Everything you need to know about tenancy agreements

A tenancy agreement is the contract between the landlord and tenant, regarding the lease of the property. It's a legal document that states the rights and responsibilities of both parties, as well as any potential repercussions for violations.
It's important to note that, in Singapore, the TA is not as standardised as in some other countries. There is a template document from the Council of Estate Agencies (CEA) here, but it is not mandatory to use it.
We suspect this may change in the future, but at the time of writing, it's still possible to draft another TA to use.
As such, it's possible to come across TAs with unusual term. There are TAs that ban the consumption or preparation of certain food types, for example, and TAs that ban certain home activities (e.g. running any "from home" business, or mining Bitcoin).
Prospective tenants should never make assumptions about the TA, and must read the details closely.
A tenancy agreement will usually include the following:
Here are some of the clauses to watch out for:
This is an important term that shouldn't be missing from the TA. It typically says the tenant can "enjoy the premises without any interruption by the landlord".
Under this clause, tenants have the right to refuse entry of the premises to others, as if they were the owner.
In fact, they can even refuse entry to the landlord. So if the landlord wants to enter the house for any reason, such as to do renovations or conduct viewings, they need the permission of the tenant to do so.
Tenants are obligated to keep the house (and any inventory) in good condition. However, the "fair wear and tear" clause means they are not liable for damages caused by aging, and reasonable use. The landlord also can't retain part of the security deposit to pay for this sort of damage.
For example, if the kitchen sink pipe bursts because it's 20 years old, the tenant isn't liable or that. But if the pipe burst because it got clogged, and the tenant tried to take it apart to do a DIY repair, then they're liable for the damage.
The definition of fair wear and tear is a bit loose, but common sense applies. For example, the landlord can't make the tenant repaint the entire condo because the paint in some areas peeled.
The diplomatic clause is important to foreigners. It lets them break the lease without incurring penalties, in the event that they can no longer reside in Singapore (e.g. retrenchment, a new posting, dropping out of university).
With this clause, tenants only need to give two months' advance if they need to break the lease. However, most tenancy agreements will state that the clause only applies to tenants who have stayed for at least 12 months.
This effectively allows a landlord to terminate the lease, when a tenant violates some of the rules.
The most common reason is late or unpaid rent. The TA should state how and when this may happen (e.g. if rent is not paid within 21 days of the due date).
Be on the lookout for tenancy agreements that contain strange or missing terms here. For example, if the TA says the landlord can take over the property again when you don't pay rent (without giving any timeline), you could be evicted just for being a day late.
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