Moving Marvels

There’s something about the unique nature of expat life that fashions fast friendships. That’s certainly the story arc for KASIA NOSKE and ELISE WERFEL, who bonded over shared relocation challenges, and then channelled this spark into a business. Here they tell us all about their journey.

How have you found yourselves in sunny Singapore?

Kasia: I was born in Germany, grew up in Adelaide and lived and worked for years in Sydney and Hong Kong in the financial industry within risk and compliance. I was then asked to be part of a project in Singapore in 2011 – initially a ten-month secondment; 13 years later, I’m still here with my two kids in tow.

Elise: I’m from Adelaide and have worked for years in leadership in the HR industry. Along with my three kids, I’m 16 months into my stint as a trailing spouse with my husband’s job with an Australian oil and gas company. We’re loving our first expat experience.

What’s the backstory behind Expat Handovers?

Kasia: In recent years, expats in Singapore have been impacted by sudden and significant rent increases. This was exacerbated by landlords who were either keeping deposits or deducting for things that would normally have been considered fair wear and tear. Landlords have had the upper hand.

This power imbalance persists because, unlike other countries where deposits are held and managed by an independent party, landlords hold funds personally. As a result, many tenants are at the mercy of the goodwill of their landlord.

Having moved five times myself in Singapore and always getting my deposit back, I now know it was my detailed evidence captured at handover that helped prove the condition of my property. So I was never charged for “fixes” that weren’t considered normal wear and tear. I thought everyone did this, but as I spoke to friends and read all the posts on social media, I realised not everyone did. Identifying there was a big gap in the market, Expat Handovers was born!

Introduced by a mutual friend in Adelaide, Elise and I met after she arrived in Singapore. Following Elise’s personal experience, our second service, Relocation Services, was added to the business model.

Elise: I moved to Singapore without a relocation company – and many expats who move here do exactly the same thing, without the benefit of relocation support or a big relocation package to pay for it.

Those first few months were painfully frustrating and stressful. I wanted my kids to be settled into their new home as quickly as possible. My husband had started work, which meant it was up to me to get acquainted with the “can” and “cannot” of Singapore. Opening bank accounts, getting phone contracts and other admin isn’t straightforward when you’re on a DP.

Navigating GPs, dentists, schools and sports while also trying to make friends very quickly consumed my life. I found the property search hard, spending hours on property platforms trying to find a home which met our needs. So many duplicate listings! I figured that other people must also be struggling with this process. I wanted to use what I’d learnt to help fellow expats settle in Singapore with a service that’s affordable. Now Expat Handovers is a twowoman show owned and operated by myself and Kasia. We hope to expand with time.

Tell us about the handover inspection arm of your business.

Our priority is acting as an independent party documenting the condition of a property at handover. We represent both tenants and landlords. Our aim is simple: to help minimise or better yet avoid disputes when a tenant leaves a rented property. This reduces the risk of a landlord or tenant claiming for defects which were or were not there at handover.

We conduct handover inspections at entry and exit. The software we use allows us to capture the condition of property at the start and at the end of a lease so a direct comparison with photographic evidence can be done.

As anyone who has ever rented in Singapore knows, most tenancies also allow tenants to raise defects in the first 30 days. The software gives you access to your report where you can capture the defects you pick up in this period. Then you have a complete picture of the condition of the property at handover and after the first 30 days.

Our prices are affordable (starting at $250) and offer peace of mind. We also offer packages for agents to outsource this reporting activity so that they can focus on the business of renting homes.

You also offer a range of helpful relocation services. What does this involve?

It’s designed to help individuals and families who are either relocating to Singapore or are already here. Between us, we’ve both experienced times when we’ve been looking for property and have been shown homes that simply don’t meet our needs – like needing four bedrooms that fit beds, not three bedrooms and a fourth room that only fits a desk!

We conduct a client profile discovery to understand their detailed needs, going into specific details like what sized beds they have, what exact facilities are required, and the distance they want to be away from a bus stop or MRT. We take away the hassle of searching for available properties on sites like PropertyGuru, and create a shortlist of properties.

If needed, we accompany clients to view these properties, saving time and money on taxis. We offer multiple packages depending on the urgency to find a new home, from express to standard with various add-ons to customise the search.

What type of clients do you take on?

For handovers we help both tenants and landlords avoid disputes. Our passion is also assisting people find their home away from home. Given our combined experience of living in Singapore with kids and pets for over 14 years, we have a lot of knowledge on key factors to help them make that big decision.

Too many of us have learnt the hard way by losing deposits after a handover. How can you help?

Most agents will only conduct a basic inventory check covering some big ticket defects and photos of the air-con remote controls, keys, and gate remotes. Our professional property condition reports go beyond this. We capture the detailed condition of the entire property including all fixtures, fittings and furniture. Our reports are on average between 100 and 200 pages long! We also advise clients to try out all appliances within the first 30 days of the tenancy. Time-stamped photos and video are key. There’s no arguing with cold, hard evidence.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

We love getting out and meeting clients; hearing their stories is what drives and motivates us to make EH more successful. Usually, we’ll do one or two property condition inspections a day – each one can take up to three hours depending on size. We then start on the reports to ensure our clients get them promptly – usually within 24 hours. Answering emails and messages, attending to our marketing campaigns, and squeezing in some time for coffee catch-ups with clients all make up the busy day at EH!