Renewal addendum, fresh new tenancy, or just let it lapse?
If you're keeping the same flat and the same tenant, you sign a renewal. The only real question is whether to bolt a short addendum onto the existing agreement, or write a fresh new tenancy from scratch. There's also the option of doing nothing — letting the original lapse and the tenancy continue month-to-month. Each path has consequences.
The three paths
Path 1 — Renewal addendum (lightest)
A short document attached to the original tenancy. Says: same property, same parties, new dates, new rent (if changed). The original tenancy is the base; the addendum modifies it.
Use when: only the dates and rent change. Nothing else.
Path 2 — Fresh new tenancy (most common)
A complete new tenancy agreement covering the renewal term. Replaces the original from the new start date. Your record-keeping is one clean document instead of two.
Use when: anything material changes — deposit, utilities split, occupants, furnishing status, special clauses. Or just by default for the cleaner paper trail.
Path 3 — Do nothing, let it go periodic (riskiest)
The original tenancy expires. The tenant keeps paying rent, you keep accepting it. Singapore law treats this as a periodic tenancy — month-to-month, terminable by either side with short notice (often as little as 1 month, sometimes less).
Use when: never, intentionally. The original fixed-term protections lapse, you can be terminated quickly, and any deposit dispute becomes ambiguous.
Quick test
Run through these. If you tick more than the dates-and-rent line, lean toward a fresh new tenancy.
- ☐ Only the start date, end date, and rent are changing
- ☐ Security deposit amount changes
- ☐ Furnishing status changes (going from furnished to unfurnished or vice versa)
- ☐ Adding or removing tenants or occupants
- ☐ Utilities arrangement changes
- ☐ Diplomatic clause is being added or removed
- ☐ Notice period is changing
- ☐ Custom clauses (CCTV, pet policy, smoking) are being added or removed
If only the first ticks: addendum is fine. If two or more tick: fresh new tenancy.
Generate the right one
Our renewal flow generates a fresh new tenancy by default — pre-filled from your previous agreement. Cleaner paperwork, IRAS-ready.
FAQ
When should I sign a renewal addendum vs a fresh new agreement?
Use a renewal addendum if you're only changing the dates and rent. Use a fresh new agreement if you're changing anything material — security deposit amount, who pays utilities, adding or removing occupants, switching from furnished to unfurnished, dropping the diplomatic clause, changing the notice period. Most landlords skip the addendum and just issue a fresh agreement because the document trail is cleaner.
If I sign a renewal, is the original tenancy 'still in force'?
If you sign a renewal addendum, the original agreement is the base document and the addendum modifies the bits that changed. If you sign a fresh new tenancy for the same property and parties, the original is fully replaced from the new start date. Either way, the original is still important historically — it sets the precedent for things like deposit amount, condition of the unit, and any clauses that carry over.
Stamp duty — does it differ between renewal addendum and fresh agreement?
No. Both are stampable documents. The rate is 0.4% of total rent for 1-year leases, or 0.4% of average annual rent for 1–3 year leases. If you stamp a renewal addendum, IRAS stamps based on the rent and term in the addendum. If you stamp a fresh new tenancy, IRAS stamps based on the new tenancy's rent and term. Either way you pay the same.
My existing agreement has a 'right to renew' clause. Do I still sign anything?
Yes. A right-to-renew clause means the tenant can require you to renew at agreed terms — but the renewal itself is a separate signed and stamped document. The clause sets the terms; the renewal agreement implements them. Even with a right-to-renew clause, both sides sign a renewal addendum or fresh tenancy and stamp it within 14 days.
I want to change the rent significantly on renewal. Renewal or new?
A rent change alone is fine in a renewal — the renewal exists precisely to capture rent updates. If the rent change is the only material change, a renewal addendum or fresh agreement both work. The fresh agreement gives you a cleaner one-document record going forward.
I'm switching the unit's status from 'furnished' to 'unfurnished'. What now?
That's a material change and the inventory list will be different. Strongly prefer a fresh new agreement so the inventory section is clean. A renewal addendum that says 'now unfurnished, see new schedule' works but is messier and a fresh tenancy is the safer call.
If we already exceeded the original tenancy end date and I'm just continuing month-to-month, am I in renewal territory?
You're in periodic-tenancy territory by default — month-to-month, terminable on short notice, and the original fixed-term protections have lapsed. Best practice is to immediately sign a backdated renewal (or fresh agreement) so you're back inside a fixed term. IRAS still wants stamp duty on the renewed term within 14 days of signing.
Can the renewal cover a different property?
No. A renewal is for the same property. If you're moving to a different unit (same building or otherwise), that's a new tenancy by definition, not a renewal. The agreement should describe the new property and you start over with stamp duty, deposit, and HDB approval (if applicable) for the new address.