Shophouse tenants left $400,000 poorer after ending lease unilaterally

The tenants who sued the landlord ended up being the losers as they were wrong to end lease prematurely. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

You would think it would be safe for a tenant to terminate the lease on a building he later finds has a serious legal issue. But one business found that its decision to do so was a $400,000 misjudgment.

At first glance, it looked like an open and shut case, until the tenants hit an unexpected legal brick wall: A tenant does not have an automatic right to stop paying rent and move out even if the landlord has run afoul of the law.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.