A grandmother is suing her two grandchildren over ownership of a 3-room flat.
In a case pending before the High Court, a woman has sued her two grandchildren for attempting to sell an HDB flat she claims was paid solely by her, reported The Straits Times.
According to Madam Tan Teck Soon, she forked out $277 each month over 26 years to service the housing loan for the 3-room flat that she currently resides in. She also paid $20,000 for the downpayment and renovations. In total, the amount reached more than $117,000, including the flat’s upgrading costs and conservancy charges.
But in March 2016, she found out that her granddaughters, 26-year-old Michelle Ng Li Xuan and Isabella Ng Su Xi (25), were looking for buyers for the flat, which has an estimated market value of $300,000.
Both sisters are the flat’s registered owners, after they inherited it from their father and Madam Tan’s son, Ng King Nguang, who passed away in 2009 from a heart attack.
In her case against the sisters, Madam Tan explained that while her son bought the flat under his name, she insists that it’s still hers.
“The flat was registered under Ng’s sole name at that time, with the understanding between Ng and me that I was the sole owner.”
Moreover, she was previously registered as an owner of the flat in 1992, but she transferred her ownership to her son in 1999, to help him repay around $100,000 in debts. She even lent Ng $61,000 so his creditors would no longer go after him.
“I’m not a lawyer. I didn’t understand the implications (of those actions). My son and I understood the flat still belonged to me,” she added.
Meanwhile, the sisters countered that they have the right to sell the 10th-storey flat in Bedok South as it is their inheritance.
They also disputed Madam Tan’s claim that she single-handedly paid for the flat. “What I understand is that my dad was the one doing the payments, said Michelle.
Furthermore, they have offered to have Madam Tan stay at Isabella’s upcoming Build-to-Order (BTO) flat in Choa Chu Kang.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
