Ownership Guide

Renting Out Your Whole HDB Flat: Who Can, the Quotas and the Approval Process

You cannot rent out an HDB flat freely. Only Singapore Citizen owners who have completed the Minimum Occupation Period may rent out the whole flat, HDB must approve each tenancy, and quotas and tenant limits apply. Plus and Prime flats cannot be rented out whole at all. Here is the rulebook.

Who can rent out

• Citizenship: only Singapore Citizens. Singapore PR owners are not allowed to rent out the whole flat.
• MOP: you must have completed the 5-year MOP. If the flat is non-subsidised (bought on the open market without a housing grant) and purchased before 30 August 2010, the MOP is 3 years. Owners of Prime and Plus flats are not allowed to rent out the flat even after the 10-year MOP.
• How MOP is counted: original purchasers count from the purchase date. After a transfer of ownership, it counts from the effective transfer date or the date you were included as an authorised occupier. After a resale of part-share, owners must meet a fresh MOP from the effective date.

You can print confirmation of your eligibility from MyHDB Page before applying. See also your options at MOP.

Who can rent your flat

• Singapore Citizens, PRs, and non-citizens legally residing in Singapore on Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependant's Pass or Long-Term Social Visit Pass, each valid for at least 6 months at the date of application.
• Work Permit holders from the construction, manufacturing, marine and process sectors must be Malaysians. Tourists are not allowed.
• If you rent to a company to house employees, each employee must meet the tenant conditions.
• Tenants must not be public rental tenants or owners of other HDB flats, with narrow exceptions (for example, a divorced or legally separated person, or an owner who is eligible to rent out their own flat and does so within a month). Owners of ECs still within their 5-year MOP also cannot be tenants.

The non-citizen quota

If any tenant renting the whole flat is a non-Malaysian non-citizen (a PR or foreigner), the quota applies: 8% at the neighbourhood level and 11% at the block level. If the quota is reached, only Singaporeans and Malaysians can rent in that block or neighbourhood. The quota does not apply to bedroom rentals. You can check it on HDB's site before you advertise.

Tenant limits

The limit does not apply if all the tenants renting the whole flat are from the same family unit.

Rental period

• The minimum rental period is 6 months per application. Short-term rentals are not allowed.
• The maximum is 3 years if all tenants are Singaporeans or Malaysians, and 2 years if any tenant is a non-Malaysian non-citizen.
• Each renewal is a new application assessed under current rules.
• Non-residential use, such as tourists, commercial filming or storage, is not allowed.

Applying

1. Apply for approval before renting, through MyHDB Page or the MyHDB mobile app. The administrative fee is $18 per application.
2. If you are overseas, a certified true copy of a Power of Attorney lodged with the High Court must accompany the application, and the attorney cannot be a tenant. If you lack mental capacity, a Court-appointed Deputy or a Lasting Power of Attorney donee may apply.
3. Tell HDB of any change in tenants or tenant particulars within 7 days. New tenants need HDB's approval before they move in.

Your responsibilities as landlord

• Only authorised tenants may live there, within the maximum number, using the flat only for residential purposes.
• Tenants must not sub-let, create nuisance or misuse the flat. You are responsible for infringements they commit.
• HDB takes unauthorised renting very seriously and will act against errant owners.

Tax consequences

Renting out the whole flat ends your owner-occupier property tax rates from the date of letting; see the property tax guide. The rent is taxable income after deductions; see rental income tax. Renting a single room while you live there follows separate bedroom rules. If you later buy private property, a PR or foreign status of buyers or ABSD might matter; see the ABSD guide.

FAQ

Related guides

• Is Profit From Selling Property Taxable in Singapore?
• Property Tax Singapore: Owner-Occupier vs Non-Owner
• How to Object to Your Property's Annual Value

Figures current as of October 2026, from HDB's pages. Quotas, fees and tenant limits are HDB's and can change; the quota status for your block is live on HDB's site. This guide is general information only and is not legal or tax advice. Renting out without HDB approval is an offence that HDB enforces.