Issue over HDB rental rate shows need for data integrity

THE recent kerfuffle over an “S$8,000-a-month” rental for a three-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Bukit Merah was an eye-opener, and not just because it would have chalked up a record-high rental for a public housing flat.  

As it turns out, the owner had made a “genuine mistake” and meant to list a rental rate of S$900 a month for a single bedroom. The incorrect data had been submitted to the HDB by the flat owner, in his application to HDB for approval to rent out the flat. This data feeds into a publicly available database of market rental rates, where it was picked up by the media. The entry was corrected after it was flagged by The Business Times.  

To be fair, the information comes with a disclaimer: at the bottom of the page, there is a note that says that the rentals listed are self-declared and indicative. Figures given are not checked against a tenancy agreement since the rental agreed is a “private matter between owners and tenants”, the HDB had said.