Unhappy that his monthly rent was increased by S$200 to S$950, a Malaysian man decided to set fire to his landlord’s HDB flat.
The man, who worked as a warehouse assistant and driver, was renting a room with his girlfriend at Block 267 Boon Lay Drive.
Including them, there were a total of 5 tenants renting the flat.
The 45-year-old landlord occupied the master bedroom.
An section of the living room was partitioned off to use as a storage space for the tenants.
Lin hatched his plan to set fire to the flat after being told that his rent would increase come April.
On 5 April, he left for work at around 7.15am, armed with a… lighter.
From the common corridor, he opened the window shutters connected to the partitioned unit and set fire to the curtains and left.
The landlord woke up about an hour later and discovered the blaze in the partitioned unit.
She called SCDF and tried to put out the fire.
Subsequently, the landlord was sent to hospital for injuries suffered and was issued 13 days of medical leave.
Damages to the unit and its contents — including a fan, light and electrical wiring — cost the landlord S$3,177 to fix.
Lin was jailed for 8 months on Friday (5 May) after pleading guilty to one charge of arson.
He could have been jailed for up to 7 years.
