Rents certainly haven't been cheap lately.
But one landlord in Pasir Ris might perhaps have gone too far — by trying to rent out his condominium's bomb shelter for S$650 per month.
This 'offer' stunned Xiaohongshu user "哈咯哈", who posted about it on the platform on Oct. 6.
Their post was captioned, "Is this type of rental even legal?"
The room
The rental unit is situated in The Esparis, an executive condominium along Pasir Ris Drive 4.
Staying in the unit's bomb shelter will set one back S$650 each month.
Based on the picture, it looks about as big as you would expect.
A single bed takes up most of the space in the room, which does not have windows.
A short wooden shelf next to it can fit a few personal items.
There's also a precious bit of space by the bed to stretch one's legs out, but not much more than that.
No fan or air-conditioner was seen in the room.
Rules
That's not all. The prospective tenant shared a laundry list of rules provided by the landlord:
- Minimum of one-year contract
- No smoking in the room. If you want to smoke, go to the kitchen.
- No drinking until you are intoxicated
- Water and electricity bills must be split equally between tenants
- Please inform beforehand if you are having visitors over
- Please don't disturb others who are snoring
"People from all walks of life are welcome, including flight attendants, airport or warehouse staff, or those working in the Loyang Industrial Estate," the landlord wrote in his ad.
The property is located four bus stops away from Pasir Ris MRT, and has a direct bus to Changi Airport.
Interested parties could also opt to upgrade to the master bedroom for S$1,400 a month.
Prospective tenants who do not have a registered address in Singapore can enjoy a S$50 discount.
Not impressed
The Xiaohongshu user was clearly not amused by this proposition, judging by their description on the post.
"[The owner] is so greedy for money...the place doesn't even have a proper mattress! I won't even stay there if you give me S$200 a month," the user wrote.
Other users chimed in with their criticisms.
"S$650 is just an unreasonable price for this sort of room," one wrote.
Another pointed out the room's lack of ventilation and high humidity, and asserted that these conditions were "not liveable".
One particular user criticised "greedy landlords in Singapore", and added that "next time, they might even renovate the toilet and rent it out".
Is it legal?
It is illegal to rent out HDB bomb shelters, utility rooms or storerooms, according to HDB regulations.
However, there are no such guidelines for private properties.
In 2020, a condominium owner in Boon Keng put up his storeroom for rent, for S$500 a month.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, rental of private residential property must adhere to an occupancy cap, rules about partitioning the unit, and a rule that the property must be rented out for at least three consecutive months.
