50-year-old woman rents out 3-room flat, sleeps in airport -- and lives only on rental

A 50-year-old woman has been living in Changi Airport for the last eight years while renting out her three-room apartment.

She started staying overnight at the airport when she was desperate and rented her Housing Development Board (HDB) flat during the financial crisis in 2008.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, she intended to stay in the airport for just a few nights at first.

She has her supplies of toiletries, clothes and food.

She says that she is never lonely as visitors come and go every day in the airport.

She has been surviving on just her rental income for the past eight years and says that her stay is just temporary. 

She says, "I intend to sell my HDB flat, apply for a smaller two-room flat, so that life would be more comfortable."

A spokesman for the Changi Airport Group said that ground staff would approach people who are found to have stayed the night during routine inspections.

They would then try to understand the situation and provide assistance if possible such as helping to contact the Ministry of Social and Family Development for certain cases.