Recent Rental Scam: URA Alerts Homeowners to Scam Involving Fake Tenant Registration Letters

The rental landscape in Singapore can be hard to navigate if you’re not a property agent or not keeping up with news all the time. This report “URA warns of scam involving letter to homeowners requesting tenant registration” is something new that may catch landlords unaware. 

In our article, “The Dummies’ Guide to Renting in Singapore”, we detail the steps in the rental process. The only time you go to URA is to check if your landlord is the owner of the property.
​
In summary, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has warned about a scam targeting private homeowners in Singapore. The scam involves a letter falsely claiming to be from the URA, requesting homeowners to register their tenants by transferring a "validation fee" to a specified bank account. 

​The URA has clarified that it does not require tenant registration or validation fees and has lodged a police report. Homeowners are advised to verify the authenticity of such letters by contacting the URA directly and to avoid sharing personal or financial information through unsolicited communications. The URA emphasizes that government organizations do not request sensitive information via email, text messages, or hardcopy letters.

​Pro tip: If you’re a renter or a landlord, it’s good to keep up with the news regarding the rental landscape in Singapore. An easy way is to set up a Google Alert, perhaps with the keywords “rent”, “Singapore”, “tenant” or “landlord”.
Or simply join our mailing list and we’ll send updates to your inbox.