Her tenant HAD HER OWN TENANTS

Woman warned by URA that condo is illegally sub-divided. Her defence? She didn’t know that…

SHE rented a four-room 3,000 sq ft maisonette, but MsBelle Kuan sub-let it to 11 other people without the landlord’s knowledge.

SUB-DIVIDED: MrStuart Cheng showing the reporter around the 3,000 sqft apartment.

She allegedly partitioned it as well.

Now the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has informed the landlord Madam Anne Wang by letter early this week that her apartment, at Elizabeth Towers, off Orchard Road, had been partitioned illegally.

URA has given her and Ms Kuan one month to tear down the partition.

The URA rule states that partitioning private properties for rental is illegal.

Madam Wang, a businesswoman in her 50s, has since terminated the lease with Ms Kuan who had rented the apartment of $6,000 a month.

It’s not known how much total rent Ms Kuan was allegedly collecting from her sub-tenants.

Madam Wang also got lawyers to serve eviction notices on the sub-tenants, demanding they leave by 7 Sep.

But the sub-tenants, some of whom are foreigners, are staying put. They are hoping that Madam wang would accommodate them.

Two of them have moved out.

Speaking to The New Paper on Madam Wang’s behalf, her personal assistant Catherine Wong, said: ‘She (Madam Wang) bought the apartment about two years ago and thought of earning rental income from it.

STUCK IN THE DOORWAY: Some of the doors between the partitions have already been taken down. –TNP PICTURES: GAVIN FOO

‘It’s the second time she’s renting it out.’

And it was to Ms Kuan, a businesswoman, who signed a year-long lease with Madam Wang on 12 Mar.

In April, she allegedly partitioned the apartment to create two more bedrooms and started sub-letting the place, without informing Madam Wang.

A URA spokesman told The New Paper: ‘Such a conversion effectively changes the residential use to that of a boarding house or hostel use.

‘This cannot be allowed as the higher number of transient occupants can cause disturbance and inconvenience to other residents and pose public safety concerns.’

On 10 Sep, Madam Wang and her daughter went to the apartment for a URA inspection.

It was then that they came across the partitions, her assistant claimed.

Madam Wong said: ‘The URA has given us until end of the month to take down the partitions and we’re hoping Ms Kuan will do so.’

However, according to URA guidelines, the landlord must ensure that the partitions are taken down.

When contacted, Ms Kuan denied running a sub-letting scheme, and claimed that she had rented the unit for herself. She said she thought of getting other tenants to split the monthly rental of $6,000.

AIR-CONNED? Mr Stuart Cheng (below) getting ready to move out of his rented room after he found out that the apartment in Elizabeth Towers that he was living in was partitioned illegally by the master tenant. (Above) A close-up of the air-conditioning unit that Mr Cheng shares with another sub-letter.

When The New Paper told her that her sub-tenants said she does not live there, Ms Kuan responded: ‘I found another place and moved out after two months as the apartment had developed leaks.

‘I couldn’t terminate the lease as I had signed the tenancy agreement for a year.

‘So I decided to get other tenants to split the rental.’

Ms Kuan denied profiting from the tenants because, she said, she covers their utility bills.

She denied misrepresenting herself as the owner, but admitted that she kept quiet about being the master tenant.

She explained: ‘I never said I was the owner. I just said I was in charge of the apartment and they could call me if there were problems with the unit.’

Ms Kuan also admitted she did not tell Madam Wang about the sub-letting.

She said: ‘The owners don’t care so long as the rental is paid on time.’

The sub-tenants, meanwhile, are staying put, pending the demolition of the partitions, hoping Madam Wang will negotiate a new lease with them.

But it seems that their hopes might be dashed.

Madam Wong said: ‘I understand where the tenants are coming from, but we can’t do anything about it as Madam Wang’s tenancy agreement was with MsKuan, who in turn sublet the unit without her knowledge.’

Would she renegotiate new leases with the existing sub-tenants?

Highly unlikely, said Madam Wong.

The affected residents – from places such as Russia, Myanmar, Taiwan and China – had signed tenancy agreements of a year with Ms Kuan.

When contacted, all of them expressed surprise when they learnt that MsKuan was the master tenant and not the owner of the apartment.

One of the tenants, Mr Stuart Cheng, 36, who is self-employed, said: ‘I had no reason to doubt Ms Kuan as she had the keys to the place.

They had ‘no reason’ to doubt master tenant

‘I thought I got a good deal as I’m paying only $950 per month and the amount covers utilities.

‘I thought there was nothing wrong with the partitions and that these were put up with URA’s permission. My room is big enough and the location is good.’

All the bedrooms, including the two extra rooms created from the partitioning, were equipped with air-conditioning units.

However, some of the partitions had to share air-conditioners.

Rents depend on size

Rentals were from $950 per room, depending on the size.

A Russian woman and her daughter, who declined to be interviewed, paid $1,500 a month for the master bedroom.

Another, Mr Mark Chionh, 31, a finance executive, paid $1,300 a month for his room.

He said: ‘I’m not sure if the owners will let us stay here so I’ve started scouting around for rooms in this area. This area is centrally located so I’d like to continue staying here.’

Those who partition private properties could be fined up to $200,000 or jailed up to 12 months or both.

Source : The New paper – 20 Sep 2009