Approvals for Permanent Resident Households to Rent Out Bedrooms in HDB Flats
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the decline in HDB bedroom rental approvals for Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) households and the governing policy requirements. Mr Leong Mun Wai inquired about the reasons for this downward trend and the specific conditions under which SPR households may rent out bedrooms. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee explained that while SPRs cannot rent out whole flats, they may rent out rooms in 3-room or larger flats. He noted that since May 2018, prior HDB approval is required to confirm eligibility, and the decline in figures relates specifically to new approvals. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee attributed these statistics to market forces or personal choices rather than changes in approval requirements.
Transcript
26 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the reason for the decline in rental approvals for HDB bedrooms being granted to Permanent Resident households since 2018 till to date; (b) whether Permanent Resident households are always allowed to rent out bedrooms; and (c) what have been the changes to the approval requirements over the years.
Mr Desmond Lee: Since 12 January 2013, Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) flat owners have been disallowed from renting out their whole flat. However, those who own a 3-room or larger flat are allowed to rent out their spare bedrooms. The owners and all authorised occupiers must continue to stay in the flat with the tenants while the spare bedrooms are being rented out.
From 1 May 2018, all flat owners have been required to seek HDB’s approval for bedroom rental before the commencement of the tenancy. This is to ensure that the eligibility conditions are met before the tenancy commences. There has been no change to the approval requirements since.
We understand that the Member is asking about the decline in bedroom rental approvals given to SPR households from 2018 to date, reflected in our written reply to the Member’s question for the Sitting on 20 October 2022. The figures provided reflect the number of new bedroom rental approvals granted to SPR households in each year and do not include SPR households which renew their bedroom rentals. The decline in the new bedroom rental approvals given to SPR flat owners could be due to various reasons, such as open market forces or personal choices of the SPR flat owners.