Did you know that in Singapore, almost 1.13 million of HDB flats are available in the market? The Housing Development Board (HDB) flats comprise a huge chunk of the rental property market in the Garden City, mostly due to the fact that Singaporean families are constantly changing as the years pass. When kids grow up and eventually move out, families have extra rooms in their 4-room flats and the opportunity to earn a little bit of side income opens up. This exact situation makes renting out flats in Singapore incredibly appealing to homeowners. To potential tenants, it’s a convenient situation as well because renting is infinitely less of a hassle compared to purchasing a real estate property in Singapore. Let’s talk about the details here.
What are the prerequisites to rent out your HDB flat?
HDB flats are public housing apartments in Singapore. These come in various configurations of 2-room, 3-room, up to 5-room units. When homeowners have the extra space, i.e. when their kids move out of the apartment, they are able to rent out their HDB flats. Currently, only Singapore Citizens are allowed to rent out their HDB flat, while Permanent Residents (PR) are not yet allowed to do so.
Only flats with at least a 3-room unit may be rented out provided that the Minimum Occupation Period or MOP has been met. Furthermore, the Housing Development Board must give prior approval before the homeowner is able to rent out rooms or make arrangements with potential tenants. Lastly, the HDB stipulates limitations on the number of occupants allowed in a flat to avoid congestion and to ensure that quality living conditions are met in the HDB flat.
What are the criteria for tenants to rent an HDB flat?
The current standard is that Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can rent HDB flats without any additional stipulations. However, non-citizens who possess certain passes and permits are also able to rent HDB flats. Some of these passes include Employment Passes, Student Passes, Dependant Passes, and Long-Term Social Visit Passes. At the very least, potential tenants must have Valid Identification during the application process and must adhere to the occupancy limitations as provided for by the Housing Development Board.
What are the restrictions to the HDB rentals?
There are occupancy limits to the flat as it corresponds to the size, which means that 3-room flats should only accommodate up to 6 occupants including the homeowners and the tenants. As of January 2024, units that are 4-room units or larger can accommodate up to 8 total occupants. All tenants should have a minimum tenancy period of 6 months and are not allowed to sublet the room or rooms that they are renting out. Doing business-related activities in the rented rooms is also strictly prohibited and must adhere to restrictions on noise, waste disposal, cleanliness, and hygiene, among others.
The bottomline. . .
Among other things, Singapore is well known in the world as a beacon for clean and green spaces and peaceful communities. If you wish to be part of this Singaporean landscape and rent HDB flats, you should definitely learn to embrace this wonderful Singaporean lifestyle.
