You are new to Singapore and are looking to rent an apartment or a room, let’s take a look at the standard leasing procedures you will likely be going through.
- Tenant needs to have a valid employment pass / work permit / student pass / long term visit pass
- Search for listings on various property portals, you can do this yourself or engage an agent to represent you. Be prepared to pay commission if you are engaging an agent to represent you
- The fun and exhausting (Ironic, yes) part – Viewing
- Once you found a unit you like, you will place an offer by means of a letter of intent. This document states your intention to lease the unit as well as any requests you might have. It should also be accompanied by 1 month’s rent as good-faith deposit. This will form part of your security deposit later
- If landlord accepts your offer, you will proceed to the drafting of the tenancy agreement, upon signing the tenancy agreement, you would need to prepare another 1 month’s rent (For 2 years leases) as security deposit as well as an advance rental for the first month’s rent
- Move in takeover: Do a thorough inventory check when moving in, and have the tenancy agreement stamped before the deadline
- Enjoy your stay!
- End of lease handover: Be sure to reinstate the property to the state which you took over
TL;DR: Make sure you have valid pass to reside in Singapore, search, view, offer letter of intent, sign tenancy agreement, prepare 1 month deposit + 1 month rental payment for 1 year lease and 2 month deposit + 1 month rental payment for 2 years lease. Takeover, stamp, move in, move out.