Discuss about life in Singapore. Ask about cost of living, housing, travel, etiquette & lifestyle. Share experience & advice with Singaporeans & expat staying in Singapore.
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Angelus
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by Angelus » Tue, 25 Mar 2014 2:43 pm
Hopefully I posted this in the right section. My mom plans on visiting me and my wife from abroad but unfortunatly as we live together with other roommates she cannot stay with us for the nights. We were wondering if it is possible for her to rent a room nearby as we live relatively far from the center where all the hotels are. I know HDB's cannot be rented out to tourists, even short term (as it states clearly on HDB's website), but how about
condo's and appartments? Are owners allowed to rent out rooms to tourists? I found some websites listing these rooms (e.g.
https://www.airbnb.com.sg/s/Singapore?s ... y_map=true ) but not sure if it is 100% legal.
Thanks in advance.
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taxico
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by taxico » Tue, 25 Mar 2014 4:03 pm
Angelus wrote:Hopefully I posted this in the right section. My mom plans on visiting me and my wife from abroad but unfortunatly as we live together with other roommates she cannot stay with us for the nights. We were wondering if it is possible for her to rent a room nearby as we live relatively far from the center where all the hotels are. I know HDB's cannot be rented out to tourists, even short term (as it states clearly on HDB's website), but how about
condo's and appartments? Are owners allowed to rent out rooms to tourists? I found some websites listing these rooms (e.g.
https://www.airbnb.com.sg/s/Singapore?s ... y_map=true ) but not sure if it is 100% legal.
Thanks in advance.
same rules for private
property - no rentals to tourists allowed.
nothing precludes you from renting a place on her behalf if the landlord allows it though, as i assume you are bona fide and the paperwork will all be in order and your mom's in the country legally.
Aut viam ad caelum inveniam aut faciam
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AngMoG
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by AngMoG » Tue, 25 Mar 2014 5:36 pm
maneo wrote:Don't apartment rentals need to be a minimum of 6 months?
Or, has something changed?
There were some articles about this 6 months ago:
(links)
Are we back to this again? Afaik, short-term rental of HDB is illegal; however, short-term rental of
condos is up to the landlord and
condo management. Many condo managements will frown upon short-term rentals < 6 months (as it inconveniences other tenants of the condo when people move in and out all the time). Most landlords do not want to rent out for such a short term either. But technically, there is nothing illegal for short-term condo rental - if you can find a willing landlord.
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thismyvoice
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by thismyvoice » Sat, 29 Mar 2014 1:42 pm
maneo wrote:Don't apartment rentals need to be a minimum of 6 months?
Or, has something changed?
There were some articles about this 6 months ago:
http://e27.co/a-year-in-and-short-term- ... singapore/
http://www...sg/articles-property/singapore-property-news/short-term-home-rentals-illegal-warn-authorities/a/135931
Minimum 6 months rental. However, nowadays landlords can be rather creative. Recently there was this case about a
property agent/landlord who owns a number of apartments in CBD. Sign rental lease for 6 months but allow tenant to break lease without penalty after 1 month or x number of days.
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maneo
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by maneo » Sat, 29 Mar 2014 5:41 pm
AngMoG wrote:Are we back to this again? Afaik, short-term rental of HDB is illegal; however, short-term rental of
condos is up to the landlord and
condo management. ... But technically, there is nothing illegal for short-term condo rental - if you can find a willing landlord.
The 2nd paragraph of the SG
property News article states:
"... this is illegal here, the authorities have warned home owners.
"Renting out a room or a whole unit short-term is in breach of
private and public housing rules, and owners can face tough penalties if they are caught doing so."
{ed.note: boldface added for those that may have overlooked this}
http://www...sg/articles-prope ... s/a/135931
As thismyvoice also noted, some landlords may be quite "tolerant" of those that break 6 mo. leases early ("rather creative," eh?).

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hotelsandphotos
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by hotelsandphotos » Mon, 07 Apr 2014 5:51 pm
Why risk running into trouble with the authorities? There are budget hotels which cost under 100SGD a night; much cheaper if you are looking for single beds at hostels.
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x9200
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by x9200 » Mon, 07 Apr 2014 5:52 pm
hotelsandphotos, you are being watched.
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Angelus
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by Angelus » Tue, 22 Apr 2014 1:13 pm
Thanks for the replies everyone.
Although the post above clearly has other intentions, we indeed do not wish to run into trouble with the authorities or have to jump through loopholes to get my mom in an apartment/condo.
I found this source on the Urban Redevelopment Authority website stating rental of less than 6 months is not allowed for private
property:
http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/media-room/fo ... 13-19.aspx
We have booked her a hotel and will just have to travel a bit longer to meet up

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sundaymorningstaple
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by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 22 Apr 2014 1:49 pm
AngMoG wrote:maneo wrote:Don't apartment rentals need to be a minimum of 6 months?
Or, has something changed?
There were some articles about this 6 months ago:
(links)
Are we back to this again? Afaik, short-term rental of HDB is illegal; however, short-term rental of
condos is up to the landlord and
condo management. Many condo managements will frown upon short-term rentals < 6 months (as it inconveniences other tenants of the condo when people move in and out all the time). Most landlords do not want to rent out for such a short term either. But technically, there is nothing illegal for short-term condo rental - if you can find a willing landlord.
I'm getting tired of posting and reposting the relevant links that clearly shows that you cannot "legally" rent out condo rooms either, unless for a minimum of 6 months as well.
Once more......
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/sutra6 ... ura#669600
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SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
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PNGMK
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by PNGMK » Tue, 22 Apr 2014 4:23 pm
I personally consider it an infringement on my rights as a
property owner to not be allowed to run a short term rental - however Singapore is not the only country with these sorts of rules. AirBNB are running into legal issues in NYC over the same problems as we have here with URA.
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sundaymorningstaple
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by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 22 Apr 2014 4:35 pm
Yeah, I saw that news report as well.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
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