Non-Citizen Quota for Renting Out of Flat

If the tenant renting the flat is a non-Malaysian non-citizen (Singapore Permanent Resident or foreigner), the tenant will be subject to the Non-Citizen Quota for Renting Out of Flat. The quota aims to prevent the formation of foreigner enclaves in public housing estates. Malaysians are excluded from this quota because of their close cultural and historical similarities with Singaporeans.

The quota is applicable if any tenant renting a flat is a non-Malaysian non-citizen, and is set at 8% at the neighbourhood level and 11% at the block level. If the quota is reached, only Singaporeans and Malaysians can rent a flat in that neighbourhood/ block. This quota does not apply to the renting out of bedrooms.

Prospective tenants may use our e-Service to check if an HDB flat can be rented by non-Malaysian non-citizens. The e-Service can also be accessed via the HDB Map.

Rental Period

Tenants must rent an HDB flat/ bedroom for at least 6 months. Owners can apply to rent out their flat/ bedrooms for a maximum period of 3 years per application if their tenants are all Singaporeans or Malaysians. For rental applications involving non-Malaysian non-citizens, the maximum period per approval is 2 years.

Renting out of flat for non-residential use, for example, to tourists, for commercial filming or goods storage, is also not allowed.

Maximum Number of Tenants / Occupants

Take note of the maximum number of tenants and occupants allowed in each flat when renting the flat/ bedrooms.

	Renting of Flat	Renting of Bedrooms
Flat Type	Maximum Number of Tenants Allowed in Each Flat	Maximum Number of Bedrooms Allowed	Maximum Number of Occupants* Allowed in Each Flat**
1-room and 2-room	4	Owners are not allowed to rent out the bedroom.
3-room	6	1	6
4-room and bigger^	8	2	8

* Includes flat owners, authorised occupiers, and tenants. The maximum number of occupants applies even if flat owners rent out bedroom(s) to tenants who are from the same family unit.

** Only bedrooms originally constructed by HDB can be rented out. All other parts of the flat (including partitioned rooms) cannot be used as bedrooms for tenants.

^ The number of tenants/ occupants allowed for 4-room and bigger flats will revert to a maximum of 6 persons for rental period extending beyond 31 December 2028.

Regulations for Renting a Flat