Human Skeletal Remains Found in Toa Payoh Rental Flat After Two Years of Unpaid Rent

Last Updated on 2023-04-12 , 9:52 am

Figuring out how to pay rent can be a headache.

After two years of unpaid rent, the Housing Development Board (HDB) decided to repossess the Toa Payoh Rental Flat.

However, the contractors were in for a nasty surprise. 

Human Skeletal Remains Found 

For two years, HDB officers visited the fourth-floor unit at Block 15 Toa Payoh Lorong 7 a total of eight times due to unpaid rent.

Since rent continued to be unpaid, HDB made the call to repossess the flat.

FYI, the last time rent was paid was on 23 March 2020. 

On 16 June 2022, HDB officers noticed old fliers outside the locked door, which is pretty concerning.

Contractors broke open the door, only to find human skeletal remains.

The skeletal remains belonged to an unidentifiable person.

On 6 April 2023, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda ruled an open verdict.

While the DNA evidence suggested that the remains likely belonged to Madam Cheng Ah Imm, the 73-year-old woman who lived in the unit, this could not be proved with certainty.

She had lived in the flat with one of her brothers till 2016 when he moved out into a home. 

DNA was collected from an oxygen mask used by Madam Cheng’s brother and compared to the skeletal remains.

It showed that both sets of DNA belonged to the siblings.

However, State Coroner Nakhoda noted that the sample was not collected directly from Madam Cheng’s brother.

Thus, there was not enough evidence to prove with certainty that the remains belonged to Madam Cheng.

Investigation Officer Soon Zhi Yuan testified that a neighbour had seen an elderly woman at the flat in 2021.

However, the neighbour did not know who she was.

The police ruled out foul play. 

When Can HDB Repossess a Flat?

It took two years of unpaid rent for HDB to repossess the Toa Payoh flat.

However, the law allows HDB to repossess a flat if there are three months of arrears.

Notably, in the case of mortgage arrears, flats are only seized as a last resort if homeowners continuously refuse to cooperate with HDB.

According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, HDB looks beyond loans since mortgage arrears usually indicate other difficulties at home.

Such difficulties include job loss and medical bills, causing people to be unable to pay their mortgages. 

Thus, HDB works with agencies like Family Service Centres and Employment and Employability Institute. 

Other Instances of Remains Found in Flats

Unfortunately, finding human remains in flats is not an uncommon occurrence. 

In September 2021, a 74-year-old woman was found dead in her Bedok North flat.

She had left a light on in her home but was not seen doing her usual routine of feeding stray cats.

After not seeing her for a week, her neighbours had grown concerned and opened her front door, only to find her lying face down. 

In October 2022, a 70-year-old man and his 92-year-old mother were found dead in their Tampines flat.

Their bodies were only discovered when neighbours detected a foul smell from the flat.

More recently, on 23 March 2023, the body of an 80-year-old woman was discovered in her Holland Drive flat.

The body was already decomposing when the police found it.

Neighbours had not seen her for a week.

A neighbour called the police after noticing a foul stench.

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Prevalence of Seniors Dying Alone

If you haven’t realised, most of these bodies belonged to elderly residents who lived alone. 

A study by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) suggests that the number of seniors living alone is projected to increase to 210,000 in 2060.

According to the study, about 70,000 seniors lived alone in 2020.

While initiatives like Assisi Hospice’s No One Dies Alone programme aim to provide company to lonely seniors in their final hours, the problem is becoming more prevalent.

Nowadays, neighbours tend to keep to themselves.

With the COVID-19 restrictions keeping everyone indoors, nobody knows their neighbours anymore.

In 2022, The Straits Times reported that while seniors desire company, they tend to stay away due to the fear of troubling others. 

In the case of the 74-year-old woman found dead in her Bedok North flat, a neighbour told The Straits Times that neighbours must watch out for one another, especially for elderly living alone.