Location, price and facilities are some of the considerations everyone takes into account when searching for a new home. The requirements for most of these are decided personally, however. This article will talk about the types of housing available in Singapore.
In most locations, there will be three categories of housing available. There are Housing Development Board (HDB) flats or apartments, condominiums, and landed property. The latter two are considered private and are more expensive than HDB flats.
Even though Singapore is considered a Third World or at best Second World country, rental prices start at a price a Londoner or New Yorker might call reasonable, at $700 per month for a 3-room HDB flat in an outlying area. Being extremely densely populated, with over 6000 people per square kilometre, and with the need to cram all the infrastructure of a country that can be distributed to outlying areas in larger countries into one small, mostly homogenously urbanised city-state and still provide space for people to live, space is definitely at a premium.
The great majority of Singaporeans live in HDB flats, which can rise up to 21 storeys, and have few amenities or facilities beyond a communal parking garage, quite unlike a condominium. Most HDB flats are built around a park or green space of some kind however, and many have playgrounds nearby. Renting out the entire flat is illegal, but most owners get around that by keeping one room locked to maintain the fiction that they are living there.
There are 3-, 4-, and 5-room HDB flats, as well as \’executive\’ and \’maisonette\’ apartments. A 3-room flat actually has a living room, dining room, and a bathroom as well as 3 bedrooms, and is about 500 square feet. There are also single rooms available, and you would usually have to come to some form of agreement with the owner about TV, Internet, and kitchen use.
Condominiums are very popular with expatriates. They usually have some form of gated security as well as amenities and facilities such as a gymnasium, tennis courts, minimarts, or even childcare. While they can be found in most districts, the \’prestige\’ ones are all in the downtown area, clustered around Orchard. Subway (Mass Rapid Transit, or MRT) stations are usually hubs surrounded by shopping centres, HDB estates, and condominiums.
Landed property, meaning semi-detached, terrace, or detached houses, tends to be less accessible as the public transport system was designed with the majority of the population in mind, with the assumption that a house owner would have at least one car. However, less accessible usually means a short bus ride to the nearest MRT station instead of a short walk. Rental prices in this category depend less on location and more on the condition of the building, but if you are willing to live in a house older than 15 years old, you would pay far less for renting the entire house, with all the space that entails, than for a condominium in the same area.
Landed property is a good option for expatriates who are moving their families, especially if they have young children. There is space for cycling or just running around outside in relative safety, and there are usually no restrictions on pets, unlike HDB flats which only permit certain breeds of dogs. However, it is important to view the unit before signing the contract as the upkeep is completely dependent on the house owner, and the price usually corresponds to the condition of the unit.
For more information and resources about Apartment Rental for Expats in Singapore, make sure you visit SingaporeExpatPropertyExperts.com.sg!
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