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S'pore property agent, 51, charged tenant S$2,600 for S$2,500 room, kept S$100 difference, fined S$5,000
Property agents are not allowed to handle money related to HDB rentals on behalf of clients.
Julia Yeo
April 04, 2026, 02:52 PM
A 51-year-old property agent in Singapore was fined S$5,000 after collecting rent on behalf of a landlord and pocketing a S$100 difference.
The woman, Cai Ailing (transliteration), faced three charges under the Estate Agents Act.
She pleaded guilty to one charge, with the remaining two taken into consideration during sentencing, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Collected rent from tenant, handed S$100 less to landlord
Court documents seen by Shin Min revealed that the accused had previously worked with a couple to sell their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.The couple later engaged her again to rent out two rooms in another unit.
At the time, she was a registered property agent with PropNex, but switched to Huttons Asia from May 2024.
Charged tenant S$2,600 for room
In late April 2024, she posted a rental listing for the rooms.A prospective tenant viewed the unit on Apr. 29 and agreed the next day to rent a room for two years at S$2,600 per month.
As the tenant’s PayLah! transfer limit was capped, he first transferred S$500 to the property agent, followed by another S$2,100.
On the same day, the property agent transferred S$2,500 to the landlord and later prepared the tenancy agreement.
Claimed she had mistakenly informed landlord about rent amount
On May 3, the property agent issued a revised tenancy agreement stating the monthly rent as S$2,500 instead, and claimed that she had mistakenly informed the landlord that the rent was S$2,500.When the tenant collected the keys on May 5, a disagreement arose between the tenant and the landlord.
Both parties subsequently agreed to terminate the tenancy.
The landlord returned S$2,500 to the property agent and instructed her to refund the tenant.
She subsequently returned the full S$2,600 to the tenant.
Fined S$5,000
The prosecution told the court that the accused had informed the tenant the rent was S$2,600, while she told the landlord it was S$2,500 and kept the S$100 difference.A S$5,000 fine was sought.
In mitigation, the woman said she was willing to plead guilty.
According to regulations, property agents are not allowed to hold money or handle any monetary transactions related to HDB rentals on behalf of clients.
Top image via Shin Min Daily News
