Studio apartment near CBP

[RockyRambo]

Hi,

I am moving to Singapore in a month or so. My office will be at Changi Business Park. I am preferably looking for a studio apartment near that area. Is it possible to get a studio (1 BHK) in a budget of 1200 SGD?
Also, could anyone please enlighten as why would one prefer a condo over an HDB? I know condos offer amenities such as gyms, pools, etc. but I have also heard that the gyms aren't that good. Please advise..

Thanks,
Rocky

[Akimbo]

I'm sorry to say, there is no such thing as a "Studio" apartment in Singapore.

But with 1,200 SGD that's a good enough budget to rent a Common room (that's a room without an attached bathroom/toilet) in a condominium w/ facilities, perhaps nearing the Central-East area.. You'll still have flatmates though.

[Saint]

I'm sorry to say, there is no such thing as a "Studio" apartment in Singapore.
But with 1,200 SGD that's a good enough budget to rent a Common room (that's a room without an attached bathroom/toilet) in a condominium w/ facilities, perhaps nearing the Central-East area.. You'll still have flatmates though.

Actually, there are more and more studio apartments have been built over the last year or so especially on the East Coast. However you are looking at min $2.2k to rent

[Akimbo]

I'm sorry to say, there is no such thing as a "Studio" apartment in Singapore.
But with 1,200 SGD that's a good enough budget to rent a Common room (that's a room without an attached bathroom/toilet) in a condominium w/ facilities, perhaps nearing the Central-East area.. You'll still have flatmates though.

Actually, there are more and more studio apartments have been built over the last year or so especially on the East Coast. However you are looking at min $2.2k to rent

Oh wow, really? I'd better see those some time...but with that kind of minimum rent, I'd better stick with my current choice of renting It's not those so-called "shoe-box" apartment though, right? From the description I've read, they sounded very tiny...

The first year I was in Singapore, I almost got scammed for a Studio apartment for S$1000 around the Novena area. Got a (seemingly) genuine reply e-mail and even a (seemingly) contactable SG phone number...I called, and I also "talked" to the person over the phone.

When I got to the place at the time I've mentioned over the call, and nobody came to see me for half an hour, I called again. I got a reply of "Hey, how are you?......*he paused arnd 15 seconds while I continue talking*...oh, that's good to hear, perhaps we can talk about the apartment again"

Of which point, I just asked..."Mr. xxx, I've mentioned to you my name before, even wrote it down in the e-mail. Can you say my name?....can you spell it out?....Or are you just a computer recording loop?"

No response, but still in the call...in the end I just hung up.

Wow, what a rush...

[RockyRambo]

I'm sorry to say, there is no such thing as a "Studio" apartment in Singapore.
But with 1,200 SGD that's a good eno.. You'll still have flatmates though.

Actually, there are more and more studio apartments have been built over the $2.2k to rent

Oh wow, really? I'd better see those some time...but with that kind of minimum rent, I'd better stick with my
Wow, what a rush...

Thanks for such an elaborate reply. So, the way it works is if one rents a master bedroom one pays around 1500$ and gets an attached bathroom, else, one pays around 1100$ and gets no attached bathroom.
Is there an insight around why people prefer condos over HDB's and pay the higher price? If the gyms aren't the state of the art? Are these less furnished than the condos?

[Akimbo]

I'll let the ones who rents a condo answer that...

But from what I can gather, a condo has facilities such as gym, swimming pool, BBQ pit and security. While if you rent an HDB, you just get a flat.

But nevertheless, you can have use the public facilities around the public housing (HDB) area. In most cases I see in my Serangoon neighborhood is pretty much under-utilized though maintained pretty well.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Additionally, if you have a car, parking is usually free in a condo whereas in an HDB you pay either season parking (around $75/month) or you use Coupon/Cash Card electronic parking which is not viable in the long term.

I also live in an HDB in the same greater area as akimbo (Serangoon Nth in my case) We have the option of using the pool at Kovan sports complex or Ang Mo Kio near the Yio Chu Kang MRT station. We have excellent bus service to NEX or to AMK HUB (3 or more services to either). We have BBQ pits which can be "booked" from the local Town Council and while we don't have a gym, per se, we have a basketball court as well as outdoor manual gym machines. Not the fancy electronic kinds but good for free as long as you aren't too serious about it.

I can pay for a lot of pool entries just in the difference in conservancy charges alone (I pay 63/mo for a 4 BR HDB Flat versus my friend Park Vista condo where he pays around 300/mo). Like 7up, for me, the choice is clear.

[x9200]

The major, "functional" difference as mentioned, are the facilities and they vary from place to place. I know some condos with no facilities or at least they don't deserve to be called this way (i.e. a single swimming pool 3x2m). There are also heaps of small differences that may be or not important to you. From my experience and observations condos are (statistically):
- a bit more quiet
- of better apartment interiors and fixtures quality (nicer built-in cabinets, walls, flooring, air con trunking hidden etc)
- LLs are less mean
- more rules enforcement
- lifts on each floor
- slightly to more courteous neighbors

If you find a condo with a decent swimming pool and this is important for you, plus you aim at the low-middle price area it makes IMHO more sense to rent a condo than an HDB because the differences are on the level of $S300-500 only for the whole 3+1 condo apartment hdb equivalent (1100-1400sf).

[RockyRambo]

The major, "functional" difference as mentioned, are the facilities and they vary from place to place. I know some condos with no facilities or at least they don't deserve to be called this way (i.e. a single swimming pool 3x2m). There are also heap
- slightly to more courteous neighbors

If you find a condo with a decent swimming pool and this is important for you, plus you aim at the low-middle price area it makes IMHO more sense to rent a condo than an HDB because the differences are on the level of $S300-500 only for the whole 3+1 condo apartment hdb equivalent (1100-1400sf).

Great! All of your suggestions definitely are note worthy. However, I heard something of this that one can pay 1100 SGD even if one is living with any number of people. As in, the rate is fixed for the room, the other rooms might be vacant or occupied. Does that also exist with some LL's?
And in no way, one can have an attached bathroom for this price? I mean is buying the Master bedroom the only option?
Additionally, while booking a room, what all do LL's ask for? An advance one month rental and a security deposit (equal to one month rental)?

Thanks a lot!