SHE pays only $1,200 to rent a 3-bedroom private apartment in Guillemard.

SHE pays only $1,200 to rent a 3-bedroom private apartment in Guillemard.


A room with a view: Mr Jason Wong at his three-bedroom apartment at Lagoon View that overlooks East Coast beach. -- Pictures: Kua Chee Siong
That's cheaper than renting a four-room HDB flat in Bukit Merah.

The rents may have gone up 7.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year, but if you do your homework, there are still homes available for rent at a reasonable fee.

The New Paper on Sunday managed to track down tenants who are living in semi-detached houses and private apartments, paying rents between $1,200 and $1,500.

Restaurant manager Ms Viv Koh, 29, who rents the 1,100 sq ft apartment in Guillemard Apartments, said one agent offered her a five-room flat in the suburbs for $2,000.

She said she found the price 'ridiculous'.

She scoured the classified ads every day early this year, and contacted various agents.


Two months later, she settled on one and signed a one-year contract.

The seven-storey block with no condo facilities is located on Geylang Lorong 26 - a 10-minute walk from Aljunied MRT Station.

Ms Koh, who is single, was earlier renting a four-room HDB flat in Hougang for $900 a month.

According to agents, the rent at Guillemard Apartments ranges between $1,100 and $1,700, depending on its size.

Ms Koh said: 'The rent is a steal because the apartment is probably more than 15 years old. Most of the fittings, like the switches and lighting in the house, are retro.'

You can also find cheap rental apartments in older estates, say agents.


Places like Lagoon View on Marine Parade Road is a case in point.

Marketing manager Jason Wong, 28, who lives with two relatives, is paying $1,500 for a three-bedroom apartment overlooking East Coast beach.

He said: 'My relatives secured this place two years ago. The lease is ending but I understand from my landlord recently that we can continue the lease at the same rate.'

These not-so-expensive rents may go some way in retaining Singapore's competitiveness when compared to places such as Hong Kong.

Last week, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew sounded a note of caution that Singapore could lose its competitiveness if its office and home rentals continue to rise.


The rent for an apartment of between 2,500 sq ft and 4,375 sq ft in Central, Hong Kong, is from HK$180,000 ($35,000) to HK$300,000, said Colliers International.

A check on a Hong Kong property listing website showed the monthly rent for a 440sq ft studio apartment in Central, Hong Kong, as HK$20,000.

Ms Yan Chiu, 32, a beautician, rented a newly-renovated but unfurnished four-room flat in Choa Chu Kang which she stumbled upon on the Internet. The rent: $1,100 a month.

The average rent for a four-room flat in Choa Chu Kang is $1,137, the HDB's second quarter average rental figuresshowed.

A Bukit Panjang four-room flat fetches the lowest average monthly rent at $1,006, while one at Bukit Merah is the highest at $1,397.

LANDED PROPERTY BOOM

Knight Frank's director for research and consultancy, MrNicholas Mak said: 'You can find two or three-bedroom properties further away from town in Woodlands, Jurong or Choa Chu Kang at these prices.

'But it is difficult to rent a landed property for $3,000.'

But Ms Tan, a marketing professional in her 30s, managed to buck that trend.

Last year, she rented a landed property in Sengkang for $1,300 for two years.

She had viewed a few houses in the Seletar Hills Estate with a rent of between $1,500 and $1,800 last year.

She said: 'I was looking for an unfurnished house because it would be cheaper than a furnished or semi-furnished one. Though the rooms had air-con, the house was bare. Overall, it was in a decent condition.'

The estate, however, does not have amenities like shops. It is surrounded by a condo, school and flats.

The attractive rents are probably why state properties have become increasingly popular of late.

Some of them, with huge compounds, are going for below $2,000.

In all, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has more than 2,300 residential properties islandwide which are currently occupied.

The properties include black-and-white bungalows, terrace houses, flats and apartments.

There is currently a long waiting list for its properties, including the $1,700-a-month terrace houses at Seletar Camp, even though the area will make way for the 140ha aerospace park.

A SLA spokesman said: 'In the last two years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of rentals, along with a significant demand this year. The rental is pegged to the market and determined by qualified licensed valuers, based on the condition of a unit.

'The rates also depend on the location, size and type of the property.'

The popular areas include Alexandra Park, Changi areas and central locations like Orchard Road.

Also, demand has gone up for houses and apartments at Chip Bee Gardens located off Holland Road, which is managed by Jurong Town Council (JTC).

There are 1,356 sq ft terrace houses and three- and four-bedroom apartments - with monthly rentals starting from $3,300 and $2,500, respectively.

Tenants can go to SLA's portal at www.spio.sla.gov.sg, to search for homes.

A recent check showed there are only two-bedroom apartments in Jurong for rent at $900 a month. SLA said that there will only be a handful of apartments in various locations available in the next few months.

But tenants may contact SLA's managing agents, like United Premas, EM Services and DTZ Debenham Tie Leung Property Management Services, to check on availability from time to time.