Eligibility to Rent
Citizenship
Only Singapore Citizens are allowed to sublet the entire HDB flat.
Singapore Permanent Residents (SPRs) are not allowed to sublet their flat.
Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of 5 years
If you are the original purchaser, the MOP is computed from the date of purchase of the flat
If there has been a transfer of flat ownership, the MOP is computed from the effective date of the transfer of flat ownership, or the date the owner was included as an authorised occupier of the flat.
After a resale of part-share, the owners have to meet a fresh MOP computed from the effective date of resale.
You can print the confirmation of your eligibility to sublet the whole flat through My HDBPage.
(Log in with your SingPass and go to: My Flat > Purchased Flat – Subletting > Subletting of Whole Flat.)
Non-Citizen Quota for Subletting of Flat
You will have to consider the Non-Citizen Quota for Subletting of Flat if any subtenant renting your flat is a non-Malaysian non-citizen (Singapore Permanent Resident or foreigner).
If the quota is reached, you can only sublet your flat to Singaporeans and Malaysians.
Eligibility conditions for your subtenants
Subtenants must be any of the following:
- Singapore Citizens
- Singapore Permanent Residents
- Non-citizens legally residing in Singapore who are holders of Employment Passes, S Passes, Work Permits, Student Passes, Dependant Passes, or Long-Term Social Visit Passes. These passes must have a validity period of at least 6 months as at the date of your subletting application
- Work Permit holders from the construction, manufacturing, marine, and process sectors must be Malaysians
- Tourists are not allowed as subtenants of HDB flats
If you are renting out the flat to a company to house its employees, the employees must also meet the above eligibility conditions for subtenants.
Maximum number of subtenants
| Flat Type | Maximum Number of Subtenants |
| 1 – room and 2 – room | 4 |
| 3 – room | 6 |
| 4 – room and bigger | 6 |
Rental period
Minimum rental period is 6 months. Maximum rental period is 3 years for Singaporeans or Malaysians, and 2 years for non-Malaysian non-citizen.
Tenancy and property ownership status of your subtenants
Subtenants must not be tenants or owners of other HDB flats unless they are:
- Divorced/ legally separated. In this case, only 1 party can be a subtenant
- Owners who are eligible to sublet their whole flat. However, they must sublet their own flat within a month after they have rented an HDB flat from another flat owner
Subtenants must not be owners of Executive Condominium units where the 5-year MOP has not been met.
Please call HDB Branch Office 1800 225 5432 if you need any clarifications
Consideration to Rent out your Private Property
Private residential properties must be rented out for periods of at least three consecutive months. They may not be used for short-term rentals on a daily or weekly basis. In addition, property owners must meet the following conditions when renting out their properties.
- Any internal partitioning works carried out on the property must not compromise the nature of the property as a single self-sufficient residential unit with essential features such as a living/dining area and kitchen.
- With effect from 15 May 2017, the maximum number of unrelated occupants that may be accommodated in a property is six.