What are the rules for renting out your HDB flat ? Indeed at minimum, HDB flat owners need to fulfill the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP). There are many things a flat owner cannot do during the MOP period.
Rules for Renting Out your HDB Flat : Flat owners’ rules
The HDB flat owners who rent out their HDB flat must ensure that:
- Only the authorised tenants are staying in the flat
- The number of tenants does not exceed the maximum number allowed. For example, the maximum number is 6 for HDB three bedroom and above
- Their tenants use the flat only for residential purpose. The danger is tenants might use their flats for illegal purposes such as prostitution
- Their tenants do not further rent out the flat to others, create nuisance or misuse the flat. A shocking example was recently found in Singapore where “4-Room HDB Houses 21 People Without Owner’s Knowledge” !
- Their tenants are legally residing in Singapore. As a result, it is important to check the tenants’ work permits or S passes or student passes etc. You can use the SGWorkPass app to do so.
- Their tenants comply with all the covenants in the lease and the provisions of the Housing and Development Act.
If the owners are staying overseas during the rental period, they must appoint an attorney to manage the flat on their behalf.
With so many rules, and also the need for proper documentation as per the laws, it is properly best to find an experienced and qualified property agent to help you. He/she will be able to help you advertise and then screen the right tenants and complete all the paperwork. You are spared the troubles !!
Rules for Renting Out your HDB Flat : Minimum Rental Period
The minimum rental period for each tenant must be 6 months per application. Flat owners are not allowed to rent out their flat or bedroom on a short-term basis. So there is no AirBnB allowed in HDB flats.
The rental period is indicated in the approval letter and is up to a maximum of 3 years if all the tenants are Singaporeans or Malaysians.
The maximum rental period is capped at 2 years for non-Malaysian non-citizen tenants.
Non-citizens refer to Singapore Permanent Residents and also the foreigners.
The flat owners are required to reapply for approval each time they rent out their flat or renew the rental application.
Renting out of flat for non-residential use, for example, to tourists, for commercial filming or goods storage, is also not allowed.
Once you are ready to rent out your property, please make an effort to make it more attractive to rental customers. The article is good to go through to get a strong foundation on how to make your property more attractive.
