SINGAPORE: A former property agent was charged in court on Wednesday (Oct 26) with handling rental payments on behalf of a landlord.
Koh Hong Kim, 43, was given six charges of breaching Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations by handling transaction money on behalf of a landlord for a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat on Stirling Road.
According to charge sheets, Koh received S$9,300 in rental payments via bank transfer from a tenant between August 2021 and December 2021. He allegedly did so on behalf of a landlord.
Koh is no longer listed as a property agent on the Council for Estate Agencies’ website.
He said he intends to plead guilty and is not planning to get a lawyer.
The prosecution said they intend to seek fines of between S$7,200 and S$7,500 per charge based on past cases, but added that this was only an indicative figure.
According to the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations, no estate agent or salesperson is allowed to hold or handle any money on behalf of any party in relation to the lease of HDB property.
The penalties for such contraventions are a jail term of up to six months and a fine of up to S$10,000 for first-time offenders. In the case of a continuing offence, a person can receive a further fine of up to S$500 for every day during which the offence continues after conviction.
Ho is set to plead guilty in December.