time and a

headache

2. THE LANDLORD AND SUBTENANT SCAM

(Photo: Unsplash / Ben Blennerhassett)

This is one of the most vicious rental scams a so-called tenant can pull, because it a ects an
innocent third party.

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

This scammer starts o appearing as a good tenant who pays rent on time for the rst few months.
They may even put down an unusually big amount at the start, such as three months’ rent. After the
rst three months however, you’ll notice there’s no more money coming in.

And, when you visit your property, you’ll nd it inhabited by a total stranger. This stranger has been
tricked into thinking your tenant is the landlord, and has been paying the rent money to your
tenant.

By the time you nd out, the tenant has usually left the country.

This rental scam is especially painful if the third party is vulnerable, for example a single parent, or
a foreign worker who desperately needs the funds. You will not feel good evicting them, but they are
unlikely to be able to pay you after already paying your criminal “tenant” rent in advance.

To prevent this, always make appointments to check on your property every few months. If you are
renting out a condo, get to know the neighbours and the security guards; they can be the rst to tip
you o if something is wrong. Some condos also let residents install a CCTV camera outside their
units.

The Singapore Police Force has put up crime advisories to warn against these scams – but as many
“subtenant” victims are foreigners, they may not get the message until it is too late.  

We suggest introducing any con rmed tenants to your neighbour; this suggests to them that
there’s another pair of eyes on them.

► READ: How much should you spend on rent in Singapore?

3. THE SHORT-TERM LEASE SCAM

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

(Photo: Unsplash / Banter Snaps)

This is similar to scam #2, except in this case, the scammer “short-leases” your property illegally.
This is most popularly done through sites such as Airbnb. At prices of around S$120 a night, a tenant
can shave substantial amounts o their rent, by having illegal guests stay over.

Because these short stayers are only around for a few days, it is easy for them to make the excuse
that they have visiting friends. Also, your tenant is still there most of the time, so even the
neighbours may not notice anything strange.

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

As the landlord who has rented out an apartment, make it a point to visit websites like Airbnb to
check whether your home is listed, or Google your address from time to time. This is how you can
nd out if your tenant is illegally letting out your place on short-lease basis.

4. THE ILLEGAL STASH SCAM

(Photo: Unsplash / chuttersnap)

This is when criminals use your house as a storage space.

The tenant pays the rent on time, and does not cause any trouble. They are quiet all the time.

In fact, they may be too quiet. Neighbours may notice the lights are o all the time, or that they
seldom see the tenant come in and out, except at odd hours.
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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

There is a chance the tenant is using your property as an illegal stash house. They are not able to
store their unlicensed cigarettes, pirated DVDs, narcotics, in a warehouse; so the next best option is
to rent in a quiet residential area, and keep the stu in the closets. The rental cost is low, compared
to their criminal proceeds.

Again, the best defence is to visit the tenant periodically. The easiest way is to make it clear in your
Tenancy Agreement that the landlord is entitled to enter the premises every three months for
maintenance work, for example air-con cleaning.

Of course, the tenant might hide the stu when you arrive, but they may decide to move, and nd a
less discerning landlord.

5. THE BROTHEL SCAM

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for
(Photo: Unsplash / Annie Spratt)

This is the one we love to giggle at in the news. But it really does happen, and it is not restricted to
the heartlands.

The rental scam is perpetuated by pimps, who rotate various women in and out of the house. Clients
of the prostitutes are invited into the property, which is a major problem; a furnished property may
be damaged by the clients, or items are sometimes stolen.

And if there is an altercation, you could face a police investigation.

Remember that, even if you are eventually cleared, the police will have to look into your details to
ensure you are not in cahoots with with the pimp. This can cause undue stress and worry.

This scam mainly happens in heartland areas, but do not assume it does not happen in a condo.
Prostitution rings will use any location with lax security, and a high degree of anonymity.

Again, clauses in your Tenancy Agreement that specify the need to periodically enter the premises
for maintenance work could help prevent this, as with being on good, communicative terms with
your neighbours who can keep a lookout for you.

6. THE HIT-AND-RUN SCAM

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

(Photo: Unsplash / Ricardo Gomez Angel)

This is a tenant who is unable to pay you throughout the entire lease - and knows it.

They may have enough for the deposit and advance, and perhaps half a year of rent. But they will
sign a year’s lease for a fancy property, knowing full well they will stop paying beyond a certain
point.

These tenants have di erent motives - some just want to live in a luxury area for a while, and then
run. The more nefarious ones are running some kind of scam, like a fake investment scheme. They
will rent prestigious addresses for credibility, with no intent to stay beyond a few months.

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30/12/2018 Renting out your home? The most common scams Singapore landlords fall for

These tenants will usually start giving you late payments after three or four months, and their
excuses will pile up. By the time you take action, they will have owed you one to two months’ of back
rent; but the house will be empty when you show up.

A good way to prevent this is to verify the tenant’s occupation by asking for his/her name card at the
viewing. You can then Google his online presence, or give his company a call to verify that he/she is
indeed working there.

To avoid being the victim of rental scams, get an agent to screen the tenant. Most of these can be
prevented by having a good property agent representing you, the landlord.

Property agents registered with the Council of Estate Agencies (CEA) are obliged to perform basic
background checks on prospective tenants.

They may also have experience in spotting the warning signs of a bad tenant or a potential
scammer. Sure, you might need to pay a one or two month agent’s commission, but a peace of mind
is surely worth more than that.

This article rst appeared on 99.co.

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