Some Tips for Housing/Accommodation in Singapore

Some Tips for Housing/Accommodation in Singapore

1. Abbreviations/Legend

Decoding a rental advertisement

a. Type of Housing

- HDB (House Development Board) : Housing provided by the Government. 80% persons living in HDB are owners. It is definitely the cheapest housing in Singapore. It goes from very old and dirty HDB to modern, clean and designed HDB.

- Condominiums (also Condo) : Housing especially designed for expatriates (‘expats’) or foreigners, who usually can afford such a place. Most of them have sport facilities (swimming pool, tennis court, gym and/or jacuzzi/spa).

- Service Apartments : Hotel-like accommodation (everything furnished) at a very expensive rate. Usually paid by expats’ company while looking for a new place to live.

[ Last edited by shc88 at 15/11/2007 21:22 ]

- Master bedroom (also MBR) : A room with a toilet/bathroom attached.

- Common room : A room with no toilet/bathroom attached. It is outside. Can be next to the kitchen. SCV : Cable Television.

- Fully-furnished (also ‘f/f’) or Partially-furnished (also ‘p/f’) : Unit is provided with, without or partially with furniture.

- Whole unit : whole apartment.

- Co-broke : It means that agents are dealing between them. So there will be an extra fee. Already co-broke means that the fees were already paid (or there is an arrangement between the agents) and No co-broke might mean that you will be put in contact directly with the owner. Most of the time when it is not specified, you are put in direct contact with the owner.

- Queen-size bed : 1.5 x 2.0 m, King-size bed : 1.9 x 2.0 m Unless it is specified, air-conditioning (also ‘aircon’) is not provided (for HDB places).

If you don’t mind having no aircon, check for ceiling fan. It can be very hot sometimes in Singapore.

How to detect by phone if it is an agent or not ? Just ask regarding the apartment they are renting. If they ask ‘where ?’ then it is probably an agent. Then you might directly ask ‘Are you an agent ?’

When you publish your ad, do not forget to put the mention ‘ No Agents/ Owners Only !’ if you want to avoid receiving calls/emails from agents. It can be harassing. Agents charge you half-a-month rent for rentals under $2500, above it is free for you. The landlord pays ! If you buy/sell, commission is about 1% to 2% according to my agent (negotiable of course).

If you are on budget, of course, it is better to avoid agents as you do not pay the agency fee. It depends how long you plan to stay in Singapore and what kind of place you are looking for (a room or a whole unit). Having an agent for both parties will save you all the troubles that might arise between the two parties. Personally, just for a room and a short time, I will prefer to avoid agents but for a whole unit, it is different.

The Diplomatic clause is very useful in the contract. Negotiate the period when you can use this clause ! That allows you to break the lease agreement in case you are not employed in Singapore anymore (and therefore you are able to claim the deposit back). Tips provided By David Ly

Sometimes, instead of climbing over the barricades, you've got to walk around them