Tenancy agreement Singapore: a clause-by-clause read for both sides新加坡租约逐条解读：租客与房东都该看懂的条款

What a Singapore tenancy agreement covers一份新加坡租约管些什么

A tenancy agreement (TA) is the contract between landlord and tenant. It fixes the rent, the term, the deposit, and who pays when something breaks. There is no compulsory form. The Council for Estate Agencies publishes a template for private homes and states that it is a guide, not a requirement (CEA). Most agents adapt it, so the clauses below are the ones you will usually see. Each can be changed before you sign.租约（TA）是房东与租客之间的合同，写明租金、租期和押金，也写明东西坏了由谁出钱。租约没有强制格式。房地产代理理事会（CEA）为私宅发布了一份租约范本，并明确表示它只是参考，并非强制（见 CEA）。大多数经纪都在这份范本上修改，所以下面讲的，是你最常见到的条款。签约之前，每一条都可以改。

Two rules sit outside the TA, and no clause can override them. Private homes must be let for at least three consecutive months, and daily or weekly stays are not allowed (URA). HDB flats and bedrooms need at least six months per tenant. Each HDB approval runs up to three years if all tenants are Singaporeans or Malaysians, or two years if any tenant is not (HDB).有两条规定在租约之外，任何条款都改变不了。私宅出租，每位住客须连续住满至少 3 个月，不允许按天或按周出租（见 URA）。组屋整间或房间出租，每位租客至少 6 个月。如果租客全是新加坡人或马来西亚人，每次 HDB 批准最长 3 年；只要有一位不是，最长 2 年（见 HDB）。

Before the TA: the letter of intent and good-faith deposit签租约之前：意向书与诚意金

Most rentals start with a letter of intent (LOI). The tenant sets out the rent, term, start date and any requests, such as a new mattress. Common practice is to pay a good-faith deposit with the LOI, often one month's rent. It becomes part of the security deposit once the TA is signed. If the landlord accepts and the tenant then pulls out, that money is usually forfeited. So treat the LOI as binding paper, not a courtesy. IRAS lists an accepted letter of offer among the documents that attract lease duty. Even a WhatsApp acceptance can create a dutiable agreement (IRAS).大多数租赁都从意向书（LOI）开始。租客在意向书里写明租金、租期、起租日，以及各种要求，比如换新床垫。常见做法是随意向书付一笔诚意金，通常是 1 个月租金，签约后转为押金的一部分。如果房东已经接受，租客却反悔，这笔钱通常会被没收。所以别把意向书当客套，它是有约束力的文件。IRAS 把“接受要约书”列为须缴租约印花税的文件之一，还说明，即使是通过 WhatsApp 答应租下，也可能构成须缴印花税的协议（见 IRAS）。

Security deposit: common practice, not a rule押金：市场惯例，不是法规

No law sets the deposit, and the CEA template leaves the number of months blank. Common practice is one month's rent for each year of the lease, plus the first month's rent in advance. The template also limits deductions. The landlord must first give written notice of a breach and allow 14 days to fix it. The balance is refunded without interest when the lease ends. The tenant may not use the deposit as the last month's rent (CEA template).押金多少，法律没有规定，CEA 范本也把月数留空。常见做法是每租 1 年付 1 个月押金，另预付第 1 个月租金。范本对扣押金也有限制：房东须先以书面通知租客违约之处，并给予 14 天补救。租约结束时，余款无息退还。租客不得拿押金抵最后一个月的租金（见 CEA 范本）。

The diplomatic clause, and the commission refund that comes with it外交条款，以及随之而来的佣金退还

The diplomatic clause, or break clause, lets the tenant end the lease early. In the CEA template it applies if the named occupant is permanently transferred out of Singapore by their firm, stops being employed, or is ordered to leave the country. The notice must come with documentary proof. The template leaves the timings blank. A common arrangement on a two-year lease is 12 months, then two months' notice or two months' rent in lieu.外交条款（diplomatic clause，也叫 break clause）让租客可以提前终止租约。按 CEA 范本，适用情况是：租约上列明的住客被公司永久调离新加坡、失去工作，或被要求离开新加坡。发出通知时须附上证明文件。范本把时限留空。两年租约的常见安排是住满 12 个月后可用，提前 2 个月通知，或以 2 个月租金代替通知。

Read the next clause too. If the tenant leaves early, the template has them refund the landlord a pro-rated share of the commission the landlord paid its agent. The landlord can deduct it from the deposit. Ask for that commission figure before you sign; our rental commission guide explains how it is usually set. Stamp duty is not refunded on a lease that ends after it has started (IRAS).紧接着的那一条也要看。如果租客提前终止，范本规定租客须按比例退还房东付给经纪的佣金，房东可以直接从押金里扣。签约前先问清楚这笔佣金是多少；租赁佣金一般怎么算，可参考我们的佣金指南。另外要注意，租期已经开始的租约提前结束，已缴的印花税不会退还（见 IRAS）。

