Singapore —A landlord who made her preferences known for renters on her HDB flat listing on PropertyGuru sparked news recently, having indicated that theirs is a “Christian house.”
GROWING TREND OR ISOLATED INCIDENT?
In recent years, Singapore’s rental market has witnessed a growing number of landlords expressing distinct preferences. While some might argue that property owners have every right to decide on their terms, others feel that these stipulations may border on discrimination. It raises the question: Is this a new trend or merely an isolated incident?
DIVERSITY IN SINGAPORE’S RENTAL MARKET
Singapore’s rich tapestry of cultures, religions, and races has always been its strength. The island nation’s property market reflects this diversity, with a vast range of housing options catering to different community groups. Yet, with the advent of online platforms, there’s a more transparent view of personal biases. While some landlords are clear about their requirements, such as no smoking or no pets, introducing religious preferences is a newer and more controversial domain.
VIEWS FROM THE GROUND
To get a better understanding of this issue, we spoke to several property agents and potential tenants. Mrs. Tan, a veteran property agent, mentioned, “In my 20 years of experience, I’ve seen a rise in particular requests, especially with the ease of listing online. However, religion-based preferences are still relatively rare.” On the flip side, Ravi, a potential tenant, expressed his concerns, “It’s disheartening. Singapore is known for its multiculturalism, and seeing such listings is unsettling.”
BROADER IMPLICATIONS FOR SINGAPORE’S RENTAL SCENE
Such preferences in rental listings can have wider implications for Singapore’s real estate sector. It could lead to a segmented market, where renters from particular communities might find it challenging to get housing in specific areas. Moreover, it could stir a debate on the ethics of such listings: Should there be a governing body overseeing the preferences listed by landlords to ensure they don’t border on discrimination?
And while discrimination on the basis of religion is frowned upon, commenters online defended the landlord, saying, in effect, “their home, their rules.”
The article about the “Christian house” was published on Mothership on Wednesday night (Oct 6).
The property in question is a semi-furnished three-bedroom HDB flat at Spottiswoode Park Road. It was listed on PropertyGuru.
A Malaysian permanent resident apparently wanted to see the flat and told Mothership about his experience with the agent, who told him, “This unit is for Singaporeans n Malaysians only. Available immediate. Christian house.”
When asked for further clarification, the agent said that the flat’s owner has a very specific set of regulations for a would-be renter.
As the owner is a “staunch Christian,” no other faith is allowed to be practiced in the flat, nor are any religious artifacts including “any idol, statue, picture, figure of any kind.”
Tenants cannot also burn incense, joss sticks, and “paper.”
And if a couple were to rent the flat, they need to be married.
These specifics, however, were only communicated via the agent, as the listing on the PropertyGuru website only asked that the renters be Singaporean or Malaysian.
The Malaysian PR told Mothership he was shocked at the message from the agent, and while prior listings he has seen indicated that “Chinese only” tenants were wanted, this is the first time he has come across such specifications.
When TISG checked on the listing on PropertyGuru, it was no longer available.
Many commenters on the report, however, said they saw nothing wrong with the landlord expressing their preferences.
One netizen wrote that the owner was merely being true to themselves.
Others suggested that the renter just move on and look for another place to rent.
A commenter who also claimed to be a Christian said they would have done the same.
/TISG