Actor Zhang Zetong buys new home due to issues with renting
Lim Ruey Yan
The Straits Times
Jan 18, 2026
Mediacorp actor Zhang Zetong has disclosed why he was "forced" to upgrade from being a tenant to a home owner.
The 32-year-old said on social media on Dec 5 that he has hit a life milestone and bought his first home.
"I've successfully unlocked a new identity – mortgage slave – after working for 10 years," he quipped. "From now on, it's all about working hard to pay off the loan."
The Malaysia-born actor bought a condominium unit in the western part of Singapore and received the keys in late 2025. The apartment is under renovation and he is scheduled to move in in April.
"Buying a home brings a sense of stability. After nearly 16 years of staying in rentals, finally having my own home feels like an achievement," Zhang told Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao in a recent interview on the set of upcoming local crime drama No Other Way.
The winner of Star Search 2019 said he had never considered buying a house as a life goal, but the various situations he encountered while renting made him no longer want to be a tenant.
He had a landlord who suddenly sold the house and asked him to move out at short notice, while another raised his rent by 70 per cent at one go during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The actor thus made up his mind to give himself a year to find suitable lodgings.
Zhang will be playing the leader of a police investigation unit in No Other Way, which also stars Nick Teo, Hong Ling, Tay Ying and Adam Chen. Filming for the 20-episode series is expected to wrap in late January, with the show scheduled to air on Channel 8 in July.
