Singapore has just retained, for better or worse, its title of the World’s Most Expensive City for Expats for 4 consecutive years by the EIU (Economic Intelligence Unit) in 2017. However, the high costs can be said to be, in a way, justifiable.
The high standards of living which permeate through everyday life in Singapore and the availability of top jobs and companies setting base here are all factors which have resulted in an ever-increasing influx of expatriates relocating to the country.
Every single submarket of Singapore’s real estate industry (with the exception of the retail property market) has shown signs of rapid recovery after analysts have presumed them to already currently bottom out. As such, with counter-cyclical opportunities in abundance, this entails a question of ‘how-to-invest’ by foreign investors looking to tap into the market.
If you are a foreigner wondering how to do so, here is a quick and easy 3-step guide:
Step 1
Firstly, it is important to understand that there are no restrictions to buying commercial or industrial properties. However, for residential properties, they are categorised into those that are restricted and unrestricted for foreigners under Singapore’s Residential Property Act. Under this Act, a foreigner is disallowed from acquiring the following properties unless he/she obtains the prior approval from the Land Dealings Approval Unit (LDAU) from the Singapore Land Authority:
- Vacant Residential Land
- Landed Property
- Landed Property in strata developments which are not approved condominium developments under the Planning Act
Related: Types of housing in Singapore
However, the following are non-restricted residential properties which can be purchased under the aforesaid Act:
- Any apartment within a building
- Any unit in an approved condominium development under the Planning Act (Note: A foreign person is not allowed to acquire all the apartments within a building or all the units in an approved condominium development without the prior approval)
- A leasehold estate in restricted residential property for a term not exceeding 7 years, including any further term which may be granted by way of an option for renewal
Based on this knowledge, one can then decide on the market that he/she would invest in.
Step 2: Contacting an agent + Consideration of costs
Once a property has been aimed for, or decided on and approved, one can should then approach a seller or an estate agent to express interest and reach an agreement on the price. Upon doing so, it is important to take note of the costs which are as follows:
Option to Purchase (OTP):
Your lawyer will ask you to sign an ‘Option to Purchase (OTP)’ – this costs 1-5% of the property price and entitles you to an exclusive right to purchase the subject property within a period of about 3 weeks.
Sale and Purchase Agreement:
Upon exercising the option, it is imperative to understand the costs involved. These costs include:
- *Stamp duty (refer to point 3 for further info): up to 3% of property value
- Legal fees: basically fees for the property lawyer which costs about 0.3% of the property price.
- Agent fees: typically about 1%
- Registration fees for the ownership title of the said property
Stamp Duty*
in terms of buying, has two types which are payable – Buyer’s Stamp Duty (for all properties) and Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (for residential properties.
| Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) | Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) |
| This is payable for all types of property purchased and based on the purchase price or the market value of the property (also known as the ‘Base’, whichever is higher. | the ABSD is payable only for the purchase of residential properties. The calculation for it, like BSD, is based on the purchase price or market value of the property, whichever is higher. |
Step 3
Finally, once the property has been successfully purchased… it is not the end yet! There are other unavoidable costs: annual taxes.
There are 2 main forms of taxes which one must take note of:
| Property Taxes | Taxation of Rental Income |
| Besides all the other costs (and also maintenance costs), one has to pay an annual property tax as well. According to IRAS, this can be calculated as follows:
Annual property tax = Annual Value of property (AV) x Tax rate payable. Now just to be clear, the AV is an adjusted figure of the projected annual rent that you could have earned from the property based on current market conditions. On the other hand, the tax rate payable is on a progressive basis of between 0 to 16%, depending on the AV of the property. |
The other taxation only applies if you actually earn rental income from the property you purchased. You have to declare the amount on your income tax return statement form, under the section of ‘Other income: rent from property’.
Nevertheless, this can be calculated via the following formula: Taxable Rental Income = Annual Rent – Deductible Costs. These costs include the following: interest paid on home loans, property taxes, fire insurance, costs for maintenance and utility bills. |
All-in-all, these are the main procedures and important things to take note of should you desire to invest in properties in Singapore.
Article by Joel Tang, Associate Director at Redbrick Mortgage Advisory.
