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WE ARE US citizens and we relocated to Singapore on Jan 5.

Both of us work for multinational firms and were fortunate to relocate together, thus ensuring the family stays together.

The intent was to gain international work experience, contribute to the Singapore economy and get the family exposed to the international vibrant culture that this country offers.

Last year, our companies decided to relocate us to Singapore from the US. In October 2006, we had come to Singapore on a pre-relocation visit.

We worked with a real estate agent from DTZ Debenham Tie Leung and selected a landed terraced home property in the Woodlands area to rent as our new home.

We paid two months’ advance rent in October 2006, signed a legally binding Tenancy Agreement and acquired the Certificate of Stamp Duty. Subsequent to that, we literally uprooted ourselves and our two children from the US and moved to Singapore in January.

We shipped a container load of furniture and belongings from the US into Singapore and onto the property.

We also invested heavily in the repair, restoration and renovation of the property. We paid a month’s advance rent and moved in on Jan 23. Everything looked very promising as we embarked on settling down in Singapore.

On or about March 3, we received a letter from a law firm representing our property owners’ bank, giving notice to deliver up vacant possession of the property within one month, failing which it appeared that there would be a court eviction order.

We were shocked and naturally, tried to contact the lawyer to find out what was happening. We attempted a number of times but the lawyer’s assistant expressed that the lawyer was not in a position to deal with us (which was strange because he sent us an eviction notice). It was clear to us that the owners had defaulted on their mortgage payment instalments.

After various failed attempts at trying to communicate with the lawyer, we tried to contact the bank officer in charge.

Again, after a few attempts, we finally sought the help of the owner to put us in touch with one officer of the Collection Department.

He appeared to have understood our plight. We were foreigners in Singapore. We have relocated our entire living to Singapore. We have poured in a huge sum of money into this property.

In front of the officer and the owner, we put forward the suggestion that the bank could sell the property with the tenancy. Alternatively, we informed him that we were able and willing to pay the mortgage instalments directly to the bank (or the rent - whichever is higher) for as long as I was the tenant on the property.

It appears that OCBC would not honour the tenancy agreement and will proceed with the actions to repossess the property and evict our entire family in due course.

The reason we were given is that the owners had not taken the consent of the bank to rent out the property and as such the tenancy agreement would not be honoured.

It also appears that the real estate agent should have checked this fact out and ensured that the owner had permission from the bank OCBC to rent it out. Had this ‘permission’ been obtained and the owner declared bankruptcy, then the bank would proceed to take over the terms of the tenancy agreement.

This has been a very difficult experience for our family. We did not expect to move in and out of a rental property within three months.

In our humble view, there is no loss to the bank should the property be sold with the tenancy or, should the monthly mortgage instalment payments be met and sale of the property deferred (until the end of the tenancy agreement) in a rising market.

But the bank has chosen to evict our family, which in our view, is not only unnecessary, but unduly harsh and inflexible.

We are writing this letter to make others aware of this situation and are also hoping that some senior official at OCBC reads the article and takes some interest to help us out.

For confidentiality reasons no individual names have been mentioned. It is not our intention to harm anyone, just to state the facts and hope that justice prevails.

Rashmi Mathur

Source : Straits Times - 17 May 2007

Recent events have been making me think about neighbourly ties, never as strong since high-rise dwellings replaced kampungs, apparently.

More than the reports of warring neighbours in court, I am disturbed by the rash of collective sales, some of them acrimonious. It is tyranny of the majority - neighbours forcing neighbours to sell their homes.

Are our homes merely financial assets? If they have no emotional ties, we are in trouble.

I thought another sign of trouble was the story of an elderly woman who fell in her kitchen and lay there for two days before neighbours noticed she had not left her house.

But that turned out to be a story of good neighbours. Once the alarm was raised, a group of them swung into action to make sure she was all right.

Maybe all good neighbours are not lost. I have been the recipient of many quiet acts of kindness from my own, most of whom, I am ashamed to say, I still barely know.

What is neighbourliness?

According to a paper by UK think-tank Smith Institute, it is not ‘heroic forms of help and support’ but ’small and unremarkable actions and behaviour that give people a sense that they are secure and at home in their own places’.

Neighbours do not need to be best friends. Keeping an eye on each other’s property, exchanging greetings and not making too much noise late at night are small things we can do for each other.

Perhaps neighbourliness has receded because we are no longer so reliant on one another. My mother had to ask the family next door to keep a watchful eye on me and my brother when she went to work because none of our nannies would stay.

These days, with many more resources, there is much less need to go next door for help.

But as the population ages, that proximity will become important. More than anyone else, elderly people who live alone and are no longer as mobile as before, need their neighbours.

Neighbourliness is a balance of reciprocity and altruism. People look out for each other not only because they expect the same in return but also because they gain satisfaction from knowing they can help. Old people do not want to be dependent on others, but interdependent.

How can we promote neighbourliness? One correlation is age and length of residence. Older neighbourhoods tend to have stronger bonds, so perhaps we should work on long-term ties.

In the end, though, a good neighbour is something we choose to be.

I hope more of us will choose it. Welfare groups say that people, especially the elderly poor, are falling through the cracks because they do not know where to get help.

Government and welfare agencies can do only so much. We are each other’s eyes and ears.

Source : Straits Times - 16 May 2007

Having lived in Punggol 21 for more than four years now, I was excited when I saw the two words ‘Punggol perks’ (ST, May 7) accompanied by a map with plans to enliven the estate which is sorely lacking in basic facilities. However, disappointment soon set in as I found there was no mention of a library, more shops or a hawker centre planned.

The reasons often cited by the HDB for being slow to build these facilities are the slow take-up rate of new flats and the small population in the estate. To get more people to move into any new estate, the HDB could first commit to build enough basic facilities to attract people to set up homes there, rather than build these facilities when there is a critical mass of residents. People are naturally attracted where facilities are available.

Launching the Punggol 21 exhibition in 1996, then-minister for national development Lim Hng Kiang said: ‘More Singaporeans will enjoy this 21st-century lifestyle as Punggol 21 will be the model for new towns in future.’ Sad to say, owing to lack of facilities, would-be home owners are giving Punggol 21 a miss.

No definite plans have been announced as to when the town centre and the sports stadium will be built. The PUB’s plans to dam up Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol by 2009 to create two reservoirs where water sports can be conducted are good news. In tandem, the HDB could now plan for more built-to-order flats as the response should be good.

Lee Kok Lin

Source : Straits Times - 11 May 2007

With the recent publication of articles on rising property prices and opportunities for collective sales in central locations, I am curious to know the fate of Spottiswoode Park Estate in the midst of this hype.

The stretch of Spottiswoode Park Road comprises both private and HDB flats. An example of a clear-cut private flat is Dragon Mansion and, to my knowledge, it is going for collective sale. However, the uniqueness of Spottiswoode Park lies in the nine blocks of flats - four private and five HDB. You cannot tell them apart - they are identical, except for their strata titles.

In each HDB block, the top floor is a private penthouse unit. This dates from old Port of Singapore Authority days when some of these private units were for PSA senior officers. The former Gan Eng Seng School is there and since it moved out, that plot of land has been vacant for four to five years. Further, Malayan Railway’s continued presence in Spottiswoode Park leaves another question mark. Much speculation has circulated but nothing has come from the authorities.

As an owner of a unit in Spottiswoode Park, I am baffled by the private-public housing arrangement which leaves one in a catch-22 situation, if one even starts talking about collective sale.

Source : Straits Times - 9 May 2007

I REFER to the letter, ‘Free up commissions in housing market’ by Mr Lee Chong Kai (April 20).

The Singapore Accredited Estate Agencies (SAEA) does not stipulate any guidelines concerning agents’ commission rates. The actual commission is a matter to be negotiated privately between the parties, and will depend on market forces.

The SAEA’s main role is to elevate the standard of practice and conduct in the real estate agency industry. All SAEA agencies and any individuals associated with the SAEA have to abide by the Code of Conduct and Ethics set by the SAEA. We will hear complaints concerning the conduct of any individuals associated with accredited estate agencies, and if necessary, take action against those found guilty of such misconduct.

We thank Mr Lee for his feedback and suggest he approach the SAEA should he find any allegation of misconduct of our accredited agents. Check www.saea.org.sg for further details and a list of accredited agencies and agents.

Manisah Jalil (Ms)SecretariatSingapore Accredited Estate Agencies

Source : Straits Times - 9 May 2007