One thing you have to be mindful of when you’re in another country is the place to stay. Sure, you have a friend or a relative staying in that country, but do you really want to just “hitch” with them forever? Do THEY want you to “hitch” forever?

In our previous article, Survival Techniques for Tourist Pinoy, we recommended that you stay first with a friend, relative, acquaintance or whoever while you’re still looking for a job. It saves you money plus it helps you deal with the initial bouts of loneliness you will feel being away with your loved ones for a long time. Now that you have a job already, it’s time for you to become independent and start living your life in Singapore. First thing you must do is look for a place where you can permanently stay. Here are your options:

1. Rent the spare room from your friend or relative. First option here is to check if the place you’re currently staying has a spare room which you can rent. This is the best option as you don’t need move your stuff from one place to another. Also, you are already familiar with the surroundings and the people you will be dealing with on a day to day basis. Plus, that place will most likely have TFC (The Filipino Channel) subscription so you can still watch your favorite Kapamilya shows.

2. Rent HDB Room. HDB stands for Housing and Development Board. It is the government agency here in Singapore in-charge of public housing. Most of the flats (apartment) here are built by HDB, hence, they refer to the flat as HDB. Renting an HDB room is a bit cheaper and normally, it already comes with basic room amenities like aircon, bed, closet, etc. Price range is around SGD400 – SGD700 depending on the location and your negotiation with the owner. Contract duration is typically 1 year and they normally require 1 month advance and 1 month deposit plus agent commission which is about ½ month. Overall, you need to shell out about 2 ½ months payment before you can move in. Tips: 1) Avoid agents. They are allowed here in Singapore and there are plenty of them. As much as possible, try to negotiate directly with the owner. That way, you don’t need to pay extra ½ month. 2) Also, try to negotiate that utilities bill be inclusive of the monthly rental fee. 3) Ask if they allow 2 persons in the room. Find a friend and split the rental fee with him/her. You can checkout PinoySG or ST701 for HDB room listings. The Saturday edition of the Straits Times newspaper is also a good source.

3. Rent Condominium Room. The process for renting HDB room is almost similar to renting Condo room. The only difference is rental fee is higher and condominium has better amenities. If the job you got allows you to spend a little bit more on a good room, then I suggest you get a Condo room. Generally, Condominium has amenities like swimming pool, gym, 24-hour security, etc. Price range is around SGD600 – SGD1,200 depending on the location and your negotiation with the owner. Also requires deposit, advance and agent commission. Follow the tips above and you’re good to go. You can checkout PinoySG or ST701 for Condo room listings. The Saturday edition of the Straits Times newspaper is also a good source.

4. Rent whole HDB unit. This is what most Pinoys prefer. The way to do this is to find a 3 or 4 bedroom HDB flat then find 3 or 4 friends to share the unit with. That way, all of you can split everything – from utilities to internet to house maintenance. Plus you can have fun because you will be sharing same interests and you can set your own rules. Good thing about Singapore, almost all HDB units for rent here comes fully furnished. Air-conditioned rooms, TV, washing machine, dining table, bed, etc. basically everything you need. All you have to do is bring your clothes and you’re good to go. Price range for whole unit is around SGD1,300 – SGD2,500 depending on location and number of rooms. Also requires deposit, advance and agent commission. One of the tenants must also be an EP (employment pass) holder or a PR (permanent resident). A friendly caution: Singapore sets maximum number of people to stay in a given HDB unit. They are strict about this so you must negotiate this very clearly with your landlord. If it is a 3-bedroom unit, try to negotiate maximum of 6 persons (2 per room) to stay even if you are just 3 at the moment. At least it gives you some leeway to add more people in the future. But once maximum number is set, make sure you do not go beyond the limit. You do not want to get into trouble because of this. You can checkout PinoySG or ST701 for HDB whole unit listings. The Saturday edition of the Straits Times newspaper is also a good source.

5. Rent whole Condominium unit. This is great if you have the money to pay for it and your family is already here. This is not an advisable option if you will be staying with friends as you will be tied up with at least 1 year contract. Who knows if before the contract expires, your friend decided to go back to Philippines or move to another company very far away from your place, etc. You do not want to be saddled with a responsibility to cover his share for the rent. That’s a very expensive proposition. If, however, you are stable and your family is here, condo is great. You have all the amenities provided above and you get to enjoy a certain prestige that comes with living in a condo. Price range for whole condo unit is around SGD3,000 – SGD8,000 depending on location and number of rooms. This is fully furnished and comes with basic condominium amenities mentioned above. Also requires deposit, advance and agent commission. One of the tenants must also be an EP (employment pass) holder or a PR (permanent resident). A friendly caution: Singapore sets maximum number of people to stay in a given Condo unit. They are strict about this so you must negotiate this very clearly with your landlord. If it is a 3-bedroom unit, try to negotiate maximum of 6 persons (2 per room) to stay even if you are just 3 at the moment. At least it gives you some leeway to add more people in the future. But once maximum number is set, make sure you do not go beyond the limit. You do not want to get into trouble because of this. You can checkout PinoySG or ST701 for Condominium unit listings. The Saturday edition of the Straits Times newspaper is also a good source.

Deciding on where to stay depends on several factors. Be guided with the right information and be smart with your decisions.

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