Singapore Expats

I have a problem with my stingy landlord.

According to the contract they said that the utilities are included in the rent. I was promised that WIFI, electricity, water and gas for cooking are included in the rent. But they demand to switch off the WIFI and the lights at 11pm. I am a student and doing my research at the NUS, I go to college at 9 am in them I come home only at 9pm, but they demand to switch of lights and WIFI at 11pm. They demand me to pay half of the utility bill if I want to use the WIFI and lights after 11pm. Half of utility bill means half of water, electricity and cooking gas.

What should I do now ?

karthie wrote:I have a problem with my stingy landlord.

According to the contract they said that the utilities are included in the rent. I was promised that WIFI, electricity, water and gas for cooking are included in the rent. But they demand to switch off the WIFI and the lights at 11pm. I am a student and doing my research at the NUS, I go to college at 9 am in them I come home only at 9pm, but they demand to switch of lights and WIFI at 11pm. They demand me to pay half of the utility bill if I want to use the WIFI and lights after 11pm. Half of utility bill means half of water, electricity and cooking gas.

What should I do now ?

You should threaten to report this to police/the agent/rental websites and meanwhile look for a new landlord. Chances are they will back off for a while but problems will arise in the long run. I know some landlords are really nice and understanding and would iron things out at first but some are just gone case and the longer you stay, the more sour it gets.

And sorry I am not in a position to give you any more positive advices

Side note: This comes from personal experiences. Nice landlords would accommodate things that are not written in the contract whereas the pricky ones would go all out to nitpick at you.

karthie wrote:I have a problem with my stingy landlord.

According to the contract they said that the utilities are included in the rent. I was promised that WIFI, electricity, water and gas for cooking are included in the rent. But they demand to switch off the WIFI and the lights at 11pm. I am a student and doing my research at the NUS, I go to college at 9 am in them I come home only at 9pm, but they demand to switch of lights and WIFI at 11pm. They demand me to pay half of the utility bill if I want to use the WIFI and lights after 11pm. Half of utility bill means half of water, electricity and cooking gas.

What should I do now ?

Negotiate a small fee ($50) a month for unrestricted use. The total PUB bill probably $150 so this is a substantial contribution.

abc123xyz wrote:

karthie wrote:I have a problem with my stingy landlord.

According to the contract they said that the utilities are included in the rent. I was promised that WIFI, electricity, water and gas for cooking are included in the rent. But they demand to switch off the WIFI and the lights at 11pm. I am a student and doing my research at the NUS, I go to college at 9 am in them I come home only at 9pm, but they demand to switch of lights and WIFI at 11pm. They demand me to pay half of the utility bill if I want to use the WIFI and lights after 11pm. Half of utility bill means half of water, electricity and cooking gas.

What should I do now ?

You should threaten to report this to police/the agent/rental websites and meanwhile look for a new landlord. Chances are they will back off for a while but problems will arise in the long run. I know some landlords are really nice and understanding and would iron things out at first but some are just gone case and the longer you stay, the more sour it gets.

And sorry I am not in a position to give you any more positive advices

Thanks for the advice, but my stay here is only 5 months and it is already 5 weeks since I got here.

I dont want things to get sour , I just want the next 3 and half months to be smooth, so I think that a negotiation would be good. Apart from asking for the utility fee, they are also entering our room when I am not in the house, I set booby traps to find if they had entered the room and the results were positive. They are entering the room when I am away. Is there anything like "tenant rights" or list of reasons only under which the owner is allowed to enter a tenant's room ?

And I dont want things to get sour and am not ready to search for a new place just for two months of stay (After terminating the tenancy we should stay there for another month to compensate for the deposit). I dont think that they would give me back the deposit, so I am really stuck.

the thing with all inclusive in the rent is that some landlords can be nasty at times. i have experienced this both in the UK and Singapore. whilst utilities are included in the rent it would also mean the landlord reserves the right on the amount of utilities you are entitled to use - like no air-con on after 11pm or no use of water heating after say 30 minutes or even lights off by a certain time. and yes, since you are only renting a room they reserve the right to enter your room. your best bet is negotiate with the landlord and let him know what you think of these arrangements as well as ask him for his opinion on his arrangements. once you gain the friendship of the landlord you may not even have to abide by any rules. unfortunately these sort of arrangements can only go by proper negotiations. and forget booby traps coz it's not going to help you. if you confront the landlord you may even get thrown out on less than a day's notice.

karthie wrote:I dont want things to get sour , I just want the next 3 and half months to be smooth, so I think that a negotiation would be good. Apart from asking for the utility fee, they are also entering our room when I am not in the house, I set booby traps to find if they had entered the room and the results were positive. They are entering the room when I am away. Is there anything like "tenant rights" or list of reasons only under which the owner is allowed to enter a tenant's room ?

And I dont want things to get sour and am not ready to search for a new place just for two months of stay (After terminating the tenancy we should stay there for another month to compensate for the deposit). I dont think that they would give me back the deposit, so I am really stuck.

I'm sorry to hear that. But from what you've described, a decent negotiation would probably not tune in with this fella.

Here's something I've dug up from the forum, hope it helps

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/sutra552885.html

thanks for all the suggestions and advices , I will try to lay y points clearly and yet not try to offend them(according to the owner's terms). Let's see what is the outcome and I will post the result

yogaloungeforever wrote:the thing with all inclusive in the rent is that some landlords can be nasty at times. i have experienced this both in the UK and Singapore. whilst utilities are included in the rent it would also mean the landlord reserves the right on the amount of utilities you are entitled to use - like no air-con on after 11pm or no use of water heating after say 30 minutes or even lights off by a certain time. and yes, since you are only renting a room they reserve the right to enter your room. your best bet is negotiate with the landlord and let him know what you think of these arrangements as well as ask him for his opinion on his arrangements. once you gain the friendship of the landlord you may not even have to abide by any rules. unfortunately these sort of arrangements can only go by proper negotiations. and forget booby traps coz it's not going to help you. if you confront the landlord you may even get thrown out on less than a day's notice.

but the traps are invisible to the person who trips it , it is only to find if someone had come in. It is not a mouse or bear trap which they can easily find I place objects near the door and look for whether are moved from the location when I come and the like

I know the booby traps may present evidence, it's just that there's no one else who can help you if you were to confront the landlord about this. and since the property you are renting is the landlord's he will do whatsoever he wishes. as you mentioned that you want no interruptions during your short span of time i would go by negotiations with the landlord if i were you. from experience, negotiations do help a lot.

karthie wrote:

yogaloungeforever wrote:the thing with all inclusive in the rent is that some landlords can be nasty at times. i have experienced this both in the UK and Singapore. whilst utilities are included in the rent it would also mean the landlord reserves the right on the amount of utilities you are entitled to use - like no air-con on after 11pm or no use of water heating after say 30 minutes or even lights off by a certain time. and yes, since you are only renting a room they reserve the right to enter your room. your best bet is negotiate with the landlord and let him know what you think of these arrangements as well as ask him for his opinion on his arrangements. once you gain the friendship of the landlord you may not even have to abide by any rules. unfortunately these sort of arrangements can only go by proper negotiations. and forget booby traps coz it's not going to help you. if you confront the landlord you may even get thrown out on less than a day's notice.

but the traps are invisible to the person who trips it , it is only to find if someone had come in. It is not a mouse or bear trap which they can easily find I place objects near the door and look for whether are moved from the location when I come and the like