Why this Singaporean is renting a black-and-white bungalow

WHEN TJ Thang decided to rebuild his landed home, he needed to find a place to live in for a couple of years. He could have rented another house or even a large apartment, but in the end, he chose to move into a black-and-white bungalow a year ago.

The single-storey house in the eastern part of Singapore sits on 30,000 square feet (sq ft) of land and has a built-in area of some 3,100 sq ft. And typical of similar heritage properties, it has a lush garden full of mature trees and enough space for a 5-a-side football turf – or at least a massive barbecue party.

“I was hunting for a place to rent and a friend told me about an opportunity to rent a black-and-white bungalow, so I tried my luck and got it,” says Thang, chairman and founder of luggage distributor Travelite Holdings.