HDB Rental

To rent a flat or bedroom as a tenant, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• Singapore Citizen
• Singapore Permanent Resident
• Non-citizen legally residing in Singapore with any of the following passes: Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependant Pass, or Long-Term Social Visit Pass. The pass must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of application by the flat owners. Note that work Permit holders from the construction, marine, and process sectors must be Malaysians. Work Permit holders from the manufacturing sector must also be Malaysians if they are renting a whole HDB flat.

Furthermore, you must not :

• Already be a tenant of a public rental HDB flat or the owner of other HDB flats provided you are:
  • Divorced or legally-separated - In this case, only 1 party (either you or your ex-spouse) can rent an HDB flat from another flat owner.
  • A flat owner who is eligible to rent out the whole flat - In this case, you must rent out your own flat within 1 month, after you have rented another HDB flat.
• Own an Executive Condominium unit for which the 5-year minimum occupation period (MOP) hasn't been satisfied.

Tourists are not permitted to rent any HDB flat/bedroom.

If companies are renting the flat or bedroom for their employees, they must ensure that the individuals meet the eligibility conditions for tenants.

• Non-Citizen Quota - You will be subject to the Non-Citizen Quota if you are a non-Malaysian non-citizen (Singapore Permanent Resident or foreigner) and you are renting the HDB flat. The goal of the quota is to keep HDB estates' ethnic diversity strong. In light of their close cultural and historical affinities with Singaporeans, Malaysians are exempt from this restriction. HDB has a useful e-service where you can check if an HDB flat can be rented by non-Malaysian non-citizens.
• Period of Rental - Note that an HDB flat or bedroom must be rented for at least 6 months. If all of their tenants are Singaporeans or Malaysians, owners may request to rent out their flat or bedrooms for a maximum of 3 years per application. The maximum rental length for applications involving non-citizens of Malaysia is 2 years.

This depends on the size of the flat and the type of tenancy.

• 1 or 2 room flats - Maximum number of tenants allwoed is 4. Note that in this case, owners cannot rent out the bedroom.
• 3 room flats - If renting out the whole flat, maximum number of allowed tenants is 6. If renting out bedroom(s), maximum number of bedrooms allowed to be rent out is 1 and maximum number of occupants allowed is 6 (includes flat owners, authorised occupiers, and tenants).
• 4 room or bigger flats - If renting out the whole flat, maximum number of allowed tenants is 6. If renting out bedroom(s), maximum number of bedrooms allowed to be rent out is 2 and maximum number of occupants allowed is 6 (includes flat owners, authorised occupiers, and tenants).

It should also be noted that in the case of renting out bedroom(s), only bedrooms originally constructed by HDB are allowed to be rented out. Partitioned rooms or other parts of the flats are not allowed to be rented out.

• Make sure the person you are dealing with is the legal owner of the flat by physically visiting the unit you wish to rent. You can ask for official documentation of the ownership of the flat. During the visit, do also make sure to ask the owner of the unit to present you with a printout of HDB's confirmation of his eligibility to rent out the entire flat if you are renting the whole unit. From My HDBPage, apartment owners can login with their SingPass to print a confirmation of their eligibility to rent out the apartment.
• Do some research on the current market rental price around the area. It's easy. You can search directly on this page. Prepare yourself to negotiate terms with the owner or his/her housing agent. You should include a clause in the rental agreement stating that the agreement will only be enforceable if the owner has HDB's permission to rent out the unit or bedroom.
• Ensure that the owner has approval from HDB to rent out the flat or bedroom to you. You can ask the flat owner to show you a copy of HDB's approval letter and provide you with a copy of the agreed terms and conditions of the approval for your reference.
• Note that in the case of bedroom rentals, flat owners must continue to live in the flat during the tenancy period.
• Finally, also check that the owner has included you as the registered tenant of his/her flat.

The terms and conditions of renting an HDB flat are covered by the tenancy agreement, which should include sections pertaining to the key elements of the lease to safeguard and balance the interests of both landlords and tenants. You can use these standard tenancy agreement templates from CEA as a guide if you intend to rent out or rent a HDB flat or bedroom. They were created with input from regulatory bodies, organisations that represent the real estate agency sector and consumers, and professionals with experience in residential rental transaction processes. These templates are only intended to serve as a general guide, and you are free to modify them or negotiate the conditions with your real estate agent to meet your needs and/or requirements.

By practice, rent is usually paid on a monthly basis. The first payment must be made on the first day of the tenancy, and all subsequent payments must be made on that same day of the subsequent months. A typical deposit is equal to one month's rent for a one-year lease and two months' rent for a two-year lease. This together with the first month's rent is due at the time the tenancy agreement is signed. It's advisable not to pay more than one month's rent.

You should use a cheque to pay the rent and deposit so that you'll will have a proof of payment. As soon as you get the keys, you should also move into the flat immediately.

Any disputes about the rent, the payment or forfeiture of deposits, the right to end the lease, and the rental terms are between the tenant and the flat owner. Tenants and flat owners should attempt to resolve their disagreement amicably and come to a mutual understanding / compromise. It is advised that before signing the tenancy agreement, you thoroughly read, understand and are in agreement with all of its terms and conditions.