Despite falling property rental prices across the board as the market slump continues, home owners and investors are finding that there is still profit to be made in the home rental sector, at least earning them more than simply leaving their properties empty or waiting for money in the bank to earn them interest.
A sudden and deep plunge in rents is quite improbable, and with slight adjustments of expectations, landlords will still find that there are tenants to be had in the current market. The median gross rental yield in May this year stood at 3.2 per cent, with median prices at $1,223 psf. Median monthly rents were down from $3.45 psf in April to $3.26 psf in May. The districts with the highest yields were 1, 2, 4,5 and 17 with the highest median prices at $1,960 psf in district 1 and 2 – in Chinatown, Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar.
Property analysts are however expecting further reduction in yields as the foreign workforce plays musical chairs with the abundant number of rental units in the mark. Areas with fewer residential properties, such as in districts 1, 2 and where property prices are lower such as in district 17 (Changi, Loyang and Pasir Ris), rental demand tends to be stronger. Rents have however plunged in districts 20 and 8 of Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Little india and Farrer Park respectively.
