Renting a room in Singapore as a Filipino starts with your pass and the owner's HDB approval.
Your pass needs six months of validity, the stay must run at least six months, and a four-room HDB flat can hold eight people until 31 December 2028.
Get these wrong and you can lose the room and the deposit.
Who can rent an HDB room
HDB accepts tenants holding an Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependant Pass or Long-Term Social Visit Pass.
The pass must have at least six months left on the date the owner applies to HDB. Your move-in date does not count, so check your validity on SGWorkPass first.
Work Permit holders in construction, marine and process must be Malaysian, so Filipinos in those sectors cannot rent an HDB room. Manufacturing Work Permit holders can rent a bedroom but not a whole flat.
Tourists cannot rent any HDB flat or bedroom.
HDB rules for the flat
Flat type
Bedrooms the owner may rent out
Max people in the flat
1-room, 2-room
None
n/a
3-room
1
6
4-room and bigger
2
8 (back to 6 for any rental running past 31 Dec 2028)
The cap counts everyone: owners, their family and tenants. If you plan to bring your parents over, they count too.
Only bedrooms HDB built can be rented. Plywood cubicles, partitioned living rooms and wall-to-wall bunk beds break the rules.
The minimum stay is six months per application. Approval for non-Malaysian foreigners lasts up to two years, then the owner renews.
The owner must apply and get approval before you move in, paying S$9 per bedroom. HDB gives the result online at once and lists approved tenants within two days.
The owner and their family must keep living in the flat. Locking one room and renting out the rest is an unapproved whole-flat rental.
HDB can penalise owners who rent without approval and can take back the flat through compulsory acquisition.
The non-citizen quota (8% per neighbourhood, 11% per block) applies to whole-flat rentals only, not bedrooms.
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Condos and private homes
URA sets a minimum stay of three consecutive months. Daily or weekly rentals are illegal.
A private unit can house up to six unrelated people. Units of at least 90 sqm registered with URA may hold eight until 31 December 2028.
Costs
Listings in 2026 commonly ask about S$800 to S$1,300 a month for a common room and S$1,300 to S$2,000 for a master room with its own bathroom.
HDB says the deposit is usually one month's rent for a one-year lease and two months for a two-year lease, paid on signing with the first month's rent.
Stamp duty is 0.4% of total rent for leases up to four years. A S$1,000 room on a 12-month lease costs S$48. By law the tenant pays unless the agreement says otherwise. Stamp it on the IRAS site within 14 days of signing, or within 30 days of receiving it in Singapore if signed overseas.
What to check before signing
Proof the person owns the flat, matched to their NRIC.
HDB's approval letter and its terms.
Your name on HDB's authorised tenant list. Check through HDB's e-Service, or ask the owner to print the confirmation.
A licensed agent, if one is involved. Search the CEA Public Register by name or phone number. Agents do not charge tenants to view a room.
A written agreement with both parties' names and IDs, the address and room, start and end dates, rent, deposit, refund terms, notice period, furniture, repairs and house rules. Add a clause that the tenancy stands only if HDB approves it.
House rules on cooking, guests, laundry and aircon hours, and whether rent covers PUB bills and Wi-Fi.
The room: aircon, shower, sockets, mould, leaks and bed bugs. Photograph any damage on move-in day.
A traceable payment, by cheque or bank transfer, with a signed receipt.
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Scam red flags
No viewing, or a "reservation fee" before you see the room
A price well below similar rooms nearby
Pressure to "book now" over PayNow
No proof of ownership or HDB approval
Cash only, no receipt
Photos that do not match the address
No viewing, no deposit. If you cannot go, send a trusted kababayan. The pattern matches the Facebook giveaway scam that wanted PayNow upfront.
Deposit or contract dispute: the Small Claims Tribunals hear residential tenancy claims for leases of up to two years, up to S$20,000 (S$30,000 if both sides agree). The Community Mediation Centre is another route.
Unapproved room, overcrowding or illegal sub-letting: report to HDB.
Updates: 8 October 2026, merged with our earlier articles on the same topic and rechecked.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a room rental in Singapore is legal?+
For an HDB room, the owner must have HDB's approval before you move in and must keep living in the flat. Check that you are listed as an authorised tenant through HDB's e-Service.
Should I pay a reservation fee before viewing a room?+
No. Never pay before you or a trusted friend has seen the room in person and met the owner; a deposit sent over PayNow for an unseen room is the most common rental scam.
How much is the deposit for a room rental in Singapore?+
HDB says the deposit is usually one month's rent for a one-year lease and two months for a two-year lease. The agreement should state when and how it is returned.
Does a room tenancy agreement need to be stamped?+
Yes. IRAS charges 0.4% of total rent for leases of up to four years, the tenant pays unless the agreement says otherwise, and you must stamp it within 14 days of signing.
Where do I report a rental scam or dispute in Singapore?+
Report scams through ScamShield and file a police report at police.gov.sg. Deposit or contract disputes on leases of up to two years can go to the Small Claims Tribunals, and illegal sub-letting goes to HDB.
