MR DANIEL Cheong, 37, has an optical shop at Marine Parade Central, rented from the Housing Development Board. But he is a landlord too. For the past two years, he has been leasing the space in front of his store to a woman selling mobile phones and accessories.

Since October 2007, he has paid about $100 a month to the town council for that space, marked out as a red box, and lets it out for as much as $1,500.

Mr Cheong says the money helps pay for his own rent and utilities bill, which can go up to $12,000 a month.

Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.