Tenancy agreement and deposit checklist

Start from a standard template

CEA publishes tenancy agreement templates for HDB flats and for private homes, drafted with input from regulators, the agency industry and consumers. They are a guide: landlord and tenant may change any term before signing. Read every term before you sign, because disagreements over rent, the deposit or ending the lease are private matters for the two of you to settle.

Before you sign

1. Check the agent: search the phone number in the listing on CEA’s Public Register. If it does not lead to an agent’s profile, the number is not registered with CEA.
2. View the home in person. Paying to secure a viewing is a sign of a scam.
3. Ask for proof that the landlord owns the home. For an HDB flat, also ask for HDB’s approval to rent it out.
4. Pay the landlord directly by crossed cheque or bank transfer, never the agent, so every payment is on record.

What to agree in writing

• The rent, the day it is due and how it is paid.
• The deposit, and when and how it is returned at the end of the lease.
• The lease start date and term: at least 6 months for an HDB flat and at least 3 months for a private home.
• Everyone who will live in the home, within HDB’s tenant limits or URA’s occupancy cap.
• Who pays for repairs, servicing and utilities.
• Whether either side can end the lease early, and on what notice.
• Who pays the stamp duty.
• For an HDB flat, that the agreement holds only if the owner gets HDB’s approval.

The deposit

HDB notes that the deposit is usually 1 month’s rent for a 1-year lease and 2 months’ rent for a 2-year lease, paid on signing together with the first month’s rent, and advises against paying more up front. Pay by cheque or bank transfer so you have proof, and move in once you collect the keys.

Stamp duty on the agreement

• Duty is 0.4% of the total rent for a lease of up to 4 years, and 0.4% of 4 years’ rent for a longer lease. A lease whose rent is $1,000 a year or less is exempt.
• Stamp the agreement on IRAS’s myTax Portal within 14 days of signing it in Singapore, or within 30 days of receiving it in Singapore if it was signed overseas.
• The agreement says who pays. When it says nothing, the tenant pays.
• Late payment costs a penalty of the duty itself (at least $10) within 3 months, and 4 times the duty (at least $25) after that.
• Stamping also tells IRAS the home is let, which the landlord must do within 15 days for property tax. Landlords can ask the tenant for the stamp certificate.

Questions

Sources

• CEA: Tenancy agreement templates for HDB flats and private homes
• CEA: Rental scams
• HDB: Tenancy matters (agreement, rent and deposit)
• HDB: Eligibility to rent a flat or bedroom
• URA: Renting out private residential property
• IRAS: Stamp duty when renting a property
• IRAS: Who should pay stamp duty
• IRAS: When to pay stamp duty
• IRAS: Late payment of stamp duty
• IRAS: Property tax when renting out your property

Rules and fees change. Check the linked official pages before you commit, and ask a lawyer about your own sale or purchase.

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