Man uses shell companies to rent landed homes, later defaulting on rent and refusing to move out

SINGAPORE – A man used shell companies to rent three landed homes in Singapore at different times for his family to live in, and then stopped paying rent shortly after moving in, embroiling his landlords in legal processes to avoid moving out.

Anthony Thomas Price, a director and shareholder of Noranth Ventures, had used the company and its wholly owned subsidiary Bundleluxe, to enter into separate agreements with different landlords between 2019 and 2026.

The American then refused to pay subsequent rent on the grounds of alleged defects in those properties, but he and his family continued to live in the properties. They also ignored demands to vacate the properties.

In the latest case involving a semi-detached house in Kembangan, Price filed a court application to stop the landlords from taking back possession of the property.

The application was dismissed by a district judge as “wholly without merit”.

In a written judgment on Oct 7, District Judge Chiah Kok Khun said the application was filed “in plain abuse of process of the court”.

Price used legal means “to frustrate the landlords’ efforts to pursue their lawful rights against him and to further his scheme to rent premises for him and his family with no intention to pay rental”, the judge added.

Lengkong Dua

Price used Noranth Ventures, which had a paid-up capital of $200, to rent a semi-detached house in Lengkong Dua in Kembangan for $7,500 a month for two years, starting from May 1, 2026.

Noranth Ventures was registered under a virtual office address run by an entity known as VOffice Singapore, the court noted.

Lengkong Dua

Price used Noranth Ventures, which had a paid-up capital of $200, to rent a semi-detached house in Lengkong Dua in Kembangan for $7,500 a month for two years, starting from May 1, 2026.

Noranth Ventures was registered under a virtual office address run by an entity known as VOffice Singapore, the court noted.

He then dismissed Noranth Ventures’ application and allowed the landlords’ counterclaim, including possession of the property, unpaid rent, interest and double rent from Aug 15 until vacant possession is handed over to the landlords.

He also ordered the company to pay $15,000 in legal costs and $2,031.98 in disbursements.

Tan from Rajah & Tann Singapore said his “client feels vindicated by the judgment and hopes that the tenants can vacate the property and settle all unpaid amounts immediately”.

“The clients will take the necessary measures to enforce the court judgment,” added Tan.

As at Oct 12, the occupants had not vacated the property.

Similar pattern in earlier cases

In his judgment, the district judge also identified a pattern similar to the Lengkong Dua case in two earlier tenancy disputes involving Price and his companies.

In 2019, Noranth Ventures had rented a landed property in Jalan Selamat for $7,200 a month under a two-year tenancy agreement beginning in September 2019. This property is about 10 minutes’ walk from Lengkong Dua.

As in the most recent case, the company paid only part of the $14,400 security deposit and stopped paying rent after about 1½ months.

The property owner began legal action against Price and his company, while Price and his family continued living in the house.

“Price and his family effectively lived in the Jalan Selamat property rent-free for at least five months,” noted the district judge.

That case was subsequently settled and discontinued. No further details were available in the Oct 7 written judgment.

In another dispute, Price used Bundleluxe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Noranth Ventures, to rent a semi-detached house at Burnfoot Terrace in Siglap for one year, from January 2024.

At the time that Bundleluxe, which had a paid-up capital of $1, entered into the tenancy agreement, it had accumulated losses of about $1.34 million between December 2021 and November 2023.

“It was a shell company,” the district judge said.

Price had also cited alleged defects as the reason for not paying rent.

Price and his family continued living in the house despite the landlord’s demands for payment and vacant possession. They eventually moved out on March 18, 2025, more than two months after the tenancy expired.

The district judge noted that the family had stayed rent-free for close to 12 months.

The property owner commenced legal action in February 2025 against Price and Bundleluxe for various breaches and losses suffered. The proceedings are still ongoing as at Oct 7.

Chiah pointed out concerns raised by the landlords in the Lengkong Dua and Burnfoot Terrace cases that rental arrears might never be recovered because the contracting tenants were shell companies with minimal paid-up capital.

The district judge agreed that the pattern of using shell companies to rent residential premises as observed “is a matter of some concern for landlords in Singapore”.

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