Unemployed, worried about potential cancer diagnosis and caring for her 16-month-old baby, single mum Felicia Ong thought her luck would finally turn around when she received the keys to a rental HDB flat in Marsiling on Thursday (April 15).
What greeted her when she stepped through the door, however, left her horrified.
“It looked like a haunted house,” she recounted in a Facebook post that night. The post, now removed, went viral overnight with over 1,000 shares.
She shared photos of exposed wires, cracked floor tiles, a mouldy sink as well as dirt everywhere in the unit.
She used all her money to pay $438.30 for the deposit and rent
Image source: Facebook / Felicia Ong
According to Ong, the toilet had a broken door and there was barely any space for her to shower her infant.
The wall sockets didn’t appear to be functioning either as someone had scribbled “spoilt, do not use” in Chinese on one of them.
Ong asked: “How can I move in?”
“I’ve been appealing to HDB for a rental flat since I was seven months pregnant and I waited for 1.5 years before I got my rental flat keys today,” she wrote.
The woman, who lost her job in January, said that she used all her money to pay $438.30 for the deposit and rent, adding: “…all my baby and I get is a horror home that isn’t even functioning!”
The keys to the rental flat were issued before HDB could arrange for the sprucing up
Image source: Facebook / Felicia Ong
“We need a safe home,” she pleaded.
Her plea for help caught the attention of Marsiling MP Zaqy Mohamad and the HDB, the latter of whom immediately contacted her to apologise.
In a post on Friday morning, HDB clarified that under their guidelines, rental flats are spruced up so that they are in a liveable condition before the keys are issued to tenants. Spoilt items would also be repaired or replaced.
“In this case, the keys to the rental flat were issued before HDB could arrange for the sprucing up of the flat.”
It has since arranged a replacement flat for Ong and will assist her with her move the same day.
Zaqy said he was heartened by the quick response, and thanked the members of the public who had alerted him to her plight.
“Rest assured that the Marsiling team and I will follow up on her other needs. We will provide relevant assistance to ensure that she is supported as we welcome her into our Marsiling community.”
