In March, a Singaporean homeowner, Madam Lim, faced a peculiar situation when she was notified via an SMS from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) that a migrant worker had been wrongly registered as a tenant at her condo unit in Jurong East. This surprise turned into astonishment when she discovered another migrant worker had also been falsely registered under her address. Despite having leased out her property to a Japanese couple, Madam Lim, the tenants, and the leasing agent had no clue about the registration of these workers.
The unexpected news has been causing her sleepless nights. For instance, she could be held liable for any illegal activities conducted by the falsely registered tenants, or she could face harassment from loan sharks seeking to collect debts from these workers. She explained her fear about the possibility of her tenants confronting police or loan sharks at their doorstep, clueless about the registered migrants.
Madam Lim took immediate action, employing the Foreign Worker Tenant Enquiry Service (FWTES) on the MOM website to block further misuse of her address and deregister the inaccurately listed tenants. MOM has laid down the rule that employers must accurately report their migrant workers’ residential addresses, with penalties including fines and bans for those who fail to comply.
Introduced in December 2018, the FWTES system, aimed to curb such misuse, replaced the need for homeowners to submit hardcopy declaration forms for removing previously listed work pass holders from their property. This online service allows homeowners to check if their address has been misused and to request the removal of any falsely registered tenants. However, it’s important to note that this system covers only non-domestic workers.
Despite the advancements, incidents of address misuse have remained a concern. MOM states that the cases have fallen to around 300 per year, a significant drop from the average of 1,000 reported annually before the introduction of SMS notifications in February 2024 and the FWTES system.
The Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics highlighted the urgency for more pre-emptive measures, suggesting regular inspections and feedback mechanisms to ensure the provision of quality living spaces for migrant workers. They also shed light on the plight of employers who struggle to find immediate accommodations, often due to high rental prices and a lack of available housing options, compelling them to falsely declare addresses in a bid to navigate the tight accommodation market for their workers.
This scenario prompts a conversation about balancing the needs of Singapore’s migrant worker population with protecting homeowners from potential misuse of their properties. As Singapore tackles this multifaceted issue, the emphasis remains on finding sustainable solutions that respect the rights and needs of all parties involved.
