SINGAPORE, Nov 11 — An American man is countersuing his former landlord following claims he used shell companies to rent landed houses before defaulting on payments by citing property defects.
Anthony Thomas Price — who is under police investigation for alleged cheating — is countersuing Siglap homeowner Angela Chan S$20,000 (RM63,255) in lost working time and damages for emotional distress, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
His company Bundleluxe Pte Ltd, which Price used to rent the semi-detached house from Chan, reportedly sought S$17,000 in rent reduction, S$4,000 in appliance damages and S$40,000 in lost business opportunities.
According to Zaobao, Chan’s original claim against both Price and Bundleluxe was for S$76,500 in rental arrears, interest and double rent for the about two and a half months of overstaying.
Price had used the shell company to enter a tenancy agreement with Chan in December 2023.
Under the contract, Price and four family members would pay a monthly rent of S$8,500 to stay in Chan’s semi-detached property in Burnfoot Terrace in Siglap for a year in 2024.
However, Bundleluxe paid only a portion of the security deposit, then stopped paying rent after a few months.
Price cited alleged defects as the reason, but he and his family continued staying there rent-free for almost 12 months before vacating on March 18, 2025.
He also insisted he was not a party to the lease, as the lease was signed by his company, and therefore should not bear personal liability.
In August, Price’s application to be struck out of the lawsuit was dismissed. In the judgement, the deputy registrar noted that Bundleluxe had no revenue, assets or bank account.
Price: Over 50 defects found
Chan is alleging that Price has a modus operandi of signing tenancy agreements through corporate entities, subsequently defaulting on rental payments and refusing to return the properties, reported Zaobao
Her claim reportedly states that Price has a pattern of using his companies and legal procedures to prolong litigation.
In a counterclaim, Price said his family found more than 50 defects within the first 120 days of moving in, which made the house almost “uninhabitable”, according to Zaobao.
Price claimed he had to assist with arranging repairs, hence causing him to miss important meetings with international companies and business partners.
He also disputed the rental arrears accumulated during the contract, arguing that it should be S$68,000, and not the S$76,500 claimed by Chan.
Additionally, the man claimed that the landlord’s failure to properly maintain the house led to him falling severely ill between April and December 2024, and he was unable to travel or work.
A family member allegedly became seriously ill too, and lost work as a result.
Responding to the counterclaim, Chan reportedly argued that rent cannot be withheld on the grounds of a maintenance dispute, and the security deposit cannot be used to offset rent arrears and should be confiscated in accordance with the lease terms.
The case between Chan and Price has not reached trial.
Previous suit with elderly owners of Kembangan home
In October, a district judge presiding over a separate lawsuit involving Price and the homeowners of a Kembangan landed property said he agreed that the man had “devised a deliberate scheme” to rent that house without intending to pay rent.
Similarly, Price was found to have used a shell company Noranth Ventures Pte. Ltd to sign a two-year rental agreement starting May 1, 2026.
He only paid rent for the first month, claiming alleged defects involving “approximately 35 repair, rectification or practical occupation issues”.
The judge noted court proceedings in regard to Chan’s claim, as well as a past suit involving a landed property at Jalan Selamat, and said Price had a “pattern” of using shell companies for his scheme to not pay rent.
On November 4, Senior Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai said in Parliament that the police, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, have assessed the October court judgement and found that there was a basis to commence investigations against Price for cheating.
The offence of cheating carries a jail term of up to 10 years, and a fine or caning or both. — AsiaOne
