Free guide · 2027 edition

Singapore Group Renting Guide

Renting a whole unit with classmates for the first time? Follow these steps. Rules link to official sources; the official websites always win.

When to start

August intake (NUS, NTU, SMU)

Apr–May: offer in hand, form your group, set a per-person budget and area
May–Jun: Student's Pass in progress, video viewings
Jun–Jul: sign, move-in matched to flights

January intake

Sep–Oct: form your group, budget, area
Oct–Nov: video viewings
Nov–Dec: sign and arrange move-in

Private schools (SIM, Kaplan, PSB, MDIS, JCU…)

Several intakes a year
Start 2–3 months before term
Courses are often 8–16 months: plan a 12-month lease

Renting process

Six stages from finding a unit to moving out: what to watch and what you pay at each.

Find

group · viewings

Watch out

Form your group (same gender, 3–6)
Arrange viewings (in person or video)
Keep agent, landlord and group in touch

Costs

—

Letter of Intent

LOI

Watch out

Check the agent's CEA registration
Verify the owner
Confirm the unit details
List every tenant (each student's details)
Agree furniture and appliances
Agree rent and lease length
HDB flat: check the non-citizen quota

Costs

Good-faith deposit (usually 1 month; becomes the security deposit)

Tenancy Agreement

lease

Watch out

Minor repair clause (small repairs below an amount are the tenant's)
1-month free warranty after move-in
Who services the air-con, and how often
Every group member signs
HDB flat: owner registers each tenant with HDB

Costs

First month's rent
Stamp duty (IRAS)
Agent fee (if the listing says so)

Handover

move-in check

Watch out

Inspect the unit in detail
Keep photos
Keep videos
Open the utilities account 3–4 weeks before
Apply for internet 1–2 weeks before

Costs

—

Living there

during the lease

Watch out

Raise every issue through the agent
Air-con serviced at the end of every 3 months
Monthly cleaning (if the lease requires)
Pay rent on the first day of each lease month
Pay utilities and internet on time
Keep every receipt

Costs

Internet installation
Monthly rent
Monthly utilities
Monthly internet
Monthly cleaning (if any)
Air-con servicing every 3 months
Minor repairs

Move out

handback

Watch out

Discuss renewal with the owner 2+ months before
Agree the handback process 2+ months before
Book the move-out inspection
Finish repairs
Professional cleaning
Curtains washed and rehung
Give the owner all receipts
Remove all personal belongings
Take photos and videos
Close the internet account
Close the utilities account

Costs

Professional cleaning
Repairs
Curtain washing
Deposit back as the lease says (commonly within 14 days)

Renting as a group: what to know

3–6 students (usually same gender) renting a whole HDB flat or condo pay less per person, but settle the rules first.

Can this unit be rented to us?

Occupancy caps: HDB flats and private homes limit how many unrelated people can live there (generally 6). Check the latest HDB / URA rules.
Whole HDB flat + foreign students: renting a whole HDB flat to non-Malaysian foreigners depends on the block and neighbourhood non-citizen quota. Not every flat qualifies. Single rooms aren't subject to this quota.
Student's Pass validity: every tenant of an HDB flat must meet the validity rule.

Signing and sharing

Usually all group members sign the lease and split the deposit and first month's rent.
Write a simple agreement between yourselves: each person's rent, room allocation, how bills are split, who pays the landlord.
Agree in advance what happens if someone leaves: a replacement needs the landlord's consent; who covers the gap?
The master bedroom can pay more; set a cleaning rota for the kitchen and living room.

Group not complete? In the requirements form, write "we have X, need Y more" and I'll suggest a unit size that fits.

How much do we need to move in?

The one-off payment at signing (not counting monthly rent after that), split between your group.

Deposit-

First month's rent-

Agent fee-

Stamp duty (est.)-

Total at signing

Find a unit in this budget →

Which kind of whole unit?

Type	Roughly	Group size	Whole-unit rent	Watch out
HDB 4-room	3 bed 2 bath, ~90 m²	3–4	S$3,000–4,300	Non-citizen quota must allow it
HDB 5-room / Executive	3 bed (+study) 2 bath, big living room	4–5	S$3,300–4,600	Same; some share a room
Condo 3-bed	3 bed 2 bath, pool, gym, security	3–4	S$3,600–7,000	Utilities extra; old vs new varies a lot
Condo 4-bed	4 bed 3 bath	4–6	S$4,800–8,000	Few units; lowest per person; start early

FAQ

One of us has less than 6 months left on the pass. Can we still rent an HDB flat?

HDB sets a minimum remaining pass validity for tenants (generally 6 months; check HDB for the latest rule). If someone falls short, a whole condo is usually more flexible. Send me everyone's pass expiry dates.

What if one of us goes home early?

With a joint lease the full rent is still due. Agree with the landlord that a replacement is allowed (with consent), and agree within the group who covers the gap.

Who pays the agent fee?

It depends on whom the agent acts for. A landlord's agent is paid by the landlord, so you pay nothing; a tenant's agent is paid by the tenants, usually half a month's rent for a 1-year lease. Every listing here says which.

Can we cook what we like?

In a whole unit you have your own kitchen, unlike a room in a landlord-occupied flat where "light cooking only" rules are common. Still keep it clean and ventilated; heavy cooking smells and grease are the most common landlord complaints.

Words you'll see

LOI	Letter of Intent: the offer before the lease
TA	Tenancy Agreement: the lease
Good-faith deposit	Paid with the LOI; usually becomes the security deposit
Security deposit	Returned after you move out
Stamp duty	Tax on the lease, paid to IRAS
Inventory list	Record of the unit's condition and contents at move-in
Common / master room	Bedroom with shared / attached bathroom