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Thursday, November 08, 2007

What will you resort to with the Integrated Resort? - Part 2

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He is doing it again! The landlord is asking for a higher rent. Last year, he asked for a 36% rise. We settled for 17%. This year he wants a whopping 81% rise on the new lease, from the already risen rent. Compounded from the two years, it is a 114% rise.
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This time, I have to move out. The agent claimed that she has not received my sms notice to her to extend the lease. I can't prove that I have sent the sms, and even if I could, I cannot prove that she has received it. So, this is futile. Besides, I cannot endure more of her persistent resort to the letter of contract saying that legally I must move out. He is now giving me about three weeks to move out. The alternative is eviction.
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I have just spoken directly to the landlord. He told me my lease has expired and that if I have no where to go, it is not his problem. He said that I knew my lease was ending and should have been proactive. But shouldn't the agent be proactive too as I am paying her to take care also of my interest? Apparently, both the landlord and her are turning a deaf ear to compassion and choose to take the legal route, which I have no grounds of winning. Even my appeal to extend for another two months so that I can find another flat to stay, on the current rent, was turned down.
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I will move out. My appeal has gone to uncaring ears. My landlord, an ex-Member of Parliament, probably knows his legal rights and moral wrongs better than I do.
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I wonder how many more people are experiencing this. There is no rent protection laws in Singapore. The Parliament has decided to leave it to market forces. But, what market forces? Property prices have risen, but surely not by 114% in the area where I live. So what justifies the phenomenal rent increase? It is still the same apartment I live in. In fact it has since aged by 4 years, with duller paint, squekier fixtures and the faded curtains.
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So, the property inflation is speculation. This will soon lead to a property bubble burst. We are accentuating the boom-bust cycles, which the majority will lose. (Watch the impending credit crunch that is coming up that will impact the market. See also, here.)
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This is the early effects of the announcement of the Integrated Resort (read casino). Speculations are rife. Apartment blocks as new as ten years old are torn down to build taller smaller units that sell for higher profits. Not very good for the environment as it is such a waste of resources. It's all about money!
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I have taken this as a calling. A calling that I will put up a blog post series documenting the effects of the integrated resorts. I believe more problems are coming. Already, we have family breakups due to the legalising of soccer bettings and their availability of doing that online. There will be more gambling related problems to come. Watch this space!

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