Woman takes issue with landlady who rejects healthcare personnel tenant

Singapore — A woman narrating how a landlady declined to rent out a room to healthcare personnel wrote: “This action is uncalled for.”

In a Facebook post to popular Complaint Singapore page, a woman using the pen name Y shared an exchange between a landlady renting out a  common room at Whampoa Drive and another shophouse at Balestier Road.

Along with the property listings, the woman also shared an exchange with the landlady.

The landlady asked the potential tenant: “pls let us know your working industry (sic) due to COVID period. Thanks”

When the potential tenant replied that they were in the healthcare industry, the landlady replied: “Sorry profile cannot match. Thanks for your interest”.

The listing did not mention that healthcare workers would not be accepted as tenants.

In her post, Y wrote: “The discrimination is real.
It so disheartening to see how hard the healthcare personnel is working yet some people is treating them like that”.

She added that the landlady’s concerns were understandable, but the house owner should have been upfront and stated preferences to “prevent any unhappiness”.

“As shown below, criteria was not mentioned, except for Singaporean, PRs and student pass holder. Yet when she knows its (sic) a healthcare personnel, she immediately rejected her without any further hesitation and explanation”, Y wrote.

“This action is uncalled for. Up till this date, people are still discriminating (sic) the healthcare team. We have to stop this”, she added.

Last month, a married couple were taken to court on May 21 and charged with harassing their next-door neighbours, including a nurse from Sengkang General Hospital (SKH).

Both of them shouted “Covid”, “Covid spreader”, “virus” or “virus family” and sprayed disinfectant in their neighbours’ direction between May 13 and 15 last year. The nurse also posted videos on Instagram of the couple throwing soapy water on the ground outside his home and spraying disinfectant at his family.

The comments on Y’s post were mixed, with some criticising the landlady, but others saying that their concerns were justified, especially since the units being rented out were shared spaces with other tenants.

TISG has reached out to Y for comment and clarification. /TISG