Minor repairs, the problem-free period and aircon servicing小额维修、无忧期与冷气保养

The minor repairs clause sets a cap per item, per incident. Below the cap, the tenant pays. Above it, the tenant pays up to the cap and the landlord covers the rest. The tenant needs the landlord's written consent before going over. The cap itself is a blank you negotiate. If an item is beyond repair, the template puts the full replacement cost on the landlord, unless the tenant caused the fault.小额维修条款规定每件物品、每次维修的上限。低于上限，由租客支付；超过上限，租客付到上限为止，其余由房东承担。超出上限前，租客须先取得房东书面同意。上限金额是双方商定的空白项。如果物品坏到无法修理，范本规定由房东承担全部更换费用，除非是租客造成的。

The lease usually opens with a problem-free period. Defects reported in writing during that window are the landlord's to fix. Test every tap, switch and appliance in the first week.上限生效之前，租约开头还有一段无忧期（problem-free period）。在这段时间内以书面报告的毛病，由房东负责修好。第一周就把每个水龙头、开关和电器都试一遍。

The aircon clause is the one tenants skip most. Under the template, the tenant takes up a service contract and has the units serviced at least once every three months, at their own cost. Receipts are shown at the end. The landlord pays for breakdowns, parts and chemical cleaning, unless poor upkeep caused the fault.冷气条款是租客最常忽略的一条。按范本，租客须签保养合约，每 3 个月至少保养一次，费用自付，租约结束时出示收据。冷气故障、零件更换与化学清洗由房东负责，但如果是保养不周造成的，就由租客承担。

Handover, reinstatement and fair wear and tear交还单位、恢复原状与合理损耗

At the end, the tenant hands the unit back in similar condition to the start, fair wear and tear excepted. Faded paint and a worn sofa cushion are wear. A burn mark on the countertop is damage. Under the template, the tenant prepares a property condition report during the problem-free period, and both sides keep a copy as evidence. If you put up shelves, expect to fill the holes and touch up the paint. Dated photos from day one settle most deposit arguments.租约结束时，租客须把单位以与起租时相近的状态交还，合理损耗除外。油漆褪色、沙发坐垫磨旧，属于损耗；台面上的烫痕，属于损坏。按范本，租客须在无忧期内准备一份屋况报告，双方各执一份作为凭证。如果你装过架子，交屋前要补好钉孔和油漆。第一天拍下带日期的照片，大多数押金争议都能解决。

Stamp duty on a tenancy agreement: who pays and how much租约印花税：谁付，付多少

The TA should name who pays stamp duty. If it is silent, the Stamp Duties Act makes the tenant liable (IRAS). Duty is charged on the higher of the contract rent or the market rent. The rent counted includes furniture, maintenance and service charges, but not GST (IRAS).租约应写明印花税由谁付。如果没有写，《印花税法令》规定由租客承担（见 IRAS）。印花税按合同租金与市场租金两者中较高者计算，计入的租金包括家具费、维护费和服务费，但不含 GST（见 IRAS）。

• Average annual rent S$1,000 or less:平均年租金 S$1,000 或以下： exempt.免税。
• Lease of four years or less:租期 4 年或以下： 0.4% of the total rent for the lease.租期内总租金的 0.4%。
• Lease over four years, or indefinite:租期超过 4 年或不定期： 0.4% of four times the average annual rent.平均年租金 4 倍的 0.4%。
• Rounding:取整： rounded down to the nearest dollar, with a minimum of S$1.向下取整到元，最低 S$1。

Stamp within 14 days of signing if the TA is signed in Singapore. If it is signed overseas, the deadline is 30 days after it arrives in Singapore. A late or missing stamp can draw a penalty of up to four times the duty (IRAS). Landlords should ask for the stamp certificate, which proves the TA has been stamped.在新加坡签署的租约，须在签约后 14 天内缴付印花税；在海外签署的，须在文件进入新加坡后 30 天内缴付。未缴、迟缴或少缴，最高可被罚相当于税额 4 倍的罚款（见 IRAS）。房东应向租客索取印花税证书（Stamp Certificate），这是租约已缴税的凭证。

Rentals are about 55% of my work, and I read every tenancy agreement in full before anyone signs. The clause that hurts people is rarely the rent. It is a diplomatic clause with no commission figure, a repair cap nobody asked about, or an aircon contract the tenant never took out. My advice to both sides is the same. Photograph the unit on day one, and get every promise from the LOI written into the schedule. If it is not in the TA, it did not happen.租赁大约占我工作的 55%，每一份租约，我都会在双方签字前从头读到尾。真正让人吃亏的，很少是租金本身，而是外交条款旁边没写清佣金数额、没人问过的维修上限，或是租客根本没签的冷气保养合约。我给房东和租客的建议是一样的：起租第一天把单位拍下来，意向书里答应过的每一件事，都写进租约附表。没写进租约的，就等于没发生过。

A short check before you sign签约前的简单核对

Tenants should confirm the landlord's name, that the landlord owns the unit, and that it is approved for residential use. CEA's checklist shows where to check each (CEA). HDB owners stay responsible for any rule their tenants break (HDB). Our condo rental page covers how we handle a lease from viewing to keys.租客应核实房东姓名、房东确实是业主，以及单位获准作住宅用途。CEA 的核对清单列出了各项的查询渠道（见 CEA）。组屋业主则须为租客违反的任何规定负责（见 HDB）。我们的公寓租赁页面介绍了从看房到交钥匙的整个流程。