Policies - Subletting of Whole (HDB Approved Flat)
Eligibility of Flat Owners
You have satisfied a 3-year or 5-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)
You are allowed to sublet your whole flat if :
- You have occupied your non-subsidized flat (flat purchased from the open market without a CPF housing grant) for at least 3 years; or
- You have occupied your subsidized flat (flat purchased directly from HDB or from the open market with a CPF housing grant) for at least 5 years.
If you do not meet the MOP for subletting, you are still allowed to sublet your whole flat if you fall under any one of the following circumstances :
You are living in quarters provided by employer
-You/your spouse, your family members or authorised occupiers, are all staying in quarters provided by your employers.
You are going overseas to work or study
· You/your spouse are going overseas to work or study and the entire family will be going along, or you are leaving behind family members who cannot take care of themselves and who will be moving out of the flat.
You are living in commercial properties
· You/your spouse are tenants, subtenants or owners of commercial property with living quarters and you have to stay there, with your family members, to look after the business.
Other circumstances
· You are the sole owners and occupiers of the flats and need care from relatives because of illness; or
· You are the sole owners and occupiers of the flat and are hospitalised for more than six months; or
· The flat owners have passed away and left behind an orphaned minor child (i.e. child under 21 years of age). The guardian or public trustee of the minor child may sublet the whole flat.
Eligibility of Subtenants
Permitted Subtenants
1. Singapore citizens;
2. Singapore permanent residents;
3. Non-citizens legally residing in Singapore [holders of Employment Passes, S Passes, Work Permits, Student Passes, Dependant Passes, Professional Visit Passes, Long Term Social Visit Passes (6 months and above)].
If the subtenants are non-citizens, you can verify their immigration status at the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority's VERIFI website.
Non-Permitted Subtenants
1. Non-Malaysian foreign construction workers;
2. Owners or tenants of existing HDB flats, except for
· Owners/tenants who are divorced/legally separated. However, only one of the divorced/legally separated parties is eligible to be a subtenant;
· Owners who are eligible to sublet their whole HDB flat. However, (i) they must sublet their own flat within one month after they have rented an HDB flat from other flat owner or (ii) they are not able to rent out their own flat as there are other occupiers remaining behind;
3. Owners of existing Executive Condominium units where the 5-year minimum occupation period has not been met.
Corporate Subtenants
Owners may sublet their flat to a corporate body to house its employees. However, they must :
1. Ensure that the company allows only persons who meet the eligibility conditions of subtenants to stay in the flat (hereinafter referred to as the occupiers);
2. Provide the particulars of the occupiers in the subletting application form;
3. Ensure that only authorised occupiers who are registered with HDB are staying in the flat;
4. Ensure that non-citizen occupiers have lawfully entered Singapore and are lawfully allowed to remain in Singapore;
5. Ensure that the occupiers comply with all the terms and conditions of subletting; and
6. Ensure that the occupiers vacate the premises upon termination of subletting or in the event that the subletting approval is revoked by HDB.
Maximum Number of Subtenants
The maximum number of subtenants allowed in each flat is :
· 4 persons for 1-room and 2-room flats
· 6 persons for 3-room flats
· 9 persons for 4-room and bigger flats
Terms & Conditions
Validity Period of Subletting
Permission to sublet is granted for a maximum period of 3 years subject to review. For subletting under the reason of overseas employment or study, the permission to sublet is granted for the entire duration of owners' stay overseas. Consent may be revoked at any time by HDB giving 2 weeks notice.
Flat Owners’ Responsibilities
As a flat owner subletting your flat, you will be responsible for:
· making sure the flat is sublet to eligible subtenants only
· making sure that there is no over crowding and that the number of subtenants does not exceed the maximum number allowed
· making sure that your subtenants have entered and are remaining in Singapore lawfully at all times while the subletting is in force
· making sure that your subtenants do not further sublet the flat to other persons
· making sure that your subtenants comply with all the covenants in the lease and the provisions of the Housing & Development Act and be responsible for all infringements committed by them
· informing the Comptroller of Property Tax of the subletting, and HDB of any changes in the subletting
· resuming occupation of your flat and ensuring your subtenants vacate the premises when the subletting is terminated or when you are no longer eligible to sublet your flat
· surrendering the flat in the event that the flat is repossessed by the HDB
Withdrawal of Service & Conservancy Charge (S&CC) Rebate
As part of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) offset package, the Government extended the Service & Conservancy Charge (S&CC) rebate to eligible citizen households for five years from 1 Apr 2007 to 31 Mar 2012. However, lessees who sublet their flat will not be eligible for the rebate during the period of subletting.
Period of Subletting
The period of subletting of the flat will NOT be included in computing the requisite occupation period/time bar to determine owner's eligibility to :
· resell flat in the open market
· invest in private residential properties
· apply for a second flat directly from HDB
Note: Owners who have sublet their flats will have to satisfy the full requisite occupation period/time bar specified by HDB before they are eligible for any of the above.
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