Avoid This Landlord in Singapore

My landlord company (Genevieve Management Pte Ltd, No. 11 Geylang Lor 9 Kim Court #01-01, Singapore 388759, phone: +65 6841 5188, fax: +65 6841 1855) will not admit that it is violating the contract terms, saying that it is alright to notify this change of the rent amount as far as the notice is delivered a month in advance for the change, but the contract states “Prior to the expiration of the term… with a written one month notice in advance for renewal.” Clearly and not surprisingly, this does not mean a one month notice in advance at any point of time. This is a crazy world here. Meanwhile I have started to search for a new place and exchanging messages with another landlord. I hope this will work out well for everyone except Genevieve Management.

Rent Hike (Continued)

A night of bad sleep. I am even more cross now over the notice I received from the landlord yesterday. The notice itself says my previous contract expired last month. And as practiced customarily and legally, I assumed the contract was renewed (or a new contract went into effect) with the same conditions unless either party decided otherwise. The landlord should have notified me of any change of the contract before it had expired and renewed. If they insist on this 26% rent hike or any unreasonable increase for that matter, I may have to seek legal counsel or contact an agency for consumer protection, with great reluctance. I will be flexible and am not refusing any increase out of hand. But I should be resolute for the sake of fairness and principle.

26% Rent Increase? Be Reasonable

This afternoon, a slip from the landlord noticed me of a 25.92592% increase of the rent. Crazy. A year ago, they wanted to raise it by 14.75409%, and we settled at an increase of 10.65573% after negotiations. Only for the past year, there have been three leaking cases of the cooling water from the air conditioner. The last time was just a few days ago. And another leaking case of the ceiling due to some work upstairs. If I had been outside, nobody would have found it. And the same work upstairs left a big mess here. Regular air-conditioner cleaning has stopped long ago. I have been unhappy with this unit almost since Day 1. Then why am I still staying here? I need the roof above my head, I hate a disrupting moving more than staying and I cherish my privacy. Even so, this place does not deserve a 26% rent increase. Definitely.

"Defense Minister Tanaka, Are You Happy with Your Job?"

Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka, who was severely criticized by Masahisa Sato, an LDP upper house member and a former commander of the Self Defense Forces, a few weeks ago for his lack of knowledge on the suspension and withdrawal of the Japanese peace keeping work in Golan, is reported to say today that he has “read only the cover page of the plan.” Don’t be tough with him because he is very busy with his household responsibility, doing chores, running around for errands and scolded by his wife even more severely.