adv-rent

Practical advice for renting a property in Singapore . . .

Your desired location:

List of various district - popular & well-serviced areas with large numbers of condominiums and neighbourhood properties:


Central	Orchard	River Valley	East	Kallang/	Aljunied
	Chinatown	Raffles Place		Katong/	Marine Parade
	Bugis	Beach Rd		Paya Lebar/	Eunos
	Newton	Novena	North	Bukit Timah/	Hillview
	Tanglin	Holland		Toa Payoh	Bishan
	Everton	Lower Delta
West	Pasir Panjang	Clement	North-East	MacPherson/	Serangoon

Getting help from your real estate agent:

After deciding on your budget and size of apartment you require, it is a good time to get in touch with an agent to discuss your criteria and needs and to streamline your search for the most appropriate apartment.

Your agent would be able to assess your preference and pinpoint any specific development or neighbourhood to focus on base on your requirements (eg. facilities available, amenities in the neighbourhood, accessibility in terms of public transport)

Tenancy Agreement

a.) Lease Period

Lease period are usually from 1-year to 3-year. An option to renew clause is often included in the Tenancy Agreement for the purpose of extending the lease beyond the contract period. Upon renewal of contract, the rent will be based on the current market rentals.

b.) Deposit

You will be expected to pay a month's deposit for a 1-year contract and two month's deposit for 2-year contract and so on. One month's rent will be paid in advance & upon signing of the Tenancy Agreement and thereafter monthly in advance.

c.) Diplomatic Clause

This clause is included in the Tenancy Agreement for expatriates who are required to relocate from Singapore during the period of tenancy. The tenant would be allowed to pre-determine the agreement with documentary evidence before the lease expires, thereupon the deposit sum would be refunded.

d.) Stamp duties

You will be required to pay for the stamp duty on the Tenancy Agreement.

Summary of all charges you may have to be pay:

1.	Rental deposit	1,2 or 3 month's rental depending on lease period
2.	Stamp duties	- Approx. 5% of the monthly rent for 1-year lease - Approx. 10% of the monthly rent for 2-year lease
3.	Electricity, water & gas deposit (SP Services)	$150 (if pay by GIRO) or $250
4.	Agents fees	¹/₂ months' rent for 1-year lease (applicable to low-rent apartment)

Note: Under the Commission Guidelines by the Institute of Estate Agents, the commission or fee payable to the agents is:
a.) Landlord - One half (¹/₂) of a month's gross rental for every one year of tenancy.
b.) Tenant - One half (¹/₂) of a month's gross rental for every one year tenancy. (This is only applicable where the gross monthly rental is less than S$2,500.)

The above are just the guidelines for the commission scheme by the governing board of the real estate agents in Singapore. In most cases, you may want to negotiate with the agent depending on the amount of effort the agent put in to help you.

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