Actually it started yesterday.
Today was the day I was supposed to go to Singapore to sign a lease to rent another store space. Unfortunately, I was not able to because I have an absolute spanner for a real estate agent. Not only does he talk funny, he also don't know how to keep his word. He needs a beating.
This is how the story goes:
The property we purchased in Singapore currently has a tenant until November of next year. Let's just say that she hasn't been the best tenant. My dad and I decided to buy this place initially (last year) to diversify into real estate with the goal of starting something cool (boutique, gallery, etc) in the near future or whenever the tenant's lease was done.
When I realized that the 9-5 at the factory wasn't working for me, I decided to sort out a game plan and work on it a little sooner. Since she neglected to pay rent on time 2 months in a row, I decided to put my badass landlord skills to the test. I spoke with a lawyer and he basically advised that it was enough to reclaim the property back and cut short her lease.
With back and forth banter going on between our lawyers, I was pretty psyched. I thought this was actually going somewhere and we were making progress. I was wrong. Two weeks later my lawyer informed me we had nothing on her and that the law in Singapore favors tenants. This is the bit where I start bitching. I have lived in several countries and nowhere have I heard of such fuckin bullshit. Firstly, when me and the boys lived in Perth at Gardner Street, our pleasant holiday was topped off with a short and concise eviction letter on our doorstep (along with some bills, lands-end catalogues, junk mail, etc) all nice and warm to greet us. We packed our shit up. We found somewhere new. We moved in. No wait....we laughed it off at first thinking it was some practical joke. The boys made bakmi cheese (disgusting looking concoction of curry noodles and kraft cheese that manages to make me squirm everytime I think about it) and then called Ray White. They confirmed it. We stopped laughing and then we packed up and moved out. Yeh, thats how it goes!
In Boston, I don't think I ever paid my rent late. In New York City, I had a jewish dude from Brooklyn as landlord. I never messed with him. He was paid on the 1st of every month. The one month I couldnt pay him on the 1st, he told me that I would receive a fine. Let's just say I found a way to pay him on the 1st. Don't ask how!
So anyway, I am pretty bitter about how I have been dicked as a landlord. Where the fuck is the protection for landlords in Singapore. Because of this mess that I'm in right now, I basically decided to call the agent and ask to rent another property on the same street to start the business earlier.
I was supposed to go to Singapore today and sign a lease on #61 but surprise surprise again, the agent told me that the landlord there wants to stick with his current tenant. Apparently that tenant ain't paying rent on time and has a shitload in arrears. This landlord doesn't seem to mind anymore as long as the tool pays a little bit sometime soon. Seems to me that people work against the norms of business there. I have no idea why, but I feel like everyone's out to take the piss out of me. I don't know if it's just a test or something, but I'm ready to choke (see pic below) someone out. Try me sometime. I will bring the pain.
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