In locked-down Singapore, a British man is paying US$7,000 for a swim

The monthly fee allows the man access to a pool in a neighbouring US$21 million flat

He signed a three-month lease just for the pool after the closure of his condominium’s facilities due to social-distancing measures

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The bungalow with the pool is a 10-minute jog from the man’s condominium, or a short golf-buggy drive away. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:00pm, 28 Apr 2020Updated: 10:25pm, 28 Apr 2020

Not helping any with Singapore’s image as home to a bunch of crazy-rich Asians comes the almost too-ridiculous-to-be-true story of a man who rented a swimming pool for S$10,000 (US$7,040) a month.

Faced with the prospect of not being able to swim in his condominium pool, which is closed because of Singapore’s strict lockdown measures, the British expatriate cast around his neighbours’ properties.

He initially wanted to lease the entire S$30 million bungalow in Sentosa Cove, an upscale residential area on an island off Singapore’s south coast. But the monthly rent of S$30,000 was too high, considering it would have been on top of the not-insubstantial amount he was paying for a nearby flat, according to Lester Chen, a property agent at Singapore Realtors Inc.

“I asked the man why he wanted to rent the bungalow. Is it because of space restraints in his current home?” said Chen, who handled the lease and declined to disclose his client’s personal details. “The man replied that he just wanted to use the pool because his was closed due to the lockdown.”

With Singapore entering its fourth week of a partial lockdown that has now been extended until June 1 to reduce a surge in coronavirus cases, people are barred from loitering outdoors. Public facilities such as sport halls and gyms are closed.

Similarly, amenities in condos are shut to deter social mixing. Individuals face possible fines, jail terms or suspension of their work permits for non-compliance.

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