SINGAPORE: In a country that prides itself on multicultural identity and harmony, the sharp sting of racial discrimination still manages to slip through the cracks, especially in the rental property market, where minority renters in Singapore continue to face challenges in finding a place they can truly call home.

Sarah, a Singapore-based Indian woman in search of a new home, recently encountered an appalling question from a property agent. The agent, after asking for her race, followed up with a shocking inquiry: “Are you a high-class Indian or a low-class Indian?”

“I was totally shocked,” Sarah recounted in an interview with RICE Media. “Like, how do you answer that question? Even (until) today, I don’t know how to answer that question.”

Sarah’s story isn’t a rare one. It’s a story many minority renters in Singapore quietly endure — and one that’s finally getting more attention.

When race becomes a dealbreaker

Despite Singapore’s reputation as a diverse and forward-thinking society, housing discrimination based on race, nationality, and even gender is distressingly still common in the rental landscape.

“I would love to say that racial discrimination is not common when it comes to rentals,” said Sheryl, a property agent who stepped in to help Sarah. “But the sad truth is that it is more common than people realise.”