Lye Lin Heng’s Landlord and Tenant Law in Singapore, 2nd Edition
The first edition of Landlord and Tenant was published as the third volume in the Singapore Law Series and is the first and only book written in Singapore on the area of landlord and tenant law. Two previous chapters relating to rent control and de-control have been removed, as rent control laws have been repealed. They are replaced by HDB Leases (Chapter 11) and Green Leases (Chapter 12), which are topics that are of current interest.
This book is the second edition of Landlord and Tenant Law by Lye Lin Heng (published in 1990 by Malaya Law Review & Butterworths), which was part of the Singapore Law Series. Comprising twelve chapters, the book is divided into four parts. Part I (Chapters One to Five) introduces the reader to the lease and the special nature of the landlord and tenant relationship. Part II (Chapters Six to Eight) focuses on the rights and obligations of the parties. Part III (Chapters Nine and Ten) deals with the termination of the relationship and examines the different modes of termination and the rights of the parties on termination. Part IV (Chapters Eleven and Twelve) is on Special Leases and it focuses on the HDB Lease (Public Housing) and on Green Leases respectively. This book is aimed at a wide audience, particularly law students, legal practitioners, property developers, real estate agents and the informed layman. It analyses legal concepts and cases, and covers practical aspects such as stamp fees and solicitors’ costs, as well as the procedure for recovery of arrears of rent, and recovery of possession for breach of covenants. The book also highlights the inadequacies of some principles of English land law (on which Singapore’s landlord and tenant law is based), which were developed in a rural, feudal economy. They may not be relevant today, and readers are encouraged to take a critical approach in the context of the urban environment that is Singapore today, drawing on the rich experience of other common law jurisdictions which are discussed in this book.
This book also contains a new supplement chapter that discusses the challenges and laws stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, including:
• The obligations between landlord and tenant under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act
• The rental relief framework for tenants under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment) Act
• The Fair Tenancy Framework and Fair Tenancy Framework Industry Committee