You will review a full tenancy agreement against a checklist and list the clauses to change.
Ravi and Meera got one extra day from the agent to read the Clementi agreement properly. They'd learnt what to look for in lessons 7.1 to 7.3. What they didn't have was a way to go through eleven pages in one sitting without missing something, or a way to turn what they found into requests the landlord would take seriously.
This exercise gives you both. You'll review a full tenancy agreement against a checklist, mark what needs changing, and write it up as short, plain proposals to send through the agent. Allow about 25 minutes. Use your own agreement, one you're about to sign, or the sample tenancy agreement that comes with this course.
Make a checklist with five sections, each with a few questions underneath.
Money terms: rent, deposit, payment date and method, late payment interest, stamp duty and who pays it, and agent commission and who pays it. Diplomatic clause: whether there is one, when it can be used, the notice needed, the proof required, and any commission repayment. Repairs: the minor repair amount and whether it applies per item, per repair or per year, and which repairs are excluded. Deposit and handover: cleaning and aircon servicing requirements, the deposit return timeline, and the basis for deductions. Restrictions on use: pets, guests, subletting, using the address for business, alterations, and anything else the agreement prohibits.
Leave space beside each question for what the agreement says and for your mark.
Go through the agreement clause by clause, filling in the checklist as you go. Write what the agreement actually says, in your own words, with the clause number. Don't fill in what you assume it says.
Some answers won't be there. That's a finding too, so write "not stated".
Now mark each answer with one of three labels, or leave it unmarked if it's fine.
One-sided means the clause gives one party a right without a matching one for the other, or puts a cost on you that would normally sit with the landlord. Vague means you can't tell from the wording what you'd owe or when. Missing means something you'd expect to see isn't there.
Here's how Ravi and Meera's checklist came out. The money terms were clear, with one exception: late payment interest was charged "at the landlord's prevailing rate", which they marked vague. The diplomatic clause was there, usable after 12 months with two months' notice, but covered only a transfer by Ravi's employer, so they marked it one-sided against their situation. The minor repair clause gave a S$150 limit, an example figure, without saying whether it applied per item or per year, so it was vague. The deposit clause said the deposit would be returned "after inspection", with no time limit, which was missing. Under restrictions, the agreement banned all pets, which didn't affect them, and required the landlord's written consent before the tenant's relatives stayed more than two weeks, which they marked one-sided because Meera's parents planned to visit for a month.
Choose the marks that matter most and turn them into proposals, at most five. More than that and the landlord is likely to treat the whole list as a negotiation and push back on all of it. Fewer is fine.
Write each proposal in plain words, with the clause number, what you'd like changed and, where it helps, a short reason. Propose a specific alternative rather than a complaint. A landlord can say yes to "Clause 4: please state the late payment interest as a fixed rate per year" much more easily than to "Clause 4 is unclear."
Ravi and Meera's list had five items. Clause 4: state the late payment interest rate as a figure. Clause 9: confirm the S$150 minor repair limit applies per item, with the landlord paying any excess. Clause 14: return the deposit within a set number of days after handover, less any agreed deductions. Clause 17: allow immediate family to stay up to six weeks without written consent. Clause 22: add non-renewal or cancellation of Ravi's work pass to the diplomatic clause.
They sent the list to the agent the same evening, with a line saying they were keen to proceed. The landlord accepted four of the five and offered four weeks instead of six on family visits, which they took.
You finish with a completed checklist covering money terms, the diplomatic clause, repairs, the deposit and handover, and restrictions, each answer noted with its clause number and marked where needed. Below it are up to five proposed changes, written plainly and ready to send through the agent before signing.
Keep the checklist when you're done. Lesson 7.3's inventory and this checklist together are what you'll want on hand on handover day, and again when the lease comes up for renewal. Pick the agreement you'll review and have it open alongside your checklist.
Complete the tenancy checklist for one agreement and write up to five proposed changes to send before signing.
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