Sisters win appeal over late mum's Yishun coffee shop estate, brother loses rent share

A 70-year-old man who claimed a 50 per cent share of rent collected from a Yishun HDB coffee shop over two decades has lost his appeal after Singapore's High Court sided with his two sisters. Mr Tia Oon Lai, registered as co-owner of the 30-year lease on Hiap Hoe Eating House with his late mother Madam Su Ye Chu, had sued her estate in 2022 seeking approximately $7 million in rental income paid by foodcourt operator Koufu from October 1998 to June 2018. A lower court awarded him 37.65 per cent in June 2025, but the Appellate Division overturned that decision in a 2-1 ruling on May 5, 2026, finding that Madam Su was the sole beneficial owner of the rental income.

The majority judges noted that Madam Su had consistent involvement in the coffee shop while Mr Tia's participation was minimal and sporadic. They cited her 2015 letter stating all rental income belonged to her—which Mr Tia did not dispute at the time—and her sole responsibility for financing, cash payments, and tax obligations. Critically, Mr Tia only filed suit after his mother's death in October 2021, placing defendants at a disadvantage as she could not testify. The judges also noted that when a 2018 agreement began splitting rent equally between them, Mr Tia's failure to pursue back-rent strongly suggested he believed he had no prior entitlement.

The dissenting judge argued the evidence supported equal beneficial ownership as tenants-in-common, citing the 1997 reconstitution of the business as a partnership between mother and son rather than Madam Su taking sole control. He also questioned the weight given to the 2015 letter and noted that Madam Su's wills from 2015 and 2019 did not reflect an intention to exclude her son from the lease's benefits.

• 05 May 2026straitstimes.com