Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Renting House or Apartment in Singapore : Some tips!

If you are renting a apartment or house in Singapore, you would find this post useful..hopefully! ..Also by writing this post I want to attract more readers to share their experience while renting flat in Singapore. By doing this many people who are new to Singapore will get to understand how the flat rental process works in Singapore.

  • In most of the cases you have to find a good Agent(Individual or Company)
  • Try to reach to your friends or colleagues to get reference for a good Agent/Broker to find a flat for you.
  • Decide in advance about the Rent you are comfortable to pay for a flat in Singapore. Keep 5-10% tolerance in case you find something too good!
  • Be clear in your mind about HDB, Condo and Landed Property facilities. This helps you narrow down your search. There is no point in searching both HDB and Condo.
  • Only rent an approved unit with stamped agreement in place.
  • Have frank and open discussions with your agent to avoid any trouble later during finalization of the deal for rent.
  • Use Google Map and narrow down on the area in which you would like to rent a flat. Anything between 45-60 mins of commute is normal in Singapore!
  • Look for these facilities near to your flat:
  • MRT Station should not be more than 3-4 bus stops away
  • Bus Stop should be near by
  • If you have kids make sure that school is not too far - Specially you are planning to put your kid in Indian International School, you need to make choice of school first and then decide in which area you would like the flat to be.
  • Make sure that you view at least 5-6 flats in the same area before you make a final decision.
  • Do not make hasty attempt to finalize something just in case Agent/Broker is pressurizing that this the Best you can get!
  • There are ample flats(both HDB and Condo) in Singapore and no need to hurry.
  • Make sure that you understand the terms and conditions in the contract. If any doubt take your time and take help of someone who understands the contract.
  • General guideline is that if you are doing 6 months contract you need to pay 6 months rent in advance. If 12 months contract, 1 month rent in advance. You need to pay 2 months of rent in advance to owner if you are going for 2 years contract.
  • Please check all the details(furniture, lighting, electronics, fittings, fridge, TV etc) before you finalize the deal and contract. Make sure to click a photograph of the flat in detail for your and owners records.
  • As far as possible do not pay any money to either owner or agent in cash. Use Cheque (if you have a savings account, you can always order Cashier's Order from Bank) or Bank Transfer.
  • Do not pay more rent in advance than it is normally given. e.g. if you are renting for 12 months, pay only 1 month rent as advance deposit. Do not pay more than that even if the owner is ready to lower the monthly rent. If you feel that you are being cheated or asked for more money just back out from the deal and look out for another flat.
I can't think of anything else at this point. Hopefully my readers will add some more points. I will add some more if I think through.

enjoy
Sandeep


Search Words : Singapore flat rental , Singapore house rental , Tips for renting flat in Singapore , House rental in Singapore , Information about renting house in Singapore

7 comments:

Vidooshak said...

This post made me realize how the unique conventions and systems of every country can be mind-boggling for an outsider. This post actually applies 90% to India also, with the addition that most 'agreements' will be unorganized and unclear. Given our legal system, only God (or loads of dollars) can help the poor foreigner wanting to dwell in our midst.

Extremely useful post. You should do one on how that underground tunnel can cut the distance between city centre and your house. So many people must be taking the long-cut still!!

Anonymous said...

Thanx for the informative post Sandeep! It was really helpful... wud like to knw smthing more sandeep. Can we call our mother to stay in singapore on Long term visit pass. If so, what is the eligibility criteria? Hope u knw a lot abt it too :)

Sandeep said...

Hi Anonymous,

Yes you can call your mother on long term social visit pass...if you are on EP, check http://www.mom.gov.sg/ website for details.

cheers
Sandeep

Anonymous said...

small correction. the deposit of 1 month remains the same irrespective of whether it is one year or 2 yr contract. the only difference between the two is that you pay half month commission for 1 yr contract and 1 month commission for 2 yr contract. you can check this fact with agents. You need not may higher deposit or advance rent for a 2 yr contract.

hector said...

Thanks for sharing these informations. Very interesting post about house rent or apartment in Singapore.

Unknown said...

Hi Sandeep,
Thanks for your good work and helpful information.God bless you.

Rama krishnaytorot

Kusuma said...

Hi Sandeep,

Thanks for the information. This blog looks very useful for the people who are entering into SG for the first time for job.
Thanks once again.