Security Deposit Rules in Singapore: How Much, and When You Get It Back
How much is a security deposit in Singapore?
There's no fixed amount — the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) does not prescribe one, so it's whatever the landlord and tenant agree to in the tenancy agreement. In practice, almost every lease in Singapore follows the same convention: one month's rent as deposit for each year of the lease, capped at two months for a two-year lease. A one-year lease on a S$2,800/month unit is a S$2,800 deposit; a two-year lease on the same unit is S$5,600.
This isn't a law. It's a market norm strong enough that it functions like one — and it's the same figure Rentora's own tenancy agreement generator uses by default (one month for leases under two years, two months for leases of two years or more), because deviating from it without a reason tends to make a listing harder to rent, not easier.
Is there a law that sets the deposit amount?
No. CEA's guidance on renting a private residential property describes its tenancy agreement template as "just a guide" that is "not compulsory," explicitly leaving landlords and tenants "free to negotiate the terms and conditions of the tenancy" before signing (CEA, Renting or renting out a private residential property, checked 1 September 2026). CEA's FAQ on rental transactions is even more direct about the absence of fixed figures — on agent commission, it states plainly that "there are no fixed commission rates nor prescribed guidelines on commission amounts," and the same non-prescriptive approach applies to deposits (CEA, Renting or renting out, checked 1 September 2026).
HDB's own homeowner's guide to renting out a flat goes into detail on eligibility, the five-year Minimum Occupation Period, the Non-Citizen Quota, tenancy length and landlord responsibilities — and says nothing about a deposit amount, because it isn't part of HDB's approval process. Whether you're renting out an HDB flat or a condo, the deposit is a private contractual term, not a regulatory one (gov.sg, Renting out your HDB flat: A homeowner's guide, checked 1 September 2026).
That absence of a rule is exactly why a written, specific tenancy agreement matters more here than almost anywhere else in the process — there's no statute to fall back on if the number was never agreed in writing.
When should the deposit be refunded?
Whenever the tenancy agreement says it should be — there's no statutory deadline. The standard clause used in Singapore tenancy agreements, including Rentora's own template, says the deposit is refunded "on the expiry of the tenancy," without interest, less any sum found due to the landlord for breach of the agreement or unpaid amounts. That's a legally sound clause, but it doesn't commit either side to a specific number of days.
In practice, most agreements attach a number to it — commonly somewhere between 7 and 14 days after the tenant hands back the keys and any post-inspection is completed. If your draft agreement doesn't specify a timeframe, add one before signing. A vague "on expiry" clause with no day count is the single most common reason deposit disputes drag on: both sides remember a different informal understanding of what "promptly" meant.
What can a landlord deduct from the deposit?
Unpaid rent or bills, and the cost of damage beyond fair wear and tear — not the ordinary fading, scuffing or wear that comes from normal use over the lease term. This distinction is standard in Singapore tenancy agreements and is the basis on which most deposit disputes turn: a landlord charging for a worn sofa cushion after three years of normal use is on much weaker ground than one charging for a cigarette burn or a broken fixture.
The condition report signed at move-in is what makes this enforceable either way — without one, there's no baseline to compare against at move-out, and the dispute becomes one person's word against another's.
What happens if a landlord won't return the deposit?
Three options, in order of speed: negotiate directly, apply for mediation, or file a claim. A Community Mediation Centre can facilitate a resolution without cost or a court date. If that fails, the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT) can hear a tenancy dispute for residential premises — but only where the tenancy does not exceed two years, the claim is filed within two years of the dispute arising, and the amount claimed is no more than S$20,000 (or S$30,000 if both parties sign a Memorandum of Consent) (Judiciary of Singapore, Cases eligible for a small claim, checked 1 September 2026). A three-year lease, or a claim above that ceiling, falls outside the SCT's jurisdiction and would need to go through the ordinary courts or private legal action instead.
CEA cannot get involved in a deposit dispute that doesn't involve a property agent — it will point both parties toward mediation, the SCT, or independent legal advice (CEA, checked 1 September 2026).
One condition applies before any of this is available to you: the tenancy agreement has to be stamped. An unstamped agreement generally can't be relied on as evidence in the SCT or the courts, which means the strongest deposit clause in the world is worthless if the 14-day (or 30-day, if signed overseas) stamping deadline was missed. That's covered in full in what happens if you don't stamp your tenancy agreement — read it before you're in a dispute, not after.
Does the security deposit affect stamp duty?
No — stamp duty is calculated on rent, not on the deposit. IRAS defines the dutiable amount as the Average Annual Rent, which includes the monthly rent plus other recurring charges paid to the landlord such as maintenance, service charges, furniture and fittings, and advertising or promotion costs — but a refundable security deposit isn't rent, so it isn't part of that calculation (IRAS, Renting a Property, checked 1 September 2026). If you want the exact duty on your lease, Rentora's stamp duty calculator works it out from the rent alone — leave the deposit out of it entirely.
Does HDB apply different deposit rules to flats?
No. HDB's rental framework governs who can rent, how long a tenancy can run, and the occupancy caps — check those first with the HDB eligibility checker before you get to the deposit conversation. But once a flat clears those checks, the deposit itself is negotiated the same way it would be for a condo: by agreement, in writing, with no government-set figure either way.
Q&A
Can a landlord ask for more than two months' deposit? Nothing in law stops it, but it's outside the market convention and makes a listing harder to fill. Most tenants will push back or walk away from a deposit above the one-to-two-month norm unless there's a specific reason for it (a shorter credit history, a pet, or heavily furnished premises, for example).
Can the deposit double as the last month's rent? Not under a standard tenancy agreement. The usual clause states explicitly that the deposit "shall not be deemed or treated as payment of rent" — it exists purely as security against breach or damage, refundable separately from any rent owed.
Does a verbal agreement on the deposit amount hold up? It's far weaker than a written one. Without a stamped, written tenancy agreement stating the deposit amount and refund terms, there's little a mediator or the SCT can point to if the two sides remember the conversation differently.
Is the deposit different for a bedroom rental versus a whole flat? The same convention applies — deposit scales to rent and lease length, not to whether you're renting a room or the whole unit. What differs for bedroom rentals is the HDB approval process, not the deposit math.
Verified 1 September 2026 against: Council for Estate Agencies (Renting or renting out a private residential property; Renting or renting out); Singapore Courts (Cases eligible for a small claim); IRAS (Renting a Property); gov.sg (Renting out your HDB flat: A homeowner's guide). This is general information, not legal advice — for a dispute specific to your tenancy, seek independent legal advice or approach a Community Mediation Centre.