JFO v JFN

[2026] SGSCT 3 Small Claims Tribunals 20 April 2026 SCT/13436/2025 12 min read

2 cases cited

Key facts

Court	Small Claims Tribunals
Decided	20 April 2026
Judge	Leon Abraham Tan
Charges / claim	Landlord And Tenant, Small Claims Tribunals

Source: [2026] SGSCT 3, Small Claims Tribunals, decided 20 April 2026 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Landlord And Tenant — Creation of tenancy — Whether a letter of intent to rent residential premises gave rise to a lease Small Claims Tribunals — Jurisdiction — Whether the tribunal had jurisdiction to hear a claim grounded on a letter of intent to rent residential premises when no lease was executed

Practice Areas

Landlord And Tenant Small Claims Tribunals

Judges (1)

Leon Abraham Tan Delivered

Parties (2)

JFN Respondent JFO Claimant

Case Significance

In JFO v JFN ([2026] SGSCT 3), decided on 20 April 2026, Tribunal Magistrate Leon Abraham Tan considered whether the Small Claims Tribunals had jurisdiction to hear a claim to recover an $8,500 good faith deposit paid by the claimant JFO to the respondent JFN under a letter of intent dated 25 March 2025 to rent a residential apartment, where lease negotiations subsequently fell through and no tenancy agreement was ever executed. The tribunal found it lacked jurisdiction to hear a claim grounded solely on a letter of intent in the absence of an executed lease, and discontinued the claim.

Summary

The claimant paid the respondent $8,500 as a good faith deposit pursuant to a letter of intent (LOI) dated 25 March 2025 to rent a residential apartment, but negotiations broke down and no tenancy agreement was ever executed; the claimant sued in the Small Claims Tribunals to recover the deposit. The Tribunal Magistrate held that, since clause 11 of the LOI stated the lease was "subject to contract" and no tenancy agreement was executed, the claimant did not have a "specified claim" relating to a lease of residential premises under paragraph 1(c) of the Schedule to the Small Claims Tribunals Act 1984, so the tribunal lacked jurisdiction. The claim was discontinued pursuant to section 5(5) of the Act, with no decision made on the merits.

Did the Small Claims Tribunals have jurisdiction over the rental deposit dispute in JFO v JFN ([2026] SGSCT 3)?

No. In [2026] SGSCT 3 (20 April 2026), Tribunal Magistrate Leon Abraham Tan held the Small Claims Tribunals lacked jurisdiction over JFO's claim to recover an $8,500 deposit paid under a 25 March 2025 letter of intent to rent, since no tenancy agreement was executed.