If rents continue to grow steadily, more residents will bite the bullet and purchase a property before paying higher prices for rent, Knight Frank's Christine Li said. Whether one's renting a room, an apartment or a house, long-time expatriates living in Singapore are digging deep into their pockets and making drastic changes to cope with rising rents. Some foreigners living here say their landlords may be taking advantage of an overheated property market to jack up prices — with some doubling the rent. "If rents continue to grow steadily, more people will just bite the bullet and purchase a property before paying higher prices for rent," she said. Justin Paget | Stone | Getty ImagesFrancesca said many potential landlords offered her "rent free deals" to convince her to agree to higher prices — that essentially translates to no rent for the first few months.

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