The Housing & Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) have relaxed the occupancy1 cap for HDB flats (that are 4-room or larger) and private residential properties (that are 90 sq m and above) until 31 Dec 2026. These accommodations are now allowed to house up to eight unrelated persons, up from the previous cap of six unrelated persons. Any extension of the relaxed occupancy cap beyond 2026 will be subject to review, taking into account the demand and supply of open market rentals.
1Occupancy refers to flat owners and all occupiers and tenants.
For homeowners
Residential property owners who currently house up to six unrelated persons need to apply to HDB or URA (for HDB flats and private residential properties respectively) to include additional occupants, up to a total of eight unrelated persons per accommodation.
The requirement of HDB flat owners, as well as HDB commercial property owners and tenants, to seek HDB’s approval before the tenancy commencement date will continue to apply under the revised cap. Applications to rent out HDB flats or bedrooms may be submitted online via HDB’s e-services. An administrative fee is payable with each application, at $10 per bedroom or $20 per whole flat rented out.
HDB commercial property owners and tenants who wish to rent out their living quarters can apply via the GoBusiness Licensing Portal. The administrative fee is $100 per application.
Owners of larger private residential properties of at least 90 sq m who wish to rent out their properties to up to eight unrelated persons are required to register their properties via URA2 e-services. An administrative fee of $20 is payable with each registration. Upon successful registration, the owner will be informed that they can use the residential property to accommodate up to eight unrelated persons, each subject to a minimum stay duration of three consecutive months. Owners of all private residential properties can continue to rent out their properties to up to six unrelated persons without the need for registration with URA.
If you are renting to a work pass holder (eg. PEP, EP, S-Pass etc)
Foreign Worker Tenant Enquiry Service (FWTES) is a new eService that replaces the hardcopy declaration forms for homeowners to submit a request to remove the names of work pass holders previously staying at their residences. It contains only information on non-domestic work pass holders, and does not include data on other occupants or tenants (e.g. local tenants or homeowner’s family members) staying at the premises.
Homeowners can check the names of work pass holders staying at their residential properties and remove those who are no longer staying there. They can also check the number of migrant workers staying in an HDB flat or private residential premises (PRP). If your address has been misused, please report the matter to MOM.
Via the FWTES, homeowners can:
- Remove migrant workers who are no longer residing in the HDB flat or PRP.
- Block your properties from being registered as an address for migrant workers.
If you are a PRP homeowner renting out your place for the 1st time, you will need to make a one-time declaration by logging into FWTES with your Singpass, selecting the property to manage tenants, and ticking the checkbox to confirm that the address is available for foreign worker address registration.
If you are a non-citizen who does not have a Singpass, please submit a copy of the IRAS Duty Stamp of Lease or the Tenancy Agreement along with a copy of the IRAS property tax to mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg
If you are the employer of the work pass holder
It is in your interest to check on the number of work pass holders staying at the premises before entering into any tenancy agreements, ensuring that the occupancy limits will not be breached. However, you will not be able to view the work pass holders’ details or remove their names from any residential property. Instead, please ask the homeowners to deregister those tenants who have moved away. Note that the physical work pass is usually required to be submitted for tenancy agreements.
To ensure you have access to FWTES, log in to your Corppass account, go to the eService Access tab, check that Foreign Employee Compliance eServices has been assigned as one of your company’s eServices.
Learn More about our Work Pass Management Services | Contact Us
Reach out to our specialists:
Josephine Loh
T: +65 6594 7180
JosephineLohYY@rsmsingapore.sg
Liew Jia Yi
T: +65 6594 7177
LiewJiaYi@rsmsingapore.sg