Regulations for Renting Out Your Flat

Flat owners’ responsibilities

As a flat owner renting out your flat, you must ensure that:

  • Only the authorised tenants are staying in the flat
  • The number of tenants does not exceed the maximum number allowed
  • Your tenants use the flat only for residential purpose
  • Your tenants do not further rent out the flat to others, create nuisance, or misuse the flat
  • Your tenants are legally residing in Singapore
  • Your tenants comply with all the covenants in the lease and the provisions of the Housing & Development Act. You are responsible for all infringements (if any) committed by them

If you are staying overseas during the rental period, you must appoint an attorney to manage the flat on your behalf.  The attorney that you have appointed cannot be a tenant of your flat.

The property tax will be revised when you rent out your flat. You can get more information from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).

If your tenants request for proof that they are registered with HDB, you may print a confirmation letter showing the names of all authorised tenants listed in your flat. Log-in with your Singpass at www.hdb.gov.sg/rentingout, via Renting Out of Whole Flat > Enquiry on Tenants. Alternatively, you may use our ‘Enquiry on Authorised Tenants’ service to assure your tenants that they have been registered with HDB.

Rental period

The minimum rental period for each tenant must be 6 months per application. You are not allowed to rent out your flat or bedroom on a short-term basis, as it may disrupt the living environment and pose security concerns for our residents.

The rental period is indicated in the approval letter, up to a maximum of 3 years if all the tenants are Singaporeans or Malaysians. The maximum is capped at 2 years as long as one or more tenant is a non-Malaysian non-citizen. You are required to reapply for approval each time you rent out your flat or renew the application.

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

Unauthorised renting out of flat

Our flats are meant for homeowners to live in. The terms and conditions help ensure a conducive and harmonious living environment in HDB estates. Singaporean citizens have to meet all the eligibility conditions and obtain our written approval by submitting an online application.

We take a very serious view of unauthorised rental and will not hesitate to take action against errant flat owners who flout the rules. Even if you have obtained approval to rent out your flat, you should conduct regular checks to ensure that the rules and regulations are met.

Enforcement

We conduct regular checks to take enforcement action against unauthorised rentals. We also carry out targeted investigations on suspected cases of unauthorised rentals when we receive feedback from the public.

We urge members of the public to report suspected cases of unauthorised rental or misuse of HDB flats to us, by calling our dedicated hotline 1800-555-6370 from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. All information will be kept strictly confidential.