How To Rent A Home In Singapore

22nd April 2019

Choosing an apartment in Singapore can be daunting. Some people have an allowance as part of their salary package, others will need to pay out of their own pocket. How much do you budget? Where do you live? Agent fees? Deposits? It can be overwhelming! Singapore is an incredibly expensive place to rent and as someone who has been through many, MANY moves in Singapore, I thought I’d share my tips and tricks!

1) First things first, decide on your budget (and stick to it)

There's nothing worse than tempting yourself with units that are thousands of dollars over what you want to pay. You could always "pay a little bit more to get x", but you need to be firm with yourself! Of course, you can always look at places that are 10%-20% over your budget, as you can negotiate especially in the current renters market. If you're anything like me, I spend a lot of time at home so I always want to pick a great apartment I’d want to spend most of my weekends in! Be wary that if you ask for extra conditions (changing curtains, installing fans etc...) there will be less freedom for negotiations, equally if your area is extremely popular and in high demand.

2) Pick your location

If you've already been in Singapore for a while, chances are you'll know where you want to live. Do you want space? Do you have a car and can live further out? Do you want to live on the doorstep of an MRT? If so, be prepared to pay for this convenience. Scope out the local area. How far is it to the nearest supermarket? Bear in mind when it's stifling hot, or chucking it down with rain, you won't walk to walk that far. Is there a bus stop nearby? Plan your commute if you take public transport. Remember traffic will be worse in the morning! I normally look for somewhere I can literally roll to a bus stop, public transport and food (I don’t ask for much, hey!)

3) Do you really need to pay that agent fee?

The property market has taken a bit of a dip, rose again, and is once again on a slight decline so at the moment it’s a so called, "renters market". In my opinion, if you know what you’re generally looking for and would like to save a few thousands dollars, there is little point engaging an agent to find a place for you when you have websites like PropertyGuru. Unless you're brand new to Singapore and your budget allows someone to do the legwork for you! Agents representing the landlords property are only allowed to collect the fee from one side, so be wary of any agents that tell you you'll need to pay half a month in commission to them. If you’ve found the listing yourself and contacted the agent, it's the landlords agent and the landlord is paying them the fee. However this does mean when it comes to the end of your lease, there will be no one to fight your corner should your landlord want to keep your deposit for various reasons. Thankfully, in 6 apartment handovers I’ve not had any major issues.

4) Condo or HDB?

Many 'expats' choose to live in condominiums as they (mostly) have lots of facilities including a pool, gym, tennis courts etc. The newer and smaller condos tend to have smaller units with tiny bedrooms, and small swimming pools. If you choose an HDB, landed property or private apartment, you'll likely have a lot more space! One thing to note are neighbours. Neighbours can always be tricky in any city in the world, but when you choose your home, consider the types of people that will also live in your block. If it's a real bargain, you'll likely have lots of students living in your block. If it's a condo in the suburbs, you'll have lots of families, kids etc.

5) Do your research on the unit

I guess this is the part people don't enjoy, and why they engage an agent (I personally really enjoy the research part). Before I even stepped foot outside my old apartment, I did LOTS of online research on the area I wanted to live, and eventually narrowed it down to 3 condos just from the photos and reviews. Sometimes, you can even find the floorplans by Googling which helps A LOT during your research (helps if you also have a degree in Interior Design like me I suppose). Try to visualise moving around the apartment and where you'll put your furniture (if you're bringing some with you).

6) Arranging viewings

Normally it's pretty fine to just text the agent advertising the apartment and let them know you're interested. You'll likely have to give them a 'profile' of you, including race (sigh), visa status etc. Once you've gotten through this round, you can arrange a time to meet. Visiting the unit is a great way to test your commute if you're going straight from work. Once you're in the unit, take photos of everything (with permission). Think about storage. If you have animals consider their needs too and make sure the landlord is comfortable with them. Ask as many questions as you like, does the pool get sun all day? Where is the rubbish shoot? Where are the recycling bins? What's the landlord like? Are they selling anytime soon? You do NOT want to rent an apartment that's also for sale, as you'll have to deal with viewings every weekend. You’ll be surprised at the amount of crazy things you forget in the excitement of it all. Like… thinking you have a whole extra cupboard space in the kitchen and it turns out to be the gas canister storage. Or thinking you have hot water in your kitchen… and you don’t! Or not realising your fancy new hob is an induction stove and none of your pans work…

7) Negotiating your rental

Agents typically don't ask you to 'make an offer' there and then, although they used to. Tell them you're going to think about and put a deadline on when you'll let them know. All the agents I’ve encountered aren't very pushy at all, and will let you have your breathing space. When it comes to your offer, price yourself within the market. You don't want to completely lowball your offer, so compare your unit to other advertised empty units in the same condo, if there are any, and pick your battle. The URA website will show you every single rented apartment in Singapore and how much they're being let out for. They gather this information when you pay the stamp duty and it's all there for you to see! This information is also now built into the PropertyGuru app, which is helpful as you browse. It’s quite crazy how this information is available but very useful. If you have any extra requirements such as extra plug sockets, installing blinds or curtains etc, it's less likely you'll be able to negotiate much. If you're signing a 2 year lease, you'll be able to negotiate even more. Offer everything upfront. Let the agent know your offer, requirements, lease length, move in date etc all in one go. Having all this information is much more appealing to the landlord as it's easier for them to make a decision without having to ask many questions.

8) Congratulations!

If your offer has been accepted, woohoo! You're now going to be broke. If you've signed a 2 year lease, you'll need a deposit equal to 2 months’ rent. For a 1 year lease, it'll be 1 month. At the same time, they'll also want the first months rental. Payment is usually by cheque, bank transfer or cash. Now is the time to go back to the unit to sign the papers, agree on things that need to be fixed or touched up and also measure up! I’ve always rented unfurnished so this part is really important to me.

9) Setting up utilities

Some agents help set this up for you, but most don’t. There are now a few options for energy providers in Singapore but most still go with SP Services. All you have to do is fill in an online form and arrange a time for someone to go read the meter (you don’t need to be there). As a foreigner renting a condo unit, the deposit is normally S$500.

10) Moving and packing

If you're moving a smaller apartment and you've got the time and patience, do the packing yourself to save money. I have previously packed mostly all of my clothes and bits and pieces in the amazing FRAKTA trunk bags from Ikea. I’ve engaged removal men who only took 2 hours to pack up my entire apartment (including furniture), drive and unpack, in the POURING rain for S$250. But in recent years I have outsourced this as I am lazy and old. I’ve used Australia Technologies twice who are incredibly reasonably priced, hardworking and trustworthy and will take care of your condo security deposit if there is one. They pack very carefully and have never broken anything!

11) Settling in to your new home

You'll want to go and buy loads of things to make your place nice and comfortable, but wait until you've unpacked! Otherwise you'll just end up with extra things to sort out, and during unpacking you'll realise if you need any more storage, towels etc. Take a walk around, go and visit your new supermarket, eat at your local hawker if you have one. I have previously arranged for a RedMart delivery to arrive a few hours after I moved in, which had drinks, cleaning products, laundry items etc... heavy things you don't want to carry! Most apartments should have been professionally cleaned before you move in, but I like to do a few simple things like pouring drain cleaner down the drains… how glamorous!

12) Have a drink

Once the furniture is unwrapped and you’ve done most of the unpacking, relax! You've just moved into your new apartment so now is the time to kick back and have a nice big gin! :)

Happy hunting and good luck!

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