Eligibility

 

Eligibility to Rent Out the Whole Flat

Flat owners must satisfy the eligibility conditions, before they can proceed to rent out the whole flat.

Eligibility conditions for flat owners

Citizenship

Only Singapore Citizen flat owners can rent out the entire HDB flat. Singapore Permanent Resident flat owners cannot do so.

Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)

Flat owners can rent out their flat after fulfilling the 5-year MOP. If the flat is non-subsidised (purchased from the open market without a Housing Grant) and purchased before 30 August 2010, the MOP is 3 years.

  • If they are the original purchaser, the MOP is computed from the date of purchase of the flat
  • If there has been a transfer of flat ownership, the MOP is computed from the effective date of the transfer of flat ownership, or the date the owner was included as an authorised occupier of the flat
  • After a resale of part-share, the owners have to meet a fresh MOP computed from the effective date of resale.

Flat owners can print a confirmation of their eligibility to rent out the whole flat through My HDBPage (Log in with their SingPass and go to: My Flat > Purchased Flat – Renting Out > Renting Out of Flat.).

Non-Citizen Quota for Renting Out of Flat

Flat owners will have to consider the Non-Citizen Quota for Renting Out of Flat if any tenant renting the flat is a non-Malaysian non-citizen (Singapore Permanent Resident or foreigner). The quota is to help maintain a good ethnic mix in HDB estates. Malaysians are excluded from this quota because of their close cultural and historical similarities with Singaporeans. 

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

Flat owners may use our e-Service to check if their flat can be rented out to non-Malaysian non-citizens. The e-Service can also be accessed via the HDB Map Services.

Eligibility conditions for tenants

Citizenship

Tenants must be any of the following:

  • Singapore Citizens
  • Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Non-citizens legally residing in Singapore who are holders of Employment Passes, S Passes, Work Permits, Student Passes, Dependant Passes, or Long-Term Social Visit Passes. These passes must have a validity period of at least 6 months as at the date of your application
    • Work Permit holders from the construction, manufacturing, marine, and process sectors must be Malaysians
    • Tourists are not allowed as tenants of HDB flats

Companies renting the flat or bedroom for their employees must ensure that the individuals meet our eligibility conditions for tenants.

Flat owners may verify the authenticity and validity of their tenant’s documents online:
Maximum number of tenants
The maximum number of tenants allowed in each flat is:
Flat Type

Total Number of Tenants

1-room and 2-room

4

3-room and bigger

6
Tenancy/ property ownership status

Tenants must not be tenants of public rental HDB flats or owners of other HDB flats unless they are:

  • Divorced/ legally separated. In this case, only 1 party can rent a HDB flat from another flat owner
  • Owners who are eligible to rent out their whole flat. However, they must rent out their own flat within a month after they have rented an HDB flat from another flat owner
Tenants must not be the owner of an Executive Condominium where the 5-year MOP has not been met.

Eligibility to rent out bedroom

Flat owners can to rent out their bedrooms if they own a 3-room or bigger flat.

Eligibility conditions for flat owners who wish to rent out their bedrooms

Flat owners can rent out their bedrooms if they own a 3-room or bigger flat. If they own a 1 or 2-room flat, they are not allowed to rent out their bedroom.
Flat owners are required to seek HDB’s approval before the commencement of the tenancy. They must also inform us of any subsequent changes of any tenants’ particulars or when any of their tenants move out of the flat within 7 days of the occurrence. For inclusion of new proposed tenants, flat owners must obtain HDB’s approval before their new tenants may move into the flat. . Read more about the application requirements.

Applications to rent out bedrooms maybe submitted online via HDB’s e-services. The outcome of the application will be made known immediately. An administrative fee is payable with each application, at $10 per bedroom.

Number of bedrooms and occupants allowed for rental

The number of bedrooms that flat owners can rent out and the maximum number of occupants* allowed in each flat depends on the flat type as shown below.


Flat Type

Maximum Number of Bedrooms^ Allowed to Rent out

Maximum Number of Occupants*
Allowed in Each Flat

3-room

1

6

4-room and bigger

2

6

* Occupants include owners, authorised occupiers, and tenants.
^ 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.

Eligibility conditions: tenants

Citizenship

Tenants must be:

  • Singapore Citizens
  • Singapore Permanent Residents
  • Non-citizens legally residing in Singapore who are holders of Employment Passes, S Passes, Work Permits, Student Passes, Dependant Passes, or Long-Term Social Visit Passes. These passes must have a validity period of at least 6 months as at the date of application
    • Work Permit holders from the construction, marine and process sectors must be Malaysians
    • Tourists are not allowed to rent any HDB flat/ bedroom.

Companies renting the flat or bedroom for their employees must ensure that the individuals meet our eligibility conditions for tenants.

You may verify the authenticity and validity of your tenant’s documents online:

Tenancy/ property ownership status

Tenants must not be tenants of public rental HDB flats or owners of other HDB flats unless they are:

  • Divorced/ legally separated. In this case, only 1 party can rent a HDB flat from another flat owner
  • Owners who are eligible to rent out their whole flat. However, they must rent out their own flat within a month after they have rented an HDB flat from another flat owner.

Tenants must not be owners of an Executive Condominium where the 5-year MOP has not been met.