PropertyLimBrothers' Adrian Lim leads 36-agent team to join another Singapore agency after fellow co-founder's alleged cheating scandal

The other agency, PropNex Realty, confirmed the move in a news release on Wednesday, saying that 22 agents from PLB have already joined while another 15 are awaiting approval from the Council for Estate Agencies.

Among them is Adrian, who has officially rejoined PropNex as senior associate group district director and will head a team comprising agents from PLB who decided to follow him.

Adrian previously began his career at the agency before establishing PLB in 2017 with Melvin, whom he had earlier met when they were both prison officers at the Singapore Prison Service.

Both Lims were named PropNex millionaire realtors after each surpassing S$1 million (US$791,430) in sales commissions in 2019 and 2020, according to AsiaOne.

"Returning to PropNex felt like a natural decision," he said in the news release, adding that the agency offers "the scale, resources, and ecosystem to support the way" he and his team serve their clients.

PropNex is currently Singapore’s largest property agency with more than 14,333 salespersons as of May 12.

Adrian Lim (L) and Melvin Lim, co-founders of PropertyLimBrothers. Photo from the company's website

PLB is a boutique real estate agency that built its reputation on home tour videos and property-related analysis content, much of which prominently featured Melvin.

But it recently came under public scrutiny for an alleged extramarital affair between Melvin and the firm’s then vice-president of strategy Grayce Tan.

The allegations emerged in late January as online speculation and quickly turned into a media frenzy, with both executives resigning from PLB around the time, according to local outlets.

In the months following the controversy, several PLB agents reportedly departed the agency for rival firms.

Last month, PLB laid off staff at its media arm as part of a restructuring "towards a leaner, technology-enabled operating model," as reported by The Edge Singapore.

A separate wave of departures was also seen at KW Singapore, another agency founded by Melvin, amid fallout from the alleged scandal.

On his return to PropNex, Adrian said he would not comment on PLB’s operations, strategy or ongoing matters as he is no longer involved in its day-to-day management.

He remains a PLB shareholder but no longer holds any operational role or directorship position within the company

He said following the controversy that PLB had taken steps to reinforce its governance framework and would continue to invest in technology and data tools aimed at supporting both agents and clients.

"In March, I spoke publicly about strengthening trust and governance at PLB. That work mattered then and it remains important," he told The Straits Times. "As circumstances have evolved, my responsibility to my clients and to the team I lead has had to come first."