The big one: no HDB approval. Private property doesn't go through HDB at all, so you skip that whole step. What replaces it is the MCST — the Management Council Strata Titles, the body that runs the condo. The MCST has its own bylaws on noise, renovations, parking, and use of facilities, and your tenant agreed to those when they first moved in. On a renewal you don't usually re-trigger any MCST process, but the bylaws still apply for the new term. Aside from that, the renewal mechanics (new agreement, IRAS stamp duty, deposit handling) are the same as HDB.

No. MCST move-in/move-out fees, deposits for lift padding, and security registration are tied to a tenant physically moving in or out — not to the paperwork. If the same tenant is staying, none of that re-triggers. You only deal with MCST again when there's a change of occupant, when renovation works are planned, or when a tenant wants new car park decals or season parking. Tell your tenant the renewal doesn't reset their facility access either; existing gym/pool cards stay live.

Non-Resident Withholding Tax (NRWT). If you're a non-tax-resident landlord (you're not in Singapore for 183+ days a year), IRAS treats your rental income as Singapore-source income paid to a non-resident. The tenant is legally required to withhold 22% of the gross rent and remit it to IRAS by the 15th of the second month after payment. The tenant pays you 78%. You then file a tax return and either get a refund (if your actual tax bill is lower after expenses) or settle the difference. Most foreign owners route this through a property agent or tax agent who handles the IRAS side. If your tenant doesn't withhold, IRAS can come after them, not just you, so this is the tenant's exposure too.

2-year is the default for private property in Singapore, and most renewals follow the original lease length. Tenants who plan to stay long-term prefer 2-year because it locks in rent and saves another round of stamp duty. Landlords prefer 2-year when the rental market is soft (locks in income) and 1-year when rents are rising (more frequent re-pricing). With MAS keeping rates higher into 2026, a lot of landlords are leaning toward 2-year renewals just to stabilise cash flow against the mortgage.

Most landlords don't, especially if the tenant is staying and terms barely change. Agent commission for a renewal is usually half a month's rent, sometimes less, and what you're paying for is the paperwork plus a buffer if anything goes sideways. If you and the tenant talk directly and you're comfortable handling the agreement and IRAS stamping, DIY is fine. If the renewal involves rent changes, new occupants, or the tenant wants to renegotiate big chunks of the original lease, an agent or a lawyer earns their fee.

Yes, automatically. Facility access is tied to occupancy, not the tenancy document. As long as the tenant is still registered with the MCST as the unit's occupant, their season pass / facility card / pool wristband stays active through the renewal. If their access card has an expiry that falls during the new term, they renew it directly with the condo management office — that's a separate process from your tenancy renewal and doesn't involve you.

Yes, but disclose. Singapore en-bloc sales take 12-24 months from collective sale agreement to actual handover, so a 1 or 2-year renewal is usually fine. What you should do: write an en-bloc clause into the renewal letting either party terminate with 2-3 months notice if a Sale & Purchase Agreement is signed, with prorated rent and a full deposit return. Tenants accept this if they understand the timeline. Hiding it and getting hit with a forced termination later is how you end up in a small-claims dispute over their moving costs.

Treat the portal estimate as a ceiling, not a target. Those numbers are based on recent transacted leases and lean optimistic — they don't price in the cost of finding a new tenant, vacancy weeks, agent commission, or the small but real risk of getting a worse tenant. If the gap is under 10%, holding rent flat or asking for a 3-5% bump usually beats chasing the headline number. If the gap is 15%+ and your tenant won't budge, that's when re-listing makes sense. Run the numbers on net income after costs, not gross rent.