Singapore Whole Unit Rental

[sxr]

Hello,

I will probably be moving to Singapore next month and I am looking for rental accommodation for myself and my wife. I believe I will be working at Changi park.

I did a google search and found few websites that listed HDB,Condos etc for rent. However it was difficult to find non-shared (whole unit) listing.

Can anyone tell me where I could find listings of non shared apartment for rent. Is it possible to find a unit for rent within a week after arriving there?

Also, how much money do I need to spend on rent, electricity. I am willing to travel upto 45 mins daily to work. I do not want to spend more than 2000$ as rent . . .

Are stoves and refrigerator provided in all units as a norm?

Thanks,
Lin

[nutnut]

You may get a 2 room HDB for that, if you don't mind taking something that o one else wants! $2K gets you next to nothing here in regards to a whole unit!

This site has adverts for rentals on the Classifieds section and also the property section at the top of the page.

Electricity is totally dependant on the lifestyle, expect approx $200 a month minimum, depending on your use of Aircon, this can go up to $600.

Everywhere is pretty much within 45 mins of each other - however, aim for the East/North East if you are working in Changi.

Each apartment will differ, but, stove and fridge tend to come in what they term as "Partial furnished"

Really consider a flat share though, especially at that budget.

nut^2

[sxr]

Hello NutNut,

Thank you for your reply.

Honestly I felt very dejected after reading your reply. Can you please tell me what is the bare minimum I need to spend for a whole unit. I guess I would not be able to have a gym or a pool. It should be okay.

I don't think I can negotiate my offer anymore, but may be I will make a point to my HR.

From what I have read so far, it seems 1+1 are for provided to elderly on a preferential basis. Is it always true?

And how about a Studio?

[therat]

Hello NutNut,

Thank you for your reply.

Honestly I felt very dejected after reading your reply. Can you please tell me what is the bare minimum I need to spend for a whole unit. I guess I would not be able to have a gym or a pool. It should be okay.

I don't think I can negotiate my offer anymore, but may be I will make a point to my HR.

From what I have read so far, it seems 1+1 are for provided to elderly on a preferential basis. Is it always true?

And how about a Studio?

If you refer to HDB studio apartment (1 room). That is not open for rental. Only citizen above 55 yrs old can buy.

By the way, last Friday new rules surface. HDB owner who are PR cannot rent out the whole unit.
So, when you want to rent a HDB whole unit, please make sure the owners are non-PR. Even one owner are Singaporean, also cannot rent out whole unit. As long as one of the owner are PR, this rule applied to them.

You might want to read this for your knowledge
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10323p.nsf ... enDocument
Steps Involved in Renting a flat

[beppi]

You should be able to find a reasonable (two bedroom, which is the smallest you can rent) HDB in an o.k. location for S$2500/month (but do follow the advice above for checking the legality of the rent!).
For a two bedroom unit in private property, the minimum is around S$3000 (and those are usually not any better than HDBs). Places with facilities (gymn, pool, etc.) probably start around S$3500-4000. One bedroom and studio units are not cheaper, but sometimes in better locations.

If you really need to find a place within a week, you have to use an agent (and pay a fee for that!) and basically take whatever comes up first. If you can, arrange for a month temporary accommodation (hotel or Serviced Apartment) and search on your own without time pressure - that way you will likely find a better deal!

[nutnut]

Sorry you are dejected, it's true though, better forewarned!

You probably wont want to hear that thy want 3 month rent in advance basically too? And also, there may be agent fees on top of that, stamp duty (shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred) deposits for electric and water ($500) all in all, expect to pay around $10K before you even get into any apartment of any type or size!

Good luck though, I hope you can get some more money or find a place you're happy with. people will lower budgets tend to share apartments with friends/colleagues or rent a room of a stranger.

[zzm9980]

I'm so glad OP has resigned himself to give up condo facilities in his price range

I've seen 3 Room (That's 2Bed for OP) HDBs for as low as $2000 even in nicer estates like Marine Parade. I've seen $1700-1800 in less popular estates in random spots.

OP should search Tampines, Simei, and Pasir Ris areas. I think you'll be able to find something. The decorating (or lack thereof) may be a little off-putting in that price range though.

[snowqueen]

For $2k per month you will be looking at a HDB - if you are working at Changi Business Park, Pasir Ris, Tampines and Semei are good areas to start looking.

We pay $3.3k for our ground floor 3 bed apartment (not HDB) on Flora Drive, near changi Prison which is in between Pasir Ris and Tampines, so there are deals to be had if you can stretch your budget or have the time to look around.

We found our original apartment 4.5 years ago within a 2.5 week period so a quick turnaround can be done but I would definitely allow yourself a month if you don't want to feel rushed.

[snowqueen]

Oh, regarding electricity, we spend about $270-300 per month on our SP Services bill - this covers Gas, Electricity, Water and waste disposal. The majority of this is spent on electricity - we have usually 1 air con unit going on 24/7 either in the living room or my son's bed room. We've managed to climatise so don't have ours on during the night. I do however have a tumble dryer going for about 1 hour a day.

I have known some people have their SP service bills a lot higher than this - between $400-800 a month but not really much less than $250.

[sxr]

Myself and my wife have come to a conclusion that we should spend a bit more (may be around 3000) and see if we can get a whole unit. Worst case, we will be ready to share an apartment.

While I was excited on hearing about the singapore opportunity, I realize that I am not being paid handsomely. It is a relief that my wife is also going to work. However, I guess I should I ask for a raise in an year or two, or jump to some other company.

Thank you therat, beppi,zzm and snowqueen for your replies. Your replies have helped us in understanding how difficult (financially) it could go if I need a whole unit, gym, pool, car etc.

I hardly spent 600$ for rent, electricity and heating in Montreal Downtown (ofcourse in a shared apartment when I was a bachelor). But my pay is more or less the same.

[zzm9980]

On the other end of the spectrum, I rent a 3 Room HDB in Marine Parade. My SP Services bill is $130-170 a month. That includes aircon for at least a few hours almost every evening.

[Sergei82]

I pay 3.1K for a fully furnished 3 bedroom + a huge living room maisonette in Tampines next to Tampines mall (which is adjacent to Tampes mrt). But I've got lucky with the landlord. It is much higher in that area. If you go deeper and further from mrt, you can get a 2-room HDB for 2K, but better plan at least 2.5K. For 3K in that area (Bedok, Tampines, Pasir Ris) you can get 3-4 room HDB (not with designer renovation though).

[AndrewV]

If you refer to HDB studio apartment (1 room). That is not open for rental. Only citizen above 55 yrs old can buy.

By the way, last Friday new rules surface. HDB owner who are PR cannot rent out the whole unit.
So, when you want to rent a HDB whole unit, please make sure the owners are non-PR. Even one owner are Singaporean, also cannot rent out whole unit. As long as one of the owner are PR, this rule applied to them.

You might want to read this for your knowledge
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10323p.nsf ... enDocument
Steps Involved in Renting a flat

this is not true, as long as one of the owner is singaporean, they can rent out the whole flat

[sundaymorningstaple]

I've actually put that exact question to HDB as it's not clear.

[AndrewV]

I've actually put that exact question to HDB as it's not clear.

SC+PR households are still considered SC households, so unless they specify explicitly otherwise, it is safe to assume that this will not affect SC+PR households. SMS you're safe