Man uses shell companies to rent landed homes, later defaulting on rent and refusing to move out

Noranth Ventures had agreed to pay a security deposit of $15,000, but only $7,500 of the deposit was paid.

The company also paid only the first month’s rent and stopped paying rent from June 2026.

Price claimed there were about “35 repair, rectification or practical occupation issues” with the property.

The landlords had resolved 32 of the complaints by June 8, while the remaining drainage-related issues required more extensive work and would take more time to complete, the district judge noted.

Chiah added that the landlords were “accommodating and had taken reasonable steps to resolve the repair items raised by Price despite rent not being paid”.

The district judge found that Noranth Ventures had breached the tenancy agreement by refusing to pay rent and that the landlords had “every right to re-enter the premises”.

He then dismissed Noranth Ventures’ application and allowed the landlords’ counterclaim, including possession of the property, unpaid rent, interest and double rent from Aug 15 until vacant possession is handed over to the landlords.

He also ordered the company to pay $15,000 in legal costs and $2,031.98 in disbursements.

Tan from Rajah & Tann Singapore said his “client feels vindicated by the judgment and hopes that the tenants can vacate the property and settle all unpaid amounts immediately”.

“The clients will take the necessary measures to enforce the court judgment,” added Tan.

As at Oct 12, the occupants had not vacated the property.

Similar pattern in earlier cases

In his judgment, the district judge also identified a pattern similar to the Lengkong Dua case in two earlier tenancy disputes involving Price and his companies.

In 2019, Noranth Ventures had rented a landed property in Jalan Selamat for $7,200 a month under a two-year tenancy agreement beginning in September 2019. This property is about 10 minutes’ walk from Lengkong Dua.

As in the most recent case, the company paid only part of the $14,400 security deposit and stopped paying rent after about 1½ months.

The property owner began legal action against Price and his company, while Price and his family continued living in the house.

“Price and his family effectively lived in the Jalan Selamat property rent-free for at least five months,” noted the district judge.

That case was subsequently settled and discontinued. No further details were available in the Oct 7 written judgment.

In another dispute, Price used Bundleluxe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Noranth Ventures, to rent a semi-detached house at Burnfoot Terrace in Siglap for one year, from January 2024.

At the time that Bundleluxe, which had a paid-up capital of $1, entered into the tenancy agreement, it had accumulated losses of about $1.34 million between December 2021 and November 2023.

“It was a shell company,” the district judge said.

Price had also cited alleged defects as the reason for not paying rent.

Price and his family continued living in the house despite the landlord’s demands for payment and vacant possession. They eventually moved out on March 18, 2025, more than two months after the tenancy expired.

The district judge noted that the family had stayed rent-free for close to 12 months.

The property owner commenced legal action in February 2025 against Price and Bundleluxe for various breaches and losses suffered. The proceedings are still ongoing as at Oct 7.

Chiah pointed out concerns raised by the landlords in the Lengkong Dua and Burnfoot Terrace cases that rental arrears might never be recovered because the contracting tenants were shell companies with minimal paid-up capital.

The district judge agreed that the pattern of using shell companies to rent residential premises as observed “is a matter of some concern for landlords in Singapore”.