Let’s talk about renting in SG

CLOSING THE DEAL

Decision time, after a few days you found the perfect spot to perch onto for a year or two…

1. Call the agent/landlord/tenant and tell that you would like to rent the room you viewed a few days ago. Ask what they would need of you to furnish/complete/provide before the contract signing, almost always they will do give you the things to provide.

For example, when I finally decided on my current unit, I asked the agent what does she need from me to start the tenancy process. She asked of my complete name, my FIN number, back-to-back of my work pass ID, my employer’s office address and my email address. Then a few days later, she emailed me a PDF of the contract draft and asked me to review it.

Schedule a convenient signing day as well, preferably on a weekend before lunch or after lunch. For me, the best signing day is the day you aren’t tired AF. I don’t do weekday contract signings, I might not be in a frame of mind to review and sign contracts. Weekends are great – you get to wake up at your own time, eat breakfast, you get to chill, take a morning bath then go travel to sign something – alert, fresh and in the right frame of mind to go over pages of a contract with a fine-toothed comb.

2. Review all the pages of the contract draft before sending it back or signing on anything. This is also important. Agents either send you a copy for review over email, or upon signing it on the day, allow you ample time to review it front to back. DO NOT SIGN OFF until you have read every single paragraph and statement. Correct every typographical error you see, even if the typo benefits you. Feel free to ask every question you can about it. To be fair, this is also good life advice if you’re signing any contract. Do not send anything back unless you’ve read everything.

For example, I have read a contract that had a list of furniture, fixtures and fittings that were to be the responsibility of the tenant/s to ensure they are returned in working or usable condition upon ending tenancy. I had to check with the agent about the number of tables/desks (3 in the contract) because when I viewed the unit myself, I saw four total. He said that one of the big-ass tables (specifically the one with a shelf underneath) was left in the unit by the previous tenant, and as it was perfectly usable (and the model was expensive in IKEA too), the agent made the call to leave it in as gratis (and decide if it’s to be disposed after tenancy). I asked if the list could be more specific about the tables/desks and itemize them instead of being grouped, which he obliged.

If this is on signing day, ensure that the corrections/appended items are countersigned by you and the agent.

Now that you have a signed contract…

3. Be clear with the agent about any fees you have to pay before moving in, and when you can move in. This is also important. For example, do you have to pay the deposit and/or the advance right away? And here, you can also insert the matter about the stamp duty. Then you can ask about the date of the move-in. Some agents can be generous about it especially if the previous tenant has already fully departed weeks before the end of their rent. For me, when I asked on a previous rental place, the agent allowed us to move our stuff in a week before our actual start of rent, gave us the keys, and off we went.

MOVING YOUR THINGS FROM A TO B

Now, about move-in, some important things to think about that might be of help…

1. Before moving in, go in the rented unit. Take photos of everything – furnishings, bed, bathroom, walls, doors. This is to have a record of the place’s initial condition and give yourself a picture of what the room looked before you moved in. If you see anything amiss – like drippy fittings, loose wall drilling for the wall fan, broken mirror, mattresses with popped springs, cracked window glass or floor tiles, jammed outlets – notify the agent/tenant/landlord right away. The risk of deferring reporting these is on you.

If you see any furnishing in your room that wasn’t in your contract, ask the agent/landlord/tenant about it as well.

2. You can choose whatever moving method you are OK with, but consider the place you are moving in and how easy/difficult will it be for both you and them. Moving is already stressful, so ensure everything can be moved as smoothly as possible. Especially if you’re using a moving company.

For example, if you are renting a landed unit with no elevators/lifts (only stairs) and your place is on the second floor, ensure that whatever boxes/furniture you are moving in can be moved easily by two people. For example, if your fully assembled table is a 80cm by 100cm big-ass thing, and the hallway going to your room is at most 65cm wide, you must account for that shit.

Do you have options for moving in Singapore? Yes you do.

Moving companies – this one is an expensive option but also the least stressful. They have the spacious vehicles, they assign adequate manpower, they have boxes and cling/wrapping tape, they have their own moving cart/trolley, they are familiar with most lifts so they will advise you on that. All you have to do is tell them which items to move, and where. But they are expensive. They can go upwards of SGD 300 plus some upfront costs, maybe more depending on their own assessment.

I highly recommend this if you’re moving with a hell of a lot of items both boxed and/or bulky, like 5+ extra large boxes full of things plus unboxable items like desks and cabinets. Just pay the amount they ask for, save yourself the headache. Think of it as a convenience fee. If you have those many items, it is not worth it being a cheapskate.
Lalamove – this one is a slightly cheaper option but also you’ll have to temper your expectations. You can choose what vehicle to rent, how many helpers to use to move in, you can select the door-to-door option.

But for this one, I highly suggest you need a friend, or if they agree to help you, the agent or a co-tenant to be there to receive the movers and let them in (if you are 5 minutes behind them – Lalamove doesn’t allow you to ride in their van/lorry, so book your own ride) and guide them as they move the boxes near your room’s door. You can do it solo but you risk bullshit.

Also, they are strictly a moving service – just moving items, that’s it. They do have trolleys. But they don’t have wraps/padding, they don’t have boxes, they don’t really have an incentive to help you with the items’ organization, they just move items from A to B. So if you go with Lalamove, ensure you have the items fully prepped, boxed, taped, padded (maybe) and ready to just pick up and drop off.

I highly suggest Lalamove if you just have items under 2-3 extra large packing boxes plus some minor things like ironing boards or gaming chairs. Estimate is maybe set aside SGD 200 as a budget.
Do it yourself – this one is almost as expensive (or sometimes even more expensive) as Lalamove, it’s super tiring, but it’s all you. But I can assure you, this method will be the best if you intend to do actual spring cleaning, because if you use Lalamove or the traditional moving companies, you have almost no incentive to do serious spring cleaning – you can pay for that concern to go away anyway. If you do it yourself, you have a more pressing need to whittle down your moving-house items to what you either see as essential or you can dispose of. Costs can vary, but with careful planning and time usage, it might be not that far from using Lalamove.

Now that you have moved your items to your new unit…

3. Set aside a day for unpacking and fixing the moved items. This one is highly suggested, but feel free to ignore if you have other means. For me on my last move, I filed for using one of my free leave days on a Monday to unpack the items, as I moved the last of my items on a Saturday and a Sunday. I leisurely finished everything on Monday, and slept like a king on my new bed that night.