Renting guide
Condo, landed or serviced apartment: which should you rent?
How condos, serviced residences and landed homes compare for daily life.
In short
- Condos: security and facilities, with rules.
- Serviced: newer, central. Check utility rates.
- Landed: space and pets, more upkeep.
- Choose by household, pets, car and upkeep.
The main types, explained
- Condominium: a high-rise in a gated, guarded development with shared facilities like a pool, gym and playground.
- Apartment or flat: similar, but usually with fewer facilities and less security. Older walk-up flats may have no lift.
- Serviced residence (serviced apartment): a high-rise often built on commercial land, frequently in city or mixed-use developments. Usually newer, often fully furnished.
- SOHO / SOFO / SOVO: small “office-home” units, usually studios, popular with single professionals.
- Landed: houses on their own land. Terrace (link) houses share walls on both sides, semi-detached (semi-D) share one wall, and bungalows stand alone. Townhouses are split into upper and lower units.
Side by side
| Condo | Serviced residence | Landed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent for the space | Mid | Mid to high | Best value per sq ft outside the city |
| Security | Guards, access cards, CCTV | Guards, access cards, CCTV | Depends on the street. Look for guarded communities |
| Facilities | Pool, gym, playground | Often rooftop pools, gyms, retail downstairs | Your own garden and car porch |
| Space | Moderate | Often compact | Most space for the money |
| Pets | Often restricted by building rules | Often restricted | Usually easiest |
| Parking | 1 to 2 allocated bays | Usually 1 bay | Car porch, plus the street |
| Maintenance fees | Paid by the owner | Paid by the owner | Guarding fee sometimes paid by the tenant |
| Upkeep hassle | Low | Low | Higher: garden, gutters, pests |
Condos: what to check
- Building management quality: the state of the lifts, lobby and car park tells you a lot.
- House rules (by-laws): pets, renovations, moving-in hours, and visitor and delivery access.
- Access cards: how many come with the unit, and what replacements cost.
- Short-term rentals in the building, such as holiday lets. They can affect noise and security.
Serviced residences: what to check
Because many serviced residences sit on commercial land, some are billed at commercial rates for electricity and water, which can be noticeably higher than residential rates. Ask for a recent bill before you commit. Also check whether internet is included, and whether a lot of units in the building are used as holiday lets.
Landed homes: what to check
- Security: grilles, an auto-gate, an alarm, and whether the street is in a guarded scheme (and who pays for it)
- Flooding history: ask neighbours, and look at the drains and at any water marks on walls
- Roof and plumbing: look for stains on ceilings and check the water pressure upstairs
- Garden and pest control: agree who's responsible, and write it into the agreement
- Aircon and water heaters: “unfurnished” landed homes sometimes come with neither
So which one?
- Single or a couple, working in the city: a condo or serviced residence near the MRT or LRT.
- Family with kids: a family-sized condo near school, or a terrace house in a guarded community.
- Pets, especially dogs: landed, or one of the few pet-friendly condos. Tell me early and I'll filter for it.
- Expat on a 1–2 year posting: a furnished condo in an established area, with a diplomatic clause.
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