Agent says 14 ‘innocent’ sub-tenants evicted after HDB inspection finds overcrowding

SINGAPORE: A property agent has claimed that he recently evicted 14 “innocent” sub-tenants from an over-occupied HDB flat that had been rented out by what he said is a “PRC-owned shell company.”

The agent said on Reddit that the company had originally rented the flat from his client under a corporate lease arrangement. Six tenancy work passes were provided at the outset, and the agent assisted the landlord in registering the occupants with HDB. The alleged breach only came to light following a routine inspection.

He wrote, “HDB had done a routine inspection on a unit I manage and found 14 people living there. Legal maximum is six.”

The landlord now faces potential penalties, including a warning, a fine, or possibly repossession of the flat.

“My client depends on that rental income,” the agent wrote, “Now they’re facing a warning letter, a fine, or worst case, HDB repossession. Their financial safety net, gone.”

He alleged that the corporate tenant, which he described as a PRC-owned shell company, had been renting out the flat “by the bed,” with up to six occupants per room. The company is said to have collected deposits and monthly rent from each sub-tenant before disappearing behind its corporate structure once the arrangement was uncovered.

Most of the sub-tenants were reportedly Chinese nationals, with two or three individuals from Myanmar. Each had allegedly paid more than $500 a month in rent, in addition to deposits exceeding $1,000, and lost all of that hard-earned money to “someone who preyed on their need for a roof over their head.”

The agent wrote, “I tried to advise them. Told them eight people at $500 each is $4,000, which is enough to rent a proper 4-room flat. Or split a single room between two. They looked at me and said: A room in town is $1,200 to $1,600. That’s too much. And how do we even find someone to share with us? I had nothing to say.”

Sharing that having to oversee the eviction impacted him deeply, the agent added that the “innocent” workers got robbed. Legally. Systematically. By people who knew exactly what they were doing.”

A police report has been filed, but the agent expressed little optimism about the outcome, describing the situation as a civil matter that would be costly for affected tenants to pursue.

Sharing that this isn’t an isolated case, the agent alleged, “And those people? They walk away clean. Shell company dissolved overnight. No criminal liability. No accountability.

“And you think this is a one-off? They’re organised. They post bed listings on Chinese apps and platforms, targeting vulnerable newcomers who don’t know the system, who don’t know their rights, who just need a place to sleep. They are definitely running five, ten, maybe more units across Singapore the same way right now. Collecting deposits. Collecting rent. Vanishing when HDB comes knocking.”

He added, “The sub-tenants have no recourse. The landlord faces HDB action. The foreign workers are on the street tonight, wondering where they’re going to sleep. The ones who suffer are always the ones who can least afford to.”