www.shaproperty.com

THE troubles at CHR Realty, which shut down suddenly late last month leaving its agents stranded with thousands of dollars in unpaid commissions, are getting worse.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras), which licenses property agencies, is investigating the firm's 'irregularities' with a view to revoking its licence.

A former associate director at the real estate firm, Mr Lim Teck Tiam, said he is owed about $15,000 in commissions and is suing to get his money back.

Meanwhile, there is no word from CHR's chief executive officer Shawn Lim on the problems facing the company he set up three years ago.

The firm, which once had seven offices across the island and boasted 1,000 agents, had all its phone lines disconnected, its offices shuttered and its management gone in the space of a week last month.

The Straits Times has since spoken to eight CHR agents, who claimed they were owed $700 to more than $20,000 in commissions, and each said they knew others in the same predicament.

Also left stranded were a number of trainees who had paid about $100 each for property agent training courses at the firm.

It also emerged that CHR owed rental for its offices and unpaid bills for newspaper advertisements.

Repeated attempts to contact Mr Lim on his mobile phone and at his home were unsuccessful.

In an e-mail response to The Straits Times, Iras said it 'has been alerted to some irregularities in the agency and is investigating the matter'.

'Iras will revoke the licence of an agency if there is evidence of any wrongdoing committed by the agency,' it said.

Mr Lim Teck Tiam, who had worked at CHR for six months until he left in January, said he has filed a lawsuit against the firm 'to recover whatever amount I can'.

He said he is owed about $6,000 in commissions, and another $9,000 that his client has refused to pay to him because of CHR's contract which requires payment to be made to the company.

'I've made a report to the police, and also to the Small Claims Tribunal, but they said it was a civil matter. So I have no choice but to sue,' he added.

But some agents have decided to write off their losses, like Mr George Quah, who said he is still owed $2,300.

'It'll probably cost me more in legal fees than what I can get back. I just hope the authorities can investigate to see if there has been any wrongdoing,' he said.

darylloo@sph.com.sg