Rental Discrimination in Singapore

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the issue of rental racism during his National Day Rally last year. His speech, which was made against the backdrop of a slew of viral racist incidents in the months preceding the rally, was notable as there was an entire section dedicated to issues of race and religion. In that same speech, Mr Lee also announced that the Government intends to codify existing TAFEP guidelines in law. 10 months on, the proposed codification has yet to happen.

His remarks on rental racism, which made reference to the discrimination faced by Indians and Malays, are set out below:

“Or you are looking to rent a flat, you call the property agent, he finds out you are not Chinese, then he says sorry, the owner doesn’t want to rent to you after all. If he is polite he stops there. If he is direct, he will tell you why.

These things do happen here. The minorities experience it more acutely, because they are the ones most affected by such racial discrimination. They feel angry, hurt, disappointed that the words in our National Pledge are still an aspiration, but still not fully achieved. I know it is harder to belong to a minority race than to the majority. This is true in every multi-racial society but it does not mean we have to accept this state of affairs in Singapore.”

Some, like this correspondent, are of the view that the best way forward would be for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation to be passed. The codification of TAFEP guidelines is a good start, but they may not go far enough as they are only limited to situations concerning employment. Dedicated anti-discrimination legislation, on the other hand, could potentially give people, like those referred to in the 2021 National Day Rally who are on the receiving end of rental racism, effective recourse. It could also help deter discriminatory behaviour across all aspects of social interaction.

Although PM Lee’s example in his speech made reference to discrimination faced by minorities in Singapore, rental discrimination is something that all Singaporeans, regardless of race, can face. According to a YouGov survey, 1 in 4 Singaporeans has faced racial discrimination when attempting to rent a property. In this article, we explore 2 instances of allegedly discriminatory landlords who prefer not to rent out to Singaporeans.

“Owner doesn’t prefer Singaporeans of all races”

The first incident arises from a PropertyGuru listing for a Condominium in the east of Singapore. When a Singaporean buyer reached out to the property agent express interest, he was informed that the owner “does not prefer Singaporeans of all races”.

When the prospective tenant pointed out that this was discriminatory and that the agent was potentially acting in breach of the Council of Estate Agent (CEA) regulatory guidelines, the agent said that he will check with CEA. The agent also delisted the advertisement.

The prospective tenant said that he was really sad that he had to go through this as a Singaporean in his own country. He also added that he had already lodged a report in respect of the advertisement.

Before we turn to the relevant CEA regulations and how people who see discriminatory listings can complain against them, we look at another example of rental discrimination affecting Singaporeans.

“Landlord only looking to rent out to foreign expats”

Wake Up Singapore had sight of another conversation between a property agent and a prospective tenant (unrelated to the one above) where the landlord was “only looking to rent out to foreign expatriates“.

This requirement was slightly qualified in the next paragraph, where the agent states that couples where one party is local and the other is a foreign expatriate may be considered.

The agent, presumably on behalf of their landlord, apologised to locals as the “landlord is not keen“.

When the prospective tenant informed the agent that they will be lodging a report, the agent asked her to “Go ahead” and noted that the “landlord has his rights“. After he referred to the rights of the landlord, he apologised if the landlord’s instructions offended the prospective tenant.

In an email to Wake Up Singapore the prospective tenant expressed outrage about the situation.

This seems absolutely outrageous that a Singaporean is being denied rentals in their own home country. I’ve heard so many stories from friends being denied even a viewing because of their ethnicity. How is it possible that such blatant discrimination exists in Singapore.

This property, like the one referred to in the previous incident, was also listed on PropertyGuru.

PropertyGuru’s zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination

In a statement dated 30 March 2022, PropertyGuru, in no uncertain terms, stated that it adopts a zero-tolerance policy for racial discrimination in any form.

The platform implemented an automated keyword screening feature that detects and rejects discriminatory language prior to the publication of a listing.

Users who spot discriminatory listings on PropertyGuru may report the said listing on grounds of discrimination. That was what the 2 different prospective tenants referred to in the 2 stories above did for the respective listings. One of them noted that, in their view, the reporting feature does not have enough text space to provide details.

After sending a follow-up email to PropertyGuru to check on the status of their complaints, they both received similar emails from the platform.

In both emails, PropertyGuru shared that any listings for properties that make racial preferences or exclusions are immediately removed from the platform. While there was no actual use of discriminatory language on the specific listing on the portal, they noted that this agent, when replying about the listing over WhatsApp, used discriminatory language.

The platform said that it has gotten in touch with the agent. It stated that it informed the agent to tell the landlord about PropertyGuru’s policies and the regulations against discriminatory advertising “since we take this seriously”.

Although PropertyGuru is not a regulatory authority for agents or landlords, it took it upon itself to “continually educate our agent subscribers on professional advertising practices within the industry.”

The CEA Guidelines on Rental Listings

Pursuant to paragraph 3.4 of the CEA’s practical guidelines on ethical advertising, “Salespersons shall not indicate preference for any race or religion in all advertisements unless it is to comply with the Ethnic Integration Policy.”

Non-compliance with the guideline may result in disciplinary action against agents. In Parliament in 2017, the Ministry of National Development stated that Property agents who breach such guidelines may either be issued with a warning or subjected to disciplinary action which may result in suspension or revocation of license or registration.

Members of the public may errant agents or listings to CEA via this portal.

Under paragraph 4 (2)(a) of the Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care, estate agents and salespersons must be fully conversant and comply with the Estate Agents Act 2010, the regulations made under the Act, and the policies, practice circulars and guidelines of the CEA.

A lack of effective recourse against discriminatory landlords

Whenever rental racism rears its ugly head, people always wonder what is the most efficient recourse they have.

Until Singapore enacts comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, the best recourse available to victims of discrimination is to report the listings to the platform and the CEA.

Some have argued that it is unfair to report the agent as, at the end of the day, the agent is simply acting upon the instructions of the landlord. This is exactly what the agent for the second discriminatory listing said when his listing was called out.

Others, who take a different view, point out that property agents have agency and can choose not to take on and profit from discriminatory landlords. They argue that agents who choose to enforce or support these clients may be, whether intentionally or otherwise, enabling the landlord’s discriminatory choices.

Whatever your opinion may be on the appropriate recourse, we can all agree that there should be no room for rental discrimination in Singapore. The time is ripe for victims of discrimination to be given substantive recourse against errant and discriminatory landlords.

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