Ugly Singaporeans-Part 2 The Ugly Landlady

Ok, as promised, I will now bring you another episode of the Ugly Singaporeans.

Well, to keep the story short, I would just say that another PRC MA of mine got into some "trouble" with her landlady. Her contract for staying there will end soon. And together with some other PRC friends, she actually wanted to continue with the lease, but then suddenly the landlady said she wanted to increase the rent from 950 to 1500 SGD per month. And all of them agreed. But a few days later, the landlady said she wanted them to pay her the deposit and the agent fees. My MA and friends understand the deposit part. It was the agent fees which they don't get it. Why would they need to pay the landlady agent fees when no agent was involved? So they decided not to continue with the rental but requested that they stay for another month until they find another room and the landlady agreed.

But 2 days later, the landlady ate her own words and force them to leave before the end of June. They had no choice but to agree. Just when my MA thought that she still had another day to pack up her things and leave, that landlady locked up her apartment with another new lock. Now, my MA was really stunned and shocked. Her things, worth about 500 plus SGD was still inside that apartment. She and her friends were locked outside for no apparent reason and no explanation was given by the landlady. My MA had no choice but to report to the police.

But the police couldn't help her neither. They kept saying that this case is under civil lawsuit, that she would have to bring the case to the court. Disheartened, and perhaps disappointed with Singapore's law and people, she told me her story.

I can't help but feel disgusted with this landlady's action. Again, my MA earns less than 800 SGD per month and all she wanted was to get her things back. But this unsympathetic woman just ignore all her calls. 500 plus SGD is very precious to her, mind you. She would have to scrimp and save in order to have that kind of money. But now, I would say that it's gone, for no apparent reason.

But it's the helplessness I feel, that I couldn't help her at all. Except to advice her to call up the China Embassy and see what they suggest. I can't help but feel that most Singaporeans really treat PRCs like dirt. Sure, you must have seened reports about those lousy PRCs who did all the heinous things while in SG, but they are only the black sheep. Hey, I had seened my fair share of rotten PRCs too, and yet I approach the others with an open heart and mind. Because I know that not everyone of them is bad. Now if some SGers got cheated while in China, I would say,"Serve them right!" What goes around comes around.

Till now, my MA has not seened this landlady even once after the police report.

P.S. I am a true-blue SGer.


"But you did get a brain that day. The problem is that you should have asked for one to go."