THEY have all lived in this three-room flat in Toa Payoh North at one time or another over the last four months.

And some of the foreign tenants have one thing in common - they moved out soon after because they could no longer tolerate living there.

They claimed that their landlord had reneged on promises to provide Internet access, air-conditioning and security cameras.

When they moved in, he made life so difficult for them that they moved out voluntarily.

They claimed he refused to pay back their deposit and rent, and proceeded to "prey" on other tenants.

At least 13 tenants have lived in the flat since July. But only seven would go on record about their complaints. The other six did not want to make a fuss.

One ex-tenant, Mr Zhong Ke, 24, a China national studying in Singapore Management University, said he signed a tenancy agreement on 24 Jul to rent a bedroom, and paid $1,400 in rent and deposit.

But when Mr Zhong tried to move in on August 2, he discovered his room had been rented out to two Malaysians, Mr Goh Chin Tek, 24, and Mr Lee Eng Han, 24.

Mr Goh, an auditor at law firm KPMG, said he had signed a tenancy agreement on July 16.

He and Mr Lee, an engineer, moved in on August 1. They paid $1,400 in rent and deposit.

The three of them said they forced the landlord to sign an agreement promising to refund their deposit and rent because of the discrepancy.

When he failed to do so, Mr Zhong threatened to take legal action. He said the landlord sent him an SMS message containing an expletive, followed by "c u in court".

Mr Zhong said he has made a police report and a magistrate's complaint but is still awaiting a response.

Mr Goh and Mr Lee, who moved out on September 21, recalled the unpleasant experience of living there.

Mr Goh said: "We stayed because we know he (the landlord) was not going to return our deposit. He didn't even want to give us the key. We had to force him to go to the locksmith, and pay for our key."

He said that when they viewed the flat in July, the landlord pressured them to pay up, saying he was going to the Philippines in a few hours.

"He promised to install air-conditioning, Internet and telephone the next day. In the end, nothing happened."

Through Mr Goh and Mr Lee, The New Paper got in touch with other foreigners who had lived in the flat.

A Malaysian sales promoter, who wanted to be known only as Graig, 28, used to rent a bedroom with a sales promoter Liew Weng Foo, 29, paying $1,200 in rent and deposit.

Graig said the landlord tried to chase them out two days after they moved in, so he could have an empty room to rent out again.

Graig said: "He knocked on our door several times a day, and kept asking us to lend him money. When we refused, he would say, 'Then you better get out.'"

Raised rent

He said the landlord also wanted to increase the rent by $100 a month a few days after they moved in, saying that a potential tenant was willing to pay more.

"When I refused, he told me, 'Then you're making me lose money. You better get out.'"

Mr Liew said: "He came to my workplace, begging me for money."

Ten days after moving in, he could not bear living in the flat anymore and moved out.

Since the landlord refused to return their money, Graig moved to the flat's utility room. He now wants to move out too.

Graig said the landlord goes to the flat only when he runs out of money.

"I've seen him calling agent after agent. When these agents come with tenants, he makes them empty promises until they give him money."

"Then, he will disappear for days until he is out of money again."

The New Paper found a box containing the name cards of 45 property agents in the living room.

The tenants said the landlord has not been home for about three weeks.

Graig said the landlord called from Thailand last week to ask him for money, saying he had no money to return to Singapore.

Landlord says

When The New Paper called the landlord at a number in Thailand, he answered and claimed to be a businessman with offices in Thailand and elsewhere which handle "recruitment for schools, pubs, restaurants".

When told about his tenants' grievances, he said: "The Internet was there. They spoiled the Internet. The aircon, I did not fix because they misused my other portable aircon.

"There were about four tenants - including one China boy. He paid the deposit and rental, after which he said, "Uncle, I've got good news. I'm going to move in with my girlfriend. Can you return my deposit?"

He continued: "I said the contract specifies clearly - in property, when you rent a place, you need to pay one month's rental, one month's deposit.

"If you don't want to stay after paying, and you ask me to pay back your deposit, am I breaking the rules?"

Added the landlord: "I make very easy money. I sell scrap metal, 150,000 (pieces), I make $1.5 million. Money is not a big deal."

So why did his ex-tenants claim that he keeps asking them for money?

The landlord replied: "No, no, no. I will not accept. Why should I ask for money when I have so much money?"

Over the last three months, his ex-tenants have made at least three police reports and called the police twice.

No crime: Police

Confirming the reports, a police spokesman said: "Our review of these reports did not disclose any criminal offence which requires police action.

"Nonetheless, the aggrieved parties may seek legal recourse through the Small Claims Tribunal."

Lawyers contacted by The New Paper said that legal action was not practical because the amounts are relatively small and the landlord did not technically break the tenancy agreement.

Typically, it states that the landlord can terminate the agreement and forfeit the deposit if the tenant voluntarily moves out within a year.

He can also keep the first month's rent because the tenants are supposed to give a month's notice before moving out.

This article was first published in The New Paper on October 8, 2008.