'We are just the middlemen': How property agents grapple with landlords' discriminatory preferences, Singapore News

AsiaOne

3 days ago

Over the past four years, Yue Kaixin regularly advises landlords on how to maximise their rental income.
But the last thing the property agent from ERA Singapore would do is go against their choice of tenants — even when some insist, "No Indians".
"I still had to obey them," Yue said. "I can't tell them what to do. If not, do you think I'll still have a business?"
Yue is among several property agents in Singapore who told AsiaOne they are reluctant to confront landlords who refuse to rent to tenants from minority races.
Other agents, on the other hand, have to grapple with landlords who show prejudice against members of the LGBTQ community.
One property agent, who has worked in real estate for over a decade, recalled feeling awkward early in his career when landlords made it clear they did not want to rent to Indians.
Some of these preferences stem from stereotypes that Indian tenants, both Singaporeans and expats, have a nonchalant attitude towards maintaining the property and they cook food with strong smells.
The PropNex agent, who declined to be named, said that he feels conflicted at times — between doing his job and doing what is morally right — but has never pushed back against landlords with such requests.
"Some might think it's racist, but there a thin line between racism and preferences," he said.
"We are at the end of the day, just the middlemen. The neutral party. We neither condone nor accept such behaviours." It's not just about race
But bias in the rental market extends beyond race, William Tan, a property agent from Singapore Realtors Inc, said.
He recalled an incident last year when a landlord accepted an offer, before withdrawing the next day after finding out that the identity of the tenants.
"They've already put in the deposit, but during the process of doing the paperwork, they had to present their passports," he said.
"That was when the landlord started questioning on how come the tenants are two males… so that's when I told them they are actually gay parents with two biological kids."
As a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, Tan said the incident conflicted with his values.
'We're not powerful enough to stop rental discrimination,' he said. 'All we can do is stay professional and follow guidelines from the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA).' 'Not outright discrimination'
To Yue, landlords who refuse to rent to someone who is "Indian or PRC [People's Republic of China]" are not necessarily racist. He argued that some of them may have had prior negative experiences with tenants from these groups.
But he urged landlords against dismissing potential tenants based on stereotypes, saying that it does not make business sense.
The property agent recalled that when he and his wife first put their home up for rent, they initially preferred only Chinese or Western tenants.
Then came an enquiry from an Indian family, which Yue said: "I discussed with my wife on whether we should ask them to come for house viewing or just say, 'sorry' and give an excuse [to reject them].
"But we thought it's better to give everyone a fair chance… it turns out they were really good tenants."
Heikal Shafrudin, co-founder of real estate agency Herohomes, said that it is more nuanced for landlords renting out their rooms in their homes.
For such instances, preferences around age and gender do show up since it is akin to "finding a housemate".
"Sometimes, it is not outright discrimination, but more about lifestyle fit or perceived safety," Shafrudin said.
[[nid:682399]] What does the law say?
A 2022 survey of more than 2,000 Singapore residents by CNA and the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) found that over 90 per cent said they would rent a property they own to a Singaporean Chinese.
In contrast, only 62 per cent of those surveyed said they would accept Singaporean Malay tenants in a property they own, and Singaporean Indian tenant at 57 per cent.
The rights of all Singaporeans are protected under law, with Article 12 of the Constitution saying: "There shall be no discrimination against citizens of Singapore on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law… or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment."
The Ministry of National Development, however, maintained that rental decisions are ultimately private agreements between property owners and tenants.
"Similar to how a tenant has the freedom to choose his accommodation, a landlord has the right to decide whom he would like to rent his property to," the ministry said, in response to a parliamentary question in 2022 about measures to prevent rental discrimination.
"While we have a framework that protects the rights of all Singaporeans, we cannot rely on the law in every instance and will need to continue to deepen mutual understanding and empathy across different groups to build mutual trust, respect and understanding in our community." 'Landlords entitled to choose their tenants'
Dr Mathew Mathews, IPS' principal research fellow and head of its Social Lab, said that while Singapore has robust laws to protect racial harmony, the lack of specific measures against rental discrimination stems largely from the complexity of proving such cases.
He also drew parallels to workplace discrimination, which he said took many years and consistent advocacy before comprehensive legislation was introduced, despite longstanding concerns from minority groups.
"In the context of property rentals, landlords are generally entitled to choose their tenants, and their decisions are often based on subjective assessments," Dr Matthews said.
"This makes it difficult to clearly establish when a refusal is rooted in discrimination rather than other legitimate considerations." No discriminatory advertisements
CEA's regulatory guidelines require agents to be sensitive to the multicultural nature of Singapore's society. They must also advise landlords against placing advertisements that are discriminatory, offensive or stereotyped in nature against any race, religion or group in society.
Shafrudin empathised with his colleagues who feel pressured to carry out their landlords' discriminatory preferences.
But what does he tell property agents who are facing such scenarios?
"They have to understand why [the landlords have these preferences]," Shafrudin said. "Whether it is just personal bias against a specific group or a based on a bad experience or misunderstanding.
"We will try to reframe the conversation [with landlords] back to the lease terms rather than identity… if they are concerned about cleanliness, then we can address these with specific clauses in the agreement.
"If it crosses the line into blatant discrimination, then [property agents] have every right to walk away if they are not comfortable."
Dr Matthews said that property agents should also be empowered and encouraged to educate landlords about Singapore's stance against rental discrimination, and remind them that such practices are not socially acceptable.
[[nid:498986]] 'Diversity friendly' property listings, but are they really?
Several property search platforms have also implemented various measures, which they said addresses rental discrimination and promote inclusivity.
99.co and PropertyGuru allow property agents to tag listings as 'Diversity Friendly' or 'Everyone Welcome' respectively — signaling that all renters are accepted regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
In the release of its 2024 Sustainability Report published on May 21, PropertyGuru said that one in four rental listings - or around 10,000 of the 40,000 on the platform - are tagged as "Everyone Welcome".
As of May 28, around 2,300 of its 35,000 listings in 99.co are "Diversity Friendly".
Other popular property search platforms, such as Mogul.sg and EdgeProp, do not have this feature.
Property agent Tan remains sceptical about whether properties tagged as welcoming to all on search portals truly live up to that label, even if he sees it as a 'nice gesture'.
"It does not necessarily reflect what the landlord wants," he said. "When an agent ticks that box, it may be just so that the listing will get more eyeballs."
Checks by AsiaOne found that even for some of listings that are tagged as inclusive-friendly, they still include phrases indicating the kind of tenants who are "preferred".
An 'Everyone welcome' listing, published on May 20, says the home is 'suitable' for singles and families, but "no Indian".
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, PropertyGuru said that its platform prohibits indicating preferences such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or any physical or mental disability in its listings.
Cecile Corda, head of sustainability at PropertyGuru Group, said that all its listings with the Everyone Welcome tag are reviewed for discriminatory language prior to posting.
"The tag is suspended if the listing has been reported for discrimination. PropertyGuru reviews all cases, and our moderation team contacts the agent to work with him or her to amend the listing," she added.
Users can also 'report' the listing on our platform for discriminatory behaviours at any stage of the property search process. Unconscious bias training for agents
Property agents are also offered unconscious bias training and guidance on avoiding discriminatory behaviour, according to Corda.
"Through continued education and open dialogue, we are working towards an ideal world where the Everyone Welcome feature will no longer be needed. It is a journey, and everyone has an important role to play," Corda said.
Like PropertyGuru, a spokesperson for 99.co said that it has mechanisms, such as manual curation and keywords monitoring, to moderate listings that contain discriminatory language.
"We do not track [the prevalence of discriminatory listings over time]," but based on observations, it has decreased."
Tan believes that perceptions of tenants from minority groups in Singapore are gradually improving. Still, the question of who makes a 'good' tenant remains a topic people tend to avoid "making a big fuss about".
"They will say, 'Oh, we don't discriminate. We tolerate," he said.
[[nid:530162]]
[e-mail